20, I published a blog, titled " At Least Now You Know Which Video Game Reviewers Are Sellout Clowns," about games journalists who'd complied with the studio CD Projekt Red's non-disclosure agreements limiting how they could cover Cyberpunk 2077 in exchange for early access to what has turned out to be a shamefully broken product. In the meantime, we ask Double Fine studio head Tim Schafer whether we should expect Psychonauts 3 or something else entirely.On Dec.
#Psychonauts 2 review embargo Ps4#
That's a rare quality to be found in a AAA game, and I can't wait to see if Double Fine can maintain that balance throughout the entire experience with it releases for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and PS4 on August 25, 2021.Ĭheck back in with GamesRadar all week for more on Psychonauts 2. That's part of the appeal, and genius, of what I have played of Psychonauts 2 so far: it's imaginative, intuitive, and very funny, but it's also fearless in its embrace of its subject matter. I'd be laughing away at some outrageous personification of addiction or anxiety, only for a line of dialogue or metaphoric sequence of play to leave me momentarily breathless. Barely an hour would go by without the game forcing me to think a little more broadly about the situation the game had placed me in or my own experience in life.
Psychonauts 2 deals with difficult themes carefully and yet without reservation, approaching each of the brain levels – a reflection of the state of mind of the person you are encountering – with empathy and without judgement. Psychonauts 2 opens with a mental health advisory, warning players that the game contains "artistic interpretations of serious mental health conditions including addiction, PTSD, panic attacks, anxiety, and delusions." While each of us experience these things differently, and will have different reactions to the way Double Fine has presented and handled the subject matter as a result, I know that the way Psychonauts 2 explored the perils of addiction and negative thought attribution cycles – as well as the twisting, all-consuming nature of panic attacks and anxiety – really resonated with me. I was surprised by a lot of things in my time with Psychonauts 2 – the cinematic nature to its presentation and the tight handling of both platforming and combat, primarily – but the one thing that has really stuck with me is just how damned confident it is. With its broader narrative, small character dramas, fun action sequences, and bespoke levels all colliding without friction, Psychonauts 2 really does feel like you're in charge of a cartoon from the late '90s and early '00s. There's a carefree irreverence built into Psychonauts 2's presentation, with its humor and themes walking that perilous tightrope of being overtly kid-friendly but secretly designed to appeal to the adults that are forced to watch over-shoulder.
The thing is, Psychonauts 2 captures a particular vibe – it's of that era where off-kilter Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and FOX Kids programming reigned supreme. I think it can be easy for people (myself included) to fall into this trap of claiming that any video game that arrives with spirited characters, a colorful design, and carefree adventuring as evoking the spirit of old Saturday morning cartoons – the same praise was heaped on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart earlier this year.
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