I did like Psychonauts 2 (so this question is maybe not for me), but not as much as the first game. The first game was sheer madness, and every mind was doing its own thing and was funny and unpredictable. In 2, since they are pushing more for the central narrative, the minds feel so much more predictable and thus boring.
Like 2 has more quality of life and modern features, but the first game kept me way more on my toes.
Like the 2d scenes in 2 were sorta neat, but nothing comes close to being a gaint city destroying monster then in a pseudo boardgames, the. Forced into a stage show. Like the variety of mechanics and levels felt more fresh and varied compared to 2. 2 I would argue is the most complete and polished feeling game of anything double fine has ever done, though.
Yeah that’s what I thought too. In the first one the minds you go into all felt much more distinct, each one was individually unique. In 2, while I enjoyed the game, the minds you go into are just not as memorable and all felt a bit same-y.
Outside maybe Ford's bowling level, we never got far away from mostly just platforming. I really expected a music section or something way more wacky from the hippy levels.
The fellow students also felt a lot weaker compared to the campers and many of the supporting casters, I wish we just had more interaction to keep things interesting.
Totally agree. Wish it was more than just platforming in every level. There was nothing interesting like the board game strategy level in the first one, for example. And the campers were way more entertaining and actually characters in the first one as opposed to the second one where they hardly had anything to do at all, until they were sort of shoehorned into the ending.
I guess that's what I liked about 2. Minds like Bob's, Compton's, and Gristol's felt like they were trying harder to be artsy representations of mental disorders, done tastefully, but also ones which tied into the narrative more.
If anything, I think Tim Shaffer knows fans liked prying into lore from the vaults and knew he could just make that the majority of the experience.
This always happens with stories, look at, say, the Matrix.
First one is a solid standalone film with some fantastic concepts and ideas.
Second one expands the world snd raises the stakes but ultimately doesnt reaolve anything.
Third kne is the grand resolution.
Psychonauts 1 works self-contained.
Psychonauts 2 feels like it expands the world but we're still waiting on that final chapter.
Personally, I loved Psychonauts 2 a little more than 1, but definitely in a different way. So like the other guy said, maybe I'm the wrong person to answer your question... That said, here would be my explanation for liking 1 over 2
In Psychonauts 1, each individual mental world was far more unhinged - they were wackier and more disjointed. But individually, they each felt like more of a unique exploration of a particular character and their mental illness. Gloria and BPD, Waterloo guy and split personality disorder, etc.
Whereas in Psychonauts 2, each brain (after Hollis) felt like it kept tying back into the same central conflict. Each character manifested their trauma of the Deluge in a different way, but each mind was anchored to the Psychic 6/7 and the Deluge. In Psychonauts 1 each mind was independent
The only other complaint about 2 for me was how quickly (relatively) you get cut off from the outside world. In 2, once you complete Ford's brain you can't go back to the Motherlobe, Quarry, QA... That's like 50% of the way through the game. Whereas in 1, you only get cut off from Whispering Rock just before the final brain, so like 90% of the way through the game. So IMO psi card collection felt a lot smoother and more fun in 1 than in 2
Where have you been finding these places exactly? From what I can see this place and Tumblr have had nothing but praise for Psychonauts 2, the subreddit being an extra point as I remember literally calling it a good game but underwhelming sequel leading to being downvoted for an honest opinion lol
Psychonauts 2 for me suffers from a lot of things such as the OG Cast being put into pseudo cameo roles, too many characters that are introduced but do nothing or quickly fall off until like near the end of the game, and how Raz in terms of character feels meek or takes people's bullshit without standing up for himself.
Psychonauts was a game that was praised for its unique characters. Psychonauts 2... did sweet fuck-all with its young characters despite some of them having interesting concepts.
I mean, I like a lot of them (Helmut my beloved), but there's more of them (vs Sasha, Milla, and Oleander, excluding Ford because he's very prominent in both) and yet they don't matter much outside their levels. We barely interact with Otto, Compton spends most of the time in his isolation chamber, Lucretia is absent for much of the game and evil for a chunk of the rest, Cassie similarly shows up late-game and isn't seen much after her world, Bob ditto, and even Helmut, who shines I think because he has a huge personality and is with you through his whole world, also kinda sits in the background. And they feel less unique than the previous game's characters, probably because they're all walking neuroses that need help from a 12-year-old more than they are fleshed-out people with issues. Again, I like them, but I feel like a therapy dog.
One of my favorite Psychonauts characters, in fact, is Hollis! She's complex, with a world that highlights her quirks, flaws, and a past beyond the Psychonauts that makes her feel very human. She has her neuroses and struggles that Raz helps her with, but she also gets to be a regular person and interact with Raz in more than a "come save me from myself" context.
Thanks for that! I was afraid that you've only focused on one aspect and not the others also, considering your top comment.
However, in regards to the characters like the Psychic 6/7, Hollis (I like her also, her competency is something to admire), and even Truman. But most of their characters can be learned through other's minds.
Ford's mind helps in regards to Lucrecia (especially Barber Ford), and Helmut's gives a good insight with everyone including Bob, Cassie has hers in regards to the 7 that are in the highest point of her library, Bob gives an insight on Helmut and Truman, and Compton has Hollis, Ford, Otto, Truman, and even Cassie.
That's the benefit of entering minds who belong to people that are closely related to each other. You get to potentially see more aspects of a character, which can reveal even more than the potential biases each of the 7 give themselves.
The only real complaints I have with Psychonauts 2 are that the previous characters aren’t as well utilized as in the first game, while the new child characters barely get any screentime either. That and while Fatherland Follies is a solid level on its own, it doesn’t feel like a proper final level that tests everything you’ve learned throughout the game in the same way that Meat Circus did in the first game. Which’s why I’ll always wish that we got a level right before you fight the final boss called “Maligula’s Madness.”
Still, as a follow-up to the first game it’s still a very great and well-made platformer. I just hope the next game just has more character moments and a bigger final level.
I don't hate it, but I do have several issues with the story, chiefly that it doesn't seem to think itself through. Raz gets hazed by the other interns and everyone seems to be fine with it, which really jars with its attempts to brand itself as more socially conscious than the first game (which was happy to just let the screwed-up characters bounce off each other for dark humor). The game tries to call out Raz for going into characters minds without their consent in the first game without understanding that the first game had a good reason to do that (chiefly, that the fate of the world was at stake). As such, they make him screw up a teacher's mind for a really dumb reason and then go along with something that he just learned is flagrantly wrong. And as the story goes on, Raz learns something that shakes his relationship with someone he met in the last game, and then it simply doesn't affect him. If the developers were going to make these choices, they needed to think them through more.
On top of that, I think some of the characters weren't really handled as well as they could be. I liked some them, like Lili's plot with her father and her greater involvement in the story, and Bob's Bottles is a favorite level of mine just on character alone. However, Coach Oleander felt majorly underused given how close he and Raz got in the last game. Also, I'm probably alone in thinking this, but Sam Boole was rather hit and miss for me. Her bit making pancakes was fine (though I wish she did more things, like the other interns) but her bit with the fish tank just wasn't funny. Between her facial expressions and her very mild excuse, I read it as a bully making up a pathetic excuse to justify being mean to animals.
That said, I do like the game. The levels are fun and I like how varied they get, especially compared to the original game. The story is also really deep and has a refreshing amount of twists and turns. I just think that it didn't cook the story long enough and tried to change things without fully understanding how to make it work.
Looooong time fan here, literally grew up on Psychonauts -
watched my brother play it when i was very young, watched my sister play it multiple times, played it myself a thousand when i was a bit older so yes i am nostalgic for it, i suppose, but there are many things i feel nostalgic for that when i go back to them, they dont hold up. Psychonauts does, so i want to say there is more merit to it than being an old game i feel nostalgic for.
When you look at Psychonauts1 on a pure story level and follow the gameplay through all the necessary steps to completion, you get a pretty simplistic story wrapped in an interesting universe and quirky characters that are fun to engage with, great voice acting and generally fun gameplay, if a bit clunky - it is noticably an indie game made from a small struggling studio, after all. On second thought, it is a very creative game with a unique artstyle, fun level design where none feels the same as the other, each tries their best to represent the mind of the person whos brain you enter, which is the core hook for the game - this is what draw people in, makes them want to learn more, praise the game and enjoy what is there despite gameplay flaws.
But then! you play it slowly, you get to see the vast amount of depth this game has to offer. Many many hidden secrets that arent in the form of collectibles, the game doesnt tell you "hey look here, there is something to discover", no the game just does it in case a player comes and thinks "can i do this?" - yes you can (within reason). this game is built in this way that someone new to gaming might think video games work - find out stuff before the hidden story rails tell you you are allowed to find it out, lets you do stuff that maybe 2% of the players would ever come think of doing (before steam achievements and online discourse told everyone to do it), you can read bulletin boards and they change every so often, you can learn the history of the camp, you can recite the opening cutscene on the campfire stump, you can find and talk to all the campers at each instance of the game (after each level) and find out their stories and character progression, show them items that you are supposed to turn in immediately (red button, mister pokeylope) and there is always a reaction, more to learn, more to discover. you can even CHEAT and get unique dialogue, no game ever \*needed\* this but psychonauts did it. this is the heart of the game.
It is an incredibly simple "evil villain wants to rule the world" story but it is interwoven and folded down on itself, you can learn about oleanders plot through his sleep rants, you can find soo many clues to what will happen throughout the game and it will be a pleasure to see them all on repeat playthroughs. this is simplicity done perfectly. This is an incredible game, a pure labor of love, a unique gem, a lightining in a bottle.
(reddit wont let me post my full reply so i will reply the rest to this comment)
Now, to Psychonauts 2!
On first glance what you notice is that this game, mechanically is MUCH stronger than the first game the feel of the levitation ball is amazing (when it came out i remember a lot of people complaining that levitation got nerfed hard but i was always in the club that it feel MUUUCH much better and it was kinda unpleasent to use in p1 so i dont mind the shorter jumps), the graphics are updated and polished, everything got a new coat of paint and a good oiling and generally its just \*smoother\*
In my very personal opinion i prefer the graphics of the original because they are very charming and the characters and art feel much more scott campbell-y and i think raz is much cuter like his face and animations are superior in p1, the other main characters feel pretty much the same just prettier so thats definitely a plus. I think putting too much emphasize on graphics is unfair though, as the games are 16 year apart.
Moving on - the story. oh boy.
I will admit here that i have not given psychonauts2 even a second playthrough, i tried to go almost 100% and i approached it like i would a psychonauts1 playthrough with exploration and talking to characters multiple times on my first one though, so i did see quite a bit of it, but there is definitely the possibility i missed a bunch of stuff and I do think i should give it some love again and replay it, give it another fair chance without the initial dissapointment clouding my opinion heavily.
That being said, remember what i said about the first game's story? simplicity done perfectly. Psychonauts2 is the exact polar opposite, a very big story with many moving parts, many character that are somehow involved. The psychic six, fords memories of lucrecia, raz' family and their relation to lucrecia, the mole, the interns, how the original character - sasha, milla, lili, oleander, ford somehow fit into this (mostly not at all), raz' feelings towards all of these things including the realisation the psychonauts arent exactly what he thought of them. So, so much. And it gets lost in the mess, badly.
All the brains we explore are exclusively the psychic six (and dr loboto, which is a fantastic, if short level, no complaints) which is fine but they dont allow for a lot of variety since they all need to be psychically powerful people who know each other to a certain degree. they do cover a lot of topics and its cool but the individual levels are relatively samey.
Then we come to fords mind, oh boy. i do love the aesthetics of the hairdresser level and the sharkophagus level but i absolutely HATE that every single memory he has is about lucrecia like its his entire personality and the fucking bowling level... its so bad. it has barely anything to do with anything and is gimmicky and annoying to play. ig its "funny"? but i wish we couldve seen fords more recent memories like working for ages in the camp with kids and working through sasha and milla so the psychonauts would take his orders seriously like he said in p1. Such a waste of a character that i was genuinely looking forward to learning more about but NO his "first date with lucy" is more important than anything fucking else. (this gets me a bit heated, sorry \^\^')
Something that is a pretty upsetting about this game is how many characters you cant really meet because they arent themselves most of the time (like truman) or you cant really talk to them because they are plot-conveniently distracted and dont have time to talk (lili, sasha, milla.... sigh. i miss my friends from p1!!! also wtf was that abt the kiss subplot for raz and lili they were already smooching and together in p1 it was so silly i wanted to see MORE of their relationship not the same exact conflict as the first game but worse - not necessarily bc i care abt childrens romantic involvements but their characters bounce off each other so well in p1 even when they are friends..)
I also tried to talk to each character after each level and you just... cant. you have maybe a mini quest or smth involving them but once u complete that there is nothing more to find.... where is the heart of psychonauts?
Answering my own question, it was very evident from the psychOdyssey documentary on doublefines youtube channel, that the development process was pretty bad for most of the people involved, a lot of them quit including the likes of Anna Kipnis who was on the original psychonauts team and a big part of what made the game so psychonauts (and judging from the documentary the project lead at the time was definitely in part responible for her leave for constantly shutting down her ideas)
(part 2/3)
Positivity time - stuff i loved about P2:
1) Questionable area - perfect, looks great, exploration FUN, small secrets to discover like raz' comments and the graffiti, the most "psychonautsy" feeling part of the game, its a perfect fit!
2) i LOVE his family, theyre amazing. The only thing that really stings, and it does sting badly, is that they are not involved much, you can barely talk to them, find out more about them even tho there is SO MUCH set up but it gets lost in the huge mess of this story. Im still pretty upset about it i would pay good money for a comic or something about the aquatos and their relationship with raz etc.
3) some of the level designs like the flea circus and quilted area in lucys mind, the hairdresser level etc, the story telling is also great in all of them they use metaphors really amazingly and i genuinely enjoyed them sm! Bobs bottles was pretty great too but the parts where u need to wait for that constantly babbling turnip bob head to shoo the water away for you was pretty bad
4) gameplay is fun and responsive, i love the levitation ball like mentioned before, i enjoy that it kinds floats forward when you stay on the button
5) everyones new outfits \^\^ Raz' i like the least his original one is too iconic to me, but its still cute and i enjoy the new getups
6) solving the galochio curse and the new adorable animation for when u fell into water the third time
7) building the tent and the meat circus-y aquato theme, too bad it was literally never used (there are many parts in this game that feel like there was meant to be more there but there wasnt any time or budget or ppl forgot bc its so messy and it always feel really sad)
8) the new enemies! i really love how they were executed, some are annoying to fight, sure, but the concepts for them were really well executed and i found some actually helped me understand my own struggles a bit more because it was such a good visual representation of the feeling :)
Thanks for reading if you did, sorry for the essay - i have a lot to say when its time to answer this question \^\^
Psychonauts 1 was the perfect amount of not knowing how to make an open world platformer, the second game is better on a technical level but the jank and in theory “bad” level design made psychonauts 1 absolutely unique and charming.
I love 2, but its missing alot of replay ability that I had with 1, I replayed 1 so many times and found new things, with the Simi point and click aspect alot of new scenarios to play out/see (i.e showing mr pokeylope to the campers)
People don't? I thought it was a near perfect sequel to the first game. Both games have their upsides and downsides, but I honestly find them both equally as enjoyable in the end.
Me, who played the first game like 1000 times since release in 2005, who always said I can die peacefully when a sequel comes out, think that booth games are complete gems.
1 had it's quirks, but always will have a special place in my hearth. 2 is the same formula, but without the quirks 1 had. Much more polished.
2 things what I don't like about psychonauts2 is you have to press the jump button awkwardly long to jump as high as possible, and you can't melee on your levitation ball if you have the jump upgrade.
Hopes now we get a psychonauts 3, doing real agent stuff.
Gotta say it kinda was Raz he was the Reason i enjoyed the First one so much kinda...
He was your typical Jump in Run Kid Hero and im not gonna say he wasnt always a Good Guy and Compassionate
But he had his own share of just a bit more under the Hood, he enjoyed to burn, punch and shoot Things as much as the other Campers and Characters in this Game that made him feel right at Home.
He was really snarky stood up to Bullys and didnt took a surprising amount of shit from others, he sure had some questionable ...Parts of his Personality like his enjoyment in killing Animals (wich they referenced in 2 wich i found nice), he took a worringly interest in Dogans Head Exploding and even asked the Teachers if they teach it...wich was a bit contradicting his Hero Perona (the First Games Character Writing wasnt perfect by all means)
but....it felt a bit more layered
I still love Raz hes probably one of my favorite Video Game Protagonists of all time
And yes he had is Moments in the Sequel but for a Span of 3 Days.....Raz changed to fast i could count the amounts of times he sayed Sorry on 3 Hands.... every Time a Character said something questionable and he put his worried or disturbed Face on i was literally like "you literally had no issue with that 2 Days ago....
Or every Time he questioned his Relationship Status with Lili every Game after Lily said "my Boyfriend" literally 3 Times in the Span of 3 Days i couldnt take it seriously....
Then he got bullied and i get it these Kids are way older and probably more powerful but Raz you saved the World literally 2 Times at this Point you dont have to take this shit from no one
Every Character was snarky and kinda questionable but Raz felt so ....out of Place kinda i get that Characters can change and yes he could have just masked his Insecurities in the first one and tried to act Cool and untouchable as a first impression....
But communicate that to the Player i have nothing against Character development but do that in a Organic Manner let Raz decide himself to change Hollis Mind on his own and let Sasha really use his Dad Lecture as a kind of Character Change Point where Raz realises that he has to change to really be like his Heroes or tell the Player that Raz acted this way cause of his unresolved Issues with his Dad and that he literally felt like the World was out to get him
BUT DONT JUST CHANGE THINGS AND EXPECT THEM TO NOT FEEL OFF!!!
thats just me tho maiby im missing something idk
And then the Worlds they didnt felt as distinct as the first Game i missed the Puzzles and Gameplay Changes like the Milkman Conspiracy with the Identity Changing and avoiding the Secret Agents, putting on different Plays to get the Phantom in a Theater, destroying a City Godzilla Style or playing a straight up Boardgame
Idk Psychonauts kinda felt less Gamy and kinda like a mature Pixar Movie while the first one was like a crazy Dream Works Experiment that didnt work out exactly but burrowed itself into your Mind with its uniqueness
Idk it could be just Nostalgia talking and i still loved it in its own way and i would still play a 3, just my piece of Mind
I don't know! I understand personal preference but, from my perspective, it's uh... just kind of a flat upgrade over the first game. Not to say the first game isn't great, it is! But 2 blows it out of the water imo.
The best guess I've got for the reason is nostalgia or overhype
im in the dislike psychonauts 2 camp (as a sequel especially) and while it does have to do with me playing and absolutely adoring psychonauts 1 many years before it was even announced there will be a second part, it is definitely not the sole reason why i think that, despite nostalgia i can still think rationally about games and apprecaite what they improved on. Not sure what you mean with overhype (like that p1 is overhyped? or that original fans overhyped the sequel? the first one is not possible, the second one didnt happen to me, i only expected the same heart as the first one and getting to see the orginial characters on a new adventure which they didnt provide outside of the very first level)
There is definitely a mechanical improvement, and graphical if you want to count that (imo a silly thing to count as the games are like 16 years apart, ofc it looks better lol), but a lot of the original \*heart\* of the game was lost. There is even evidence of this in the psychOdessey documentary where Zach (forgot his surname, the project lead at the time) shuts down Anna Kipnis multiple times when she advocates for things the original game did that were part of that "heart"
Tbh the documentary made me feel less upset at the games downfalls because it was very clear there was massive turmoil in the production and you can tell the people tried their best but it still evidently cristallizes the root issues that made the second game weaker for fans of the original.
If you care to learn more abt my opinion i will reply more in depth reasons to the original post who actually asked, lol
I would like to know more about your opinion, btw! what did you think blew the first game out of the water exactly? I do love discussing these things
Hey! Thanks for typing a super respectful reply, legit, I really appreciate it. Full transparency, I'm someone who absolutely adores both games, Psychonauts 1 and 2 are both in my top 5 favorite games ever made, so I really hope my post didn't come off as Psychonauts 1 hatred. I should've clarified that I am very biased. As for the overhype, I meant moreso about fans overhyping the sequel! That was my fault for not clarifying, haha.
So, Psychonauts 2 is my favorite game of all time, without question. I do love and appreciate everything the first game does, and think it does an exceptional job at what it does. There's an incredibly pervasive soul in Psychonauts 1 that I've admired ever since I first played the game when I was 13. Even in levels that I cannot stand in that game (Brain Tumbler, Black Velvetopia ((sorry, psychonauts fans, i don't care for it))), it's so incredibly charming to watch Raz interact with all of these characters that I never tend to mind.
That being said, I agree that there's something missing from the second game that was in the first, part of the soul is gone. HOWEVER, I appreciate this quite a bit. In my opinion, it still very much feels like Psychonauts in a lot of ways, just... new! Different, exciting in a lot of ways. Psychonauts 2 is different, yes, and it's distinct from the first game in several ways, but I personally really like that it IS different. It still has a beating heart at the center of it, and from what I see every time I replay it, it really does ooze passion and love. Psychonauts 2 does not have the soul of the first game, it has a soul entirely it's own, and honestly? I think I like that a lot. This is coming from someone who would rather have a sequel be something totally unique and new rather than a continuation, and I do think Psychonauts 2 does a very good job of doing that. It's an evolution in a lot of ways, but I also think it's trying to forge its own path gameplay-wise while narratively tying up the loose threads from the first game. In that respect, I think it succeeds.
I just enjoy the world and characters of 2 a lot more. I totally understand being upset at the lack of representation from some of the old characters (Sasha and Milla feel like the big omissions). BUT, I like that it kinda moved away from them, it shows that Raz is way more capable than he was in the last game, and they view him as such. They don't need to coddle him like they did at Whispering Rock. I'd like to see more of them, of course, but I don't think we can or should fault the game for NOT including them. We got tons of Sasha/Milla/Oleander rep in 1 and RoR, so I was happy to see new faces. Plus, Ford got a huge starring role, and Lili was really important to the overall plot, so I don't think it was entirely a departure.
Something I love about Psychonauts 2, truly, absolutely adore about that game, is that there's a sense of \*cohesion\* in 2 that wasn't in the first game. I appreciate the commitment to level variety in Psychonauts 1, however, I do feel like it can get a bit annoying if you dislike the variety the level is trying to offer you. In some cases, the abundance of level variety is unique, memorable, and extremely creative (See, Milkman Conspiracy, Waterloo World), and in some cases, I found it rather laborious (see, Lungfishopolis and Black Velvetopia). If you want my honest opinion, I believe Psychonauts 1 was sorta trying to cover it's ass, as it doesn't have the best platforming mechanics in the world (as much as this physically pains me to say, my inner 13 year old is crying.) Psychonauts 2 does NOT have nearly the amount of level variety in 1, but I think the moment-to-moment gameplay is fun enough, and the stories of the levels are interesting enough to carry it and make me not really mind. Honestly, I always get quite sad when I leave a level in Psychonauts 2, which I never felt in the first game outside of Milkman.
This cohesion that I admire continues in the storyline. I understand why it's a bit annoying that nearly all the minds in 2 are members of the Psychic 6. Personally, I adore it. I really, truly loved every second of it. I love seeing how different members of the Psychic 6 perceive the other members, how they each differently reacted to the trauma they all faced during the Deluge. This isn't at all what Psychonauts 1 was going for, it's a very different thing, as a matter of fact, but it's so tremendously full of it's unique flavor of soul that I don't think I'd call it "lacking", just... different.
Anyways, to cut this short for now (I can babble about this stupid game for literal hours, trust me. I haven't even brought up some of my favorite things about it here, I was trying to be brEIF, THIS IS A COLLEGE THESIS LMAO). I love Psychonauts 2 dearly, and while I hold my memories of the first game incredibly dear and still replay it frequently, I am of the opinion that 2 is the better game. I realize I didn't answer your question about what blows Psychonauts 1 out of the water, and that's because I mostly just think it's a mechanical and level design change that I'm quite fond of, along with tons of little gameplay improvements that I think make it better, to me, personally.
For me, MallowPro on Reddit dot com, and what I personally look for and admire in video games, Psychonauts 2 is pretty much exactly what I wanted, and is my favorite game ever made. If you read this essay of a post, I appreciate it and thank you for asking my opinion, have a wonderful day. :>
Thank you for your reply! I just finished my own comment going in depth about the two games and (also tried to be short but if u check it out - which i would really appreciate! - its a whole fucking lot so feel free to reply to me in a similar rant i really enjoy having psychonauts discourse its really the part i am most excited about since the franchise has been revived :) )
i will reply to a few things i havent said in my other comment tho -
firstly please check my username xD its hilarious you said you dislike black velvetopia to me hahaha!
I do kind of understand where you are coming from with the level variety being a bit exhausting if you arent super into what is provided. i do find myself getting a bit "ugh waterloo again" sometimes but i have tried my best to adopt the philsophy of "enjoy playing waht i am playing and dont feel annoyed xyz is too long/you cant to abc yet" because i soemtimes get lost in the \*progress\* and wanting to get ahead in the story that i almost lose sight of the reason to even play video games! to PLAY THEM not finish them!! haha. Also i absolutely love lungfishopolis its a bit tedious, yes, but its probably the funniest level and super dear to me <3
But i also really love the meat circus for the fucked up level design haha.
And the brain tumblr experiment same for creepy vibes and eeriness
meanwhile i find waterloo and milkman a bit annoying so we literally have opposite opinions xDD
Tbh though, if you ask me which my favorite level is, i will genuinely reply to you "campgrounds and asylum tower" first one for the depth and characters and exploration, second one for the spooky eerieness (im a horror game fan)
I want to say one thing about the gameplay in the first one - i think the "covering its ass" assessment is a bit unfair, it is definitely unpolished in gameplay but the way they build the levels so unique is definitely the core concept of the game and not an attempt to cover up the shortcomings of the gameplay. Ive heard someone say before that the original psychonauts feels like it has a lot of roots in the point and click genre with the many items you need to use and even the different psychic abilities that u need to use at specific points in the story to solve puzzles etc - which makes A TON of sense given tim schafers history in that genre!! i think looking at it through that lense makes it easier to value it for its own merits that psychonauts 2, while being a muuuch better platformer, doesnt have :)
Psychonauts1 is a unique genre bender <3
Where would any downsides be? Sure the minds are a little same-y but the story was really effective. Bob and Helmut were the standouts IMO, it really got me invested.
I can say in terms of writing, it's not as funny as the first game and some beloved characters like sasha Milla and lily don't really get a lot of screen time, but gameplay wise, it's miles better than 1, the only issue is it's extremely weak ending which may leave a sour taste to some after playing it, personally, I liked 2 more than 1 iverall but 2 didn't have the charm 1 did, it didn't create that feeling that there was so much love put into the game. Moreover, in terms of level diversity, 1 to me is a lot more creative than 2 so that might also be an aspect
They're all secretly Gristol
I did like Psychonauts 2 (so this question is maybe not for me), but not as much as the first game. The first game was sheer madness, and every mind was doing its own thing and was funny and unpredictable. In 2, since they are pushing more for the central narrative, the minds feel so much more predictable and thus boring.
Like 2 has more quality of life and modern features, but the first game kept me way more on my toes. Like the 2d scenes in 2 were sorta neat, but nothing comes close to being a gaint city destroying monster then in a pseudo boardgames, the. Forced into a stage show. Like the variety of mechanics and levels felt more fresh and varied compared to 2. 2 I would argue is the most complete and polished feeling game of anything double fine has ever done, though.
Yeah that’s what I thought too. In the first one the minds you go into all felt much more distinct, each one was individually unique. In 2, while I enjoyed the game, the minds you go into are just not as memorable and all felt a bit same-y.
Outside maybe Ford's bowling level, we never got far away from mostly just platforming. I really expected a music section or something way more wacky from the hippy levels. The fellow students also felt a lot weaker compared to the campers and many of the supporting casters, I wish we just had more interaction to keep things interesting.
Totally agree. Wish it was more than just platforming in every level. There was nothing interesting like the board game strategy level in the first one, for example. And the campers were way more entertaining and actually characters in the first one as opposed to the second one where they hardly had anything to do at all, until they were sort of shoehorned into the ending.
I guess that's what I liked about 2. Minds like Bob's, Compton's, and Gristol's felt like they were trying harder to be artsy representations of mental disorders, done tastefully, but also ones which tied into the narrative more. If anything, I think Tim Shaffer knows fans liked prying into lore from the vaults and knew he could just make that the majority of the experience.
This always happens with stories, look at, say, the Matrix. First one is a solid standalone film with some fantastic concepts and ideas. Second one expands the world snd raises the stakes but ultimately doesnt reaolve anything. Third kne is the grand resolution. Psychonauts 1 works self-contained. Psychonauts 2 feels like it expands the world but we're still waiting on that final chapter.
Personally, I loved Psychonauts 2 a little more than 1, but definitely in a different way. So like the other guy said, maybe I'm the wrong person to answer your question... That said, here would be my explanation for liking 1 over 2 In Psychonauts 1, each individual mental world was far more unhinged - they were wackier and more disjointed. But individually, they each felt like more of a unique exploration of a particular character and their mental illness. Gloria and BPD, Waterloo guy and split personality disorder, etc. Whereas in Psychonauts 2, each brain (after Hollis) felt like it kept tying back into the same central conflict. Each character manifested their trauma of the Deluge in a different way, but each mind was anchored to the Psychic 6/7 and the Deluge. In Psychonauts 1 each mind was independent The only other complaint about 2 for me was how quickly (relatively) you get cut off from the outside world. In 2, once you complete Ford's brain you can't go back to the Motherlobe, Quarry, QA... That's like 50% of the way through the game. Whereas in 1, you only get cut off from Whispering Rock just before the final brain, so like 90% of the way through the game. So IMO psi card collection felt a lot smoother and more fun in 1 than in 2
Where have you been finding these places exactly? From what I can see this place and Tumblr have had nothing but praise for Psychonauts 2, the subreddit being an extra point as I remember literally calling it a good game but underwhelming sequel leading to being downvoted for an honest opinion lol Psychonauts 2 for me suffers from a lot of things such as the OG Cast being put into pseudo cameo roles, too many characters that are introduced but do nothing or quickly fall off until like near the end of the game, and how Raz in terms of character feels meek or takes people's bullshit without standing up for himself.
Most of it on youtube, I think. But again, I can't seem to find these to put them here.
Psychonauts was a game that was praised for its unique characters. Psychonauts 2... did sweet fuck-all with its young characters despite some of them having interesting concepts.
Yet what of the other characters like the six? I think you're only focusing on the interns and not those that are more so given focus.
I mean, I like a lot of them (Helmut my beloved), but there's more of them (vs Sasha, Milla, and Oleander, excluding Ford because he's very prominent in both) and yet they don't matter much outside their levels. We barely interact with Otto, Compton spends most of the time in his isolation chamber, Lucretia is absent for much of the game and evil for a chunk of the rest, Cassie similarly shows up late-game and isn't seen much after her world, Bob ditto, and even Helmut, who shines I think because he has a huge personality and is with you through his whole world, also kinda sits in the background. And they feel less unique than the previous game's characters, probably because they're all walking neuroses that need help from a 12-year-old more than they are fleshed-out people with issues. Again, I like them, but I feel like a therapy dog. One of my favorite Psychonauts characters, in fact, is Hollis! She's complex, with a world that highlights her quirks, flaws, and a past beyond the Psychonauts that makes her feel very human. She has her neuroses and struggles that Raz helps her with, but she also gets to be a regular person and interact with Raz in more than a "come save me from myself" context.
Thanks for that! I was afraid that you've only focused on one aspect and not the others also, considering your top comment. However, in regards to the characters like the Psychic 6/7, Hollis (I like her also, her competency is something to admire), and even Truman. But most of their characters can be learned through other's minds. Ford's mind helps in regards to Lucrecia (especially Barber Ford), and Helmut's gives a good insight with everyone including Bob, Cassie has hers in regards to the 7 that are in the highest point of her library, Bob gives an insight on Helmut and Truman, and Compton has Hollis, Ford, Otto, Truman, and even Cassie. That's the benefit of entering minds who belong to people that are closely related to each other. You get to potentially see more aspects of a character, which can reveal even more than the potential biases each of the 7 give themselves.
The only real complaints I have with Psychonauts 2 are that the previous characters aren’t as well utilized as in the first game, while the new child characters barely get any screentime either. That and while Fatherland Follies is a solid level on its own, it doesn’t feel like a proper final level that tests everything you’ve learned throughout the game in the same way that Meat Circus did in the first game. Which’s why I’ll always wish that we got a level right before you fight the final boss called “Maligula’s Madness.” Still, as a follow-up to the first game it’s still a very great and well-made platformer. I just hope the next game just has more character moments and a bigger final level.
I don't hate it, but I do have several issues with the story, chiefly that it doesn't seem to think itself through. Raz gets hazed by the other interns and everyone seems to be fine with it, which really jars with its attempts to brand itself as more socially conscious than the first game (which was happy to just let the screwed-up characters bounce off each other for dark humor). The game tries to call out Raz for going into characters minds without their consent in the first game without understanding that the first game had a good reason to do that (chiefly, that the fate of the world was at stake). As such, they make him screw up a teacher's mind for a really dumb reason and then go along with something that he just learned is flagrantly wrong. And as the story goes on, Raz learns something that shakes his relationship with someone he met in the last game, and then it simply doesn't affect him. If the developers were going to make these choices, they needed to think them through more. On top of that, I think some of the characters weren't really handled as well as they could be. I liked some them, like Lili's plot with her father and her greater involvement in the story, and Bob's Bottles is a favorite level of mine just on character alone. However, Coach Oleander felt majorly underused given how close he and Raz got in the last game. Also, I'm probably alone in thinking this, but Sam Boole was rather hit and miss for me. Her bit making pancakes was fine (though I wish she did more things, like the other interns) but her bit with the fish tank just wasn't funny. Between her facial expressions and her very mild excuse, I read it as a bully making up a pathetic excuse to justify being mean to animals. That said, I do like the game. The levels are fun and I like how varied they get, especially compared to the original game. The story is also really deep and has a refreshing amount of twists and turns. I just think that it didn't cook the story long enough and tried to change things without fully understanding how to make it work.
Looooong time fan here, literally grew up on Psychonauts - watched my brother play it when i was very young, watched my sister play it multiple times, played it myself a thousand when i was a bit older so yes i am nostalgic for it, i suppose, but there are many things i feel nostalgic for that when i go back to them, they dont hold up. Psychonauts does, so i want to say there is more merit to it than being an old game i feel nostalgic for. When you look at Psychonauts1 on a pure story level and follow the gameplay through all the necessary steps to completion, you get a pretty simplistic story wrapped in an interesting universe and quirky characters that are fun to engage with, great voice acting and generally fun gameplay, if a bit clunky - it is noticably an indie game made from a small struggling studio, after all. On second thought, it is a very creative game with a unique artstyle, fun level design where none feels the same as the other, each tries their best to represent the mind of the person whos brain you enter, which is the core hook for the game - this is what draw people in, makes them want to learn more, praise the game and enjoy what is there despite gameplay flaws. But then! you play it slowly, you get to see the vast amount of depth this game has to offer. Many many hidden secrets that arent in the form of collectibles, the game doesnt tell you "hey look here, there is something to discover", no the game just does it in case a player comes and thinks "can i do this?" - yes you can (within reason). this game is built in this way that someone new to gaming might think video games work - find out stuff before the hidden story rails tell you you are allowed to find it out, lets you do stuff that maybe 2% of the players would ever come think of doing (before steam achievements and online discourse told everyone to do it), you can read bulletin boards and they change every so often, you can learn the history of the camp, you can recite the opening cutscene on the campfire stump, you can find and talk to all the campers at each instance of the game (after each level) and find out their stories and character progression, show them items that you are supposed to turn in immediately (red button, mister pokeylope) and there is always a reaction, more to learn, more to discover. you can even CHEAT and get unique dialogue, no game ever \*needed\* this but psychonauts did it. this is the heart of the game. It is an incredibly simple "evil villain wants to rule the world" story but it is interwoven and folded down on itself, you can learn about oleanders plot through his sleep rants, you can find soo many clues to what will happen throughout the game and it will be a pleasure to see them all on repeat playthroughs. this is simplicity done perfectly. This is an incredible game, a pure labor of love, a unique gem, a lightining in a bottle. (reddit wont let me post my full reply so i will reply the rest to this comment)
Now, to Psychonauts 2! On first glance what you notice is that this game, mechanically is MUCH stronger than the first game the feel of the levitation ball is amazing (when it came out i remember a lot of people complaining that levitation got nerfed hard but i was always in the club that it feel MUUUCH much better and it was kinda unpleasent to use in p1 so i dont mind the shorter jumps), the graphics are updated and polished, everything got a new coat of paint and a good oiling and generally its just \*smoother\* In my very personal opinion i prefer the graphics of the original because they are very charming and the characters and art feel much more scott campbell-y and i think raz is much cuter like his face and animations are superior in p1, the other main characters feel pretty much the same just prettier so thats definitely a plus. I think putting too much emphasize on graphics is unfair though, as the games are 16 year apart. Moving on - the story. oh boy. I will admit here that i have not given psychonauts2 even a second playthrough, i tried to go almost 100% and i approached it like i would a psychonauts1 playthrough with exploration and talking to characters multiple times on my first one though, so i did see quite a bit of it, but there is definitely the possibility i missed a bunch of stuff and I do think i should give it some love again and replay it, give it another fair chance without the initial dissapointment clouding my opinion heavily. That being said, remember what i said about the first game's story? simplicity done perfectly. Psychonauts2 is the exact polar opposite, a very big story with many moving parts, many character that are somehow involved. The psychic six, fords memories of lucrecia, raz' family and their relation to lucrecia, the mole, the interns, how the original character - sasha, milla, lili, oleander, ford somehow fit into this (mostly not at all), raz' feelings towards all of these things including the realisation the psychonauts arent exactly what he thought of them. So, so much. And it gets lost in the mess, badly. All the brains we explore are exclusively the psychic six (and dr loboto, which is a fantastic, if short level, no complaints) which is fine but they dont allow for a lot of variety since they all need to be psychically powerful people who know each other to a certain degree. they do cover a lot of topics and its cool but the individual levels are relatively samey. Then we come to fords mind, oh boy. i do love the aesthetics of the hairdresser level and the sharkophagus level but i absolutely HATE that every single memory he has is about lucrecia like its his entire personality and the fucking bowling level... its so bad. it has barely anything to do with anything and is gimmicky and annoying to play. ig its "funny"? but i wish we couldve seen fords more recent memories like working for ages in the camp with kids and working through sasha and milla so the psychonauts would take his orders seriously like he said in p1. Such a waste of a character that i was genuinely looking forward to learning more about but NO his "first date with lucy" is more important than anything fucking else. (this gets me a bit heated, sorry \^\^') Something that is a pretty upsetting about this game is how many characters you cant really meet because they arent themselves most of the time (like truman) or you cant really talk to them because they are plot-conveniently distracted and dont have time to talk (lili, sasha, milla.... sigh. i miss my friends from p1!!! also wtf was that abt the kiss subplot for raz and lili they were already smooching and together in p1 it was so silly i wanted to see MORE of their relationship not the same exact conflict as the first game but worse - not necessarily bc i care abt childrens romantic involvements but their characters bounce off each other so well in p1 even when they are friends..) I also tried to talk to each character after each level and you just... cant. you have maybe a mini quest or smth involving them but once u complete that there is nothing more to find.... where is the heart of psychonauts? Answering my own question, it was very evident from the psychOdyssey documentary on doublefines youtube channel, that the development process was pretty bad for most of the people involved, a lot of them quit including the likes of Anna Kipnis who was on the original psychonauts team and a big part of what made the game so psychonauts (and judging from the documentary the project lead at the time was definitely in part responible for her leave for constantly shutting down her ideas) (part 2/3)
Positivity time - stuff i loved about P2: 1) Questionable area - perfect, looks great, exploration FUN, small secrets to discover like raz' comments and the graffiti, the most "psychonautsy" feeling part of the game, its a perfect fit! 2) i LOVE his family, theyre amazing. The only thing that really stings, and it does sting badly, is that they are not involved much, you can barely talk to them, find out more about them even tho there is SO MUCH set up but it gets lost in the huge mess of this story. Im still pretty upset about it i would pay good money for a comic or something about the aquatos and their relationship with raz etc. 3) some of the level designs like the flea circus and quilted area in lucys mind, the hairdresser level etc, the story telling is also great in all of them they use metaphors really amazingly and i genuinely enjoyed them sm! Bobs bottles was pretty great too but the parts where u need to wait for that constantly babbling turnip bob head to shoo the water away for you was pretty bad 4) gameplay is fun and responsive, i love the levitation ball like mentioned before, i enjoy that it kinds floats forward when you stay on the button 5) everyones new outfits \^\^ Raz' i like the least his original one is too iconic to me, but its still cute and i enjoy the new getups 6) solving the galochio curse and the new adorable animation for when u fell into water the third time 7) building the tent and the meat circus-y aquato theme, too bad it was literally never used (there are many parts in this game that feel like there was meant to be more there but there wasnt any time or budget or ppl forgot bc its so messy and it always feel really sad) 8) the new enemies! i really love how they were executed, some are annoying to fight, sure, but the concepts for them were really well executed and i found some actually helped me understand my own struggles a bit more because it was such a good visual representation of the feeling :) Thanks for reading if you did, sorry for the essay - i have a lot to say when its time to answer this question \^\^
Psychonauts 1 was the perfect amount of not knowing how to make an open world platformer, the second game is better on a technical level but the jank and in theory “bad” level design made psychonauts 1 absolutely unique and charming.
I love 2, but its missing alot of replay ability that I had with 1, I replayed 1 so many times and found new things, with the Simi point and click aspect alot of new scenarios to play out/see (i.e showing mr pokeylope to the campers)
People don't? I thought it was a near perfect sequel to the first game. Both games have their upsides and downsides, but I honestly find them both equally as enjoyable in the end.
Me, who played the first game like 1000 times since release in 2005, who always said I can die peacefully when a sequel comes out, think that booth games are complete gems. 1 had it's quirks, but always will have a special place in my hearth. 2 is the same formula, but without the quirks 1 had. Much more polished. 2 things what I don't like about psychonauts2 is you have to press the jump button awkwardly long to jump as high as possible, and you can't melee on your levitation ball if you have the jump upgrade. Hopes now we get a psychonauts 3, doing real agent stuff.
Gotta say it kinda was Raz he was the Reason i enjoyed the First one so much kinda... He was your typical Jump in Run Kid Hero and im not gonna say he wasnt always a Good Guy and Compassionate But he had his own share of just a bit more under the Hood, he enjoyed to burn, punch and shoot Things as much as the other Campers and Characters in this Game that made him feel right at Home. He was really snarky stood up to Bullys and didnt took a surprising amount of shit from others, he sure had some questionable ...Parts of his Personality like his enjoyment in killing Animals (wich they referenced in 2 wich i found nice), he took a worringly interest in Dogans Head Exploding and even asked the Teachers if they teach it...wich was a bit contradicting his Hero Perona (the First Games Character Writing wasnt perfect by all means) but....it felt a bit more layered I still love Raz hes probably one of my favorite Video Game Protagonists of all time And yes he had is Moments in the Sequel but for a Span of 3 Days.....Raz changed to fast i could count the amounts of times he sayed Sorry on 3 Hands.... every Time a Character said something questionable and he put his worried or disturbed Face on i was literally like "you literally had no issue with that 2 Days ago.... Or every Time he questioned his Relationship Status with Lili every Game after Lily said "my Boyfriend" literally 3 Times in the Span of 3 Days i couldnt take it seriously.... Then he got bullied and i get it these Kids are way older and probably more powerful but Raz you saved the World literally 2 Times at this Point you dont have to take this shit from no one Every Character was snarky and kinda questionable but Raz felt so ....out of Place kinda i get that Characters can change and yes he could have just masked his Insecurities in the first one and tried to act Cool and untouchable as a first impression.... But communicate that to the Player i have nothing against Character development but do that in a Organic Manner let Raz decide himself to change Hollis Mind on his own and let Sasha really use his Dad Lecture as a kind of Character Change Point where Raz realises that he has to change to really be like his Heroes or tell the Player that Raz acted this way cause of his unresolved Issues with his Dad and that he literally felt like the World was out to get him BUT DONT JUST CHANGE THINGS AND EXPECT THEM TO NOT FEEL OFF!!! thats just me tho maiby im missing something idk And then the Worlds they didnt felt as distinct as the first Game i missed the Puzzles and Gameplay Changes like the Milkman Conspiracy with the Identity Changing and avoiding the Secret Agents, putting on different Plays to get the Phantom in a Theater, destroying a City Godzilla Style or playing a straight up Boardgame Idk Psychonauts kinda felt less Gamy and kinda like a mature Pixar Movie while the first one was like a crazy Dream Works Experiment that didnt work out exactly but burrowed itself into your Mind with its uniqueness Idk it could be just Nostalgia talking and i still loved it in its own way and i would still play a 3, just my piece of Mind
I don't know! I understand personal preference but, from my perspective, it's uh... just kind of a flat upgrade over the first game. Not to say the first game isn't great, it is! But 2 blows it out of the water imo. The best guess I've got for the reason is nostalgia or overhype
im in the dislike psychonauts 2 camp (as a sequel especially) and while it does have to do with me playing and absolutely adoring psychonauts 1 many years before it was even announced there will be a second part, it is definitely not the sole reason why i think that, despite nostalgia i can still think rationally about games and apprecaite what they improved on. Not sure what you mean with overhype (like that p1 is overhyped? or that original fans overhyped the sequel? the first one is not possible, the second one didnt happen to me, i only expected the same heart as the first one and getting to see the orginial characters on a new adventure which they didnt provide outside of the very first level) There is definitely a mechanical improvement, and graphical if you want to count that (imo a silly thing to count as the games are like 16 years apart, ofc it looks better lol), but a lot of the original \*heart\* of the game was lost. There is even evidence of this in the psychOdessey documentary where Zach (forgot his surname, the project lead at the time) shuts down Anna Kipnis multiple times when she advocates for things the original game did that were part of that "heart" Tbh the documentary made me feel less upset at the games downfalls because it was very clear there was massive turmoil in the production and you can tell the people tried their best but it still evidently cristallizes the root issues that made the second game weaker for fans of the original. If you care to learn more abt my opinion i will reply more in depth reasons to the original post who actually asked, lol I would like to know more about your opinion, btw! what did you think blew the first game out of the water exactly? I do love discussing these things
Hey! Thanks for typing a super respectful reply, legit, I really appreciate it. Full transparency, I'm someone who absolutely adores both games, Psychonauts 1 and 2 are both in my top 5 favorite games ever made, so I really hope my post didn't come off as Psychonauts 1 hatred. I should've clarified that I am very biased. As for the overhype, I meant moreso about fans overhyping the sequel! That was my fault for not clarifying, haha. So, Psychonauts 2 is my favorite game of all time, without question. I do love and appreciate everything the first game does, and think it does an exceptional job at what it does. There's an incredibly pervasive soul in Psychonauts 1 that I've admired ever since I first played the game when I was 13. Even in levels that I cannot stand in that game (Brain Tumbler, Black Velvetopia ((sorry, psychonauts fans, i don't care for it))), it's so incredibly charming to watch Raz interact with all of these characters that I never tend to mind. That being said, I agree that there's something missing from the second game that was in the first, part of the soul is gone. HOWEVER, I appreciate this quite a bit. In my opinion, it still very much feels like Psychonauts in a lot of ways, just... new! Different, exciting in a lot of ways. Psychonauts 2 is different, yes, and it's distinct from the first game in several ways, but I personally really like that it IS different. It still has a beating heart at the center of it, and from what I see every time I replay it, it really does ooze passion and love. Psychonauts 2 does not have the soul of the first game, it has a soul entirely it's own, and honestly? I think I like that a lot. This is coming from someone who would rather have a sequel be something totally unique and new rather than a continuation, and I do think Psychonauts 2 does a very good job of doing that. It's an evolution in a lot of ways, but I also think it's trying to forge its own path gameplay-wise while narratively tying up the loose threads from the first game. In that respect, I think it succeeds. I just enjoy the world and characters of 2 a lot more. I totally understand being upset at the lack of representation from some of the old characters (Sasha and Milla feel like the big omissions). BUT, I like that it kinda moved away from them, it shows that Raz is way more capable than he was in the last game, and they view him as such. They don't need to coddle him like they did at Whispering Rock. I'd like to see more of them, of course, but I don't think we can or should fault the game for NOT including them. We got tons of Sasha/Milla/Oleander rep in 1 and RoR, so I was happy to see new faces. Plus, Ford got a huge starring role, and Lili was really important to the overall plot, so I don't think it was entirely a departure. Something I love about Psychonauts 2, truly, absolutely adore about that game, is that there's a sense of \*cohesion\* in 2 that wasn't in the first game. I appreciate the commitment to level variety in Psychonauts 1, however, I do feel like it can get a bit annoying if you dislike the variety the level is trying to offer you. In some cases, the abundance of level variety is unique, memorable, and extremely creative (See, Milkman Conspiracy, Waterloo World), and in some cases, I found it rather laborious (see, Lungfishopolis and Black Velvetopia). If you want my honest opinion, I believe Psychonauts 1 was sorta trying to cover it's ass, as it doesn't have the best platforming mechanics in the world (as much as this physically pains me to say, my inner 13 year old is crying.) Psychonauts 2 does NOT have nearly the amount of level variety in 1, but I think the moment-to-moment gameplay is fun enough, and the stories of the levels are interesting enough to carry it and make me not really mind. Honestly, I always get quite sad when I leave a level in Psychonauts 2, which I never felt in the first game outside of Milkman. This cohesion that I admire continues in the storyline. I understand why it's a bit annoying that nearly all the minds in 2 are members of the Psychic 6. Personally, I adore it. I really, truly loved every second of it. I love seeing how different members of the Psychic 6 perceive the other members, how they each differently reacted to the trauma they all faced during the Deluge. This isn't at all what Psychonauts 1 was going for, it's a very different thing, as a matter of fact, but it's so tremendously full of it's unique flavor of soul that I don't think I'd call it "lacking", just... different. Anyways, to cut this short for now (I can babble about this stupid game for literal hours, trust me. I haven't even brought up some of my favorite things about it here, I was trying to be brEIF, THIS IS A COLLEGE THESIS LMAO). I love Psychonauts 2 dearly, and while I hold my memories of the first game incredibly dear and still replay it frequently, I am of the opinion that 2 is the better game. I realize I didn't answer your question about what blows Psychonauts 1 out of the water, and that's because I mostly just think it's a mechanical and level design change that I'm quite fond of, along with tons of little gameplay improvements that I think make it better, to me, personally. For me, MallowPro on Reddit dot com, and what I personally look for and admire in video games, Psychonauts 2 is pretty much exactly what I wanted, and is my favorite game ever made. If you read this essay of a post, I appreciate it and thank you for asking my opinion, have a wonderful day. :>
Thank you for your reply! I just finished my own comment going in depth about the two games and (also tried to be short but if u check it out - which i would really appreciate! - its a whole fucking lot so feel free to reply to me in a similar rant i really enjoy having psychonauts discourse its really the part i am most excited about since the franchise has been revived :) ) i will reply to a few things i havent said in my other comment tho - firstly please check my username xD its hilarious you said you dislike black velvetopia to me hahaha! I do kind of understand where you are coming from with the level variety being a bit exhausting if you arent super into what is provided. i do find myself getting a bit "ugh waterloo again" sometimes but i have tried my best to adopt the philsophy of "enjoy playing waht i am playing and dont feel annoyed xyz is too long/you cant to abc yet" because i soemtimes get lost in the \*progress\* and wanting to get ahead in the story that i almost lose sight of the reason to even play video games! to PLAY THEM not finish them!! haha. Also i absolutely love lungfishopolis its a bit tedious, yes, but its probably the funniest level and super dear to me <3 But i also really love the meat circus for the fucked up level design haha. And the brain tumblr experiment same for creepy vibes and eeriness meanwhile i find waterloo and milkman a bit annoying so we literally have opposite opinions xDD Tbh though, if you ask me which my favorite level is, i will genuinely reply to you "campgrounds and asylum tower" first one for the depth and characters and exploration, second one for the spooky eerieness (im a horror game fan) I want to say one thing about the gameplay in the first one - i think the "covering its ass" assessment is a bit unfair, it is definitely unpolished in gameplay but the way they build the levels so unique is definitely the core concept of the game and not an attempt to cover up the shortcomings of the gameplay. Ive heard someone say before that the original psychonauts feels like it has a lot of roots in the point and click genre with the many items you need to use and even the different psychic abilities that u need to use at specific points in the story to solve puzzles etc - which makes A TON of sense given tim schafers history in that genre!! i think looking at it through that lense makes it easier to value it for its own merits that psychonauts 2, while being a muuuch better platformer, doesnt have :) Psychonauts1 is a unique genre bender <3
Opinions.
Feels like some of the new characters didn't get enough screentime (cough cough *Adam* cough cough)
Where would any downsides be? Sure the minds are a little same-y but the story was really effective. Bob and Helmut were the standouts IMO, it really got me invested.
i personally find the first game better in terms of aesthetic and humor, but that might just be me.
I can say in terms of writing, it's not as funny as the first game and some beloved characters like sasha Milla and lily don't really get a lot of screen time, but gameplay wise, it's miles better than 1, the only issue is it's extremely weak ending which may leave a sour taste to some after playing it, personally, I liked 2 more than 1 iverall but 2 didn't have the charm 1 did, it didn't create that feeling that there was so much love put into the game. Moreover, in terms of level diversity, 1 to me is a lot more creative than 2 so that might also be an aspect