REVIEW – Dive into the world of Razputin, the ambitious young psychonaut, where the mind’s deepest, most bizarre landscapes unfold. Psychonauts 2 isn’t just a visually inventive sequel – every corner of its design pulses with creativity and surprise. No level, no character is ever generic; each drags you into a brand-new dimension. This game is at once whimsical and elegant, peeling back the hidden corridors of the mind in a surreal, psychedelic journey. With the game now included in September’s PS Plus Essential lineup, we’ve updated this review.

Psychonauts 2 is the kind of sequel we’d have given up on years ago if not for blind faith in Tim Schafer’s creative madness. It’s the spiritual successor to a nearly two-decade-old cult classic, one that reaches back to the early 2000s platformer boom while refusing to be stuck there. Born from the age of jump-and-collect adventures, when every other release whisked you off to a vibrant dreamworld and developers tried to outdo one another in creativity, Psychonauts 2 doesn’t deny its lineage – it celebrates it. It’s strange, charming, deliberately awkward, and undeniably clever – a rare mix that makes it impossible not to love.

The game also isn’t afraid to wade into themes of mental health, which feels surprisingly weighty for its genre. It may not be the definitive take on psychology in gaming, but its metaphors and messages aren’t shallow. Sometimes uncomfortably honest, sometimes absurdly brutal, but never cliché. That constant balance – goofiness alongside depth – is what makes Psychonauts 2 truly magical.

Razputin, or Raz, is a ten-year-old prodigy born into a traveling circus family, a kid who literally can’t be dragged down – whether by ropes, levitation, or lofty morals. He turns his back on the glittering circus ring to join the secret order of Psychonauts, where leaping into minds is the ultimate act. His circus heritage never fades: Raz moves with the grace of an acrobat while slipping between brain lasers and psychic powers as if he’s been training his whole life for this.

The controls can feel clumsy at times – as if Raz trips over his own momentum – but that just adds to his charm. And let’s be honest: when you’re already hopping around inside people’s subconscious, a little intentional weirdness feels right at home.

Psychedelic, twisted, and delightfully unhinged

It’s not just minds you’ll explore – the outside world of Psychonauts 2 is just as wild. The Motherlobe, the Psychonauts’ headquarters, serves as your central hub, wrapped in forests, quarries, and campsites, each brimming with oddities. But the real showcase starts inside the brain: where each character’s anxieties, obsessions, and traumas manifest into tangible worlds. One moment you’re wandering through a bowling alley inside someone’s bacteria-ridden mind, the next you’re threading through a grotesque fusion of hospital and casino. Spoiling more would rob players of discoveries too good to miss.

Visually, Psychonauts 2 looks like someone sketched an LSD trip with crayons. This isn’t Pixar or DreamWorks – it’s closer to some obscure French animated film you accidentally caught on VHS as a kid and still can’t decide whether it fascinated or scarred you. Characters are purposefully grotesque: lopsided faces, stretched limbs, shriveled torsos, like Tim Burton filtered through Picasso by way of psychoanalysis.

Each brain is its own ecosystem, not just a backdrop, built with visuals that reflect the mental state of its host. And after thirty years of gaming, it still surprised me in ways few titles can. I never knew what to expect – and that was the best part.

Bone-dry humor, Tim Schafer style

The writing and dialogue breathe effortlessly, never forced. Humor isn’t tacked on; absurdity is woven into the game’s DNA. The voice cast delivers every line with deadpan sharpness. “Every time you lie, you take a day off your mother’s life,” Raz’s mom remarks casually when he tries to sneak around the circus tent. And that’s just a taste.

The comedy channels The Mighty Boosh and Monty Python: surreal scenarios, off-the-wall ideas, self-aware nonsense, and a total disregard for whether the player gets the joke. The creators don’t explain, don’t apologize – they just toss ideas out there. It’s a refreshing break from the over-explained sarcasm of many American games where every punchline comes with a neon sign.

Few games feel this brazenly authentic. No two hours are alike, no two characters the same, and each subconscious world feels like a Disneyland built inside a brain – except here you navigate trauma, mirrors, and metaphors. Sure, some mechanics feel dated, like compulsive collect-a-thons or overly complex skill trees straight out of 2003. But together, they remind you why we fell in love with 3D platformers in the first place – and why it’s time to love them again.

Platforming and adventure, hand in hand

Gameplay in Psychonauts 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel – and thank god for that. Instead, it takes what fans loved in the original and polishes it until the whole experience shines. The focus is still on classic 3D platforming infused with Schafer’s adventure-game DNA: exploration, character chats, puzzles, and offbeat creativity. When you’re not bouncing through someone’s subconscious, you’re roaming the Motherlobe. At first it feels small compared to the old Campgrounds, but give it time and you’ll find layers of secrets and personality.

The Motherlobe is a playground – full of hidden corners, collectibles, goofy mini-games like psychic bowling, and the joy of bumping into both old friends and quirky newcomers. It’s like crossing Men in Black’s HQ with a psychedelic summer camp – and that’s meant as a compliment.

But the real thrill comes from diving into minds again and again. This is where Psychonauts 2 not only matches but surpasses its predecessor. These mental landscapes are wilder, more personal, more striking. One moment you’re inside a casino born of gambling addiction, the next inside a dental nightmare fueled by power-obsessed paranoia. Each brain is a new surprise – and never the one you expected.

Classic platforming is blended with inventive puzzles, mini-games, and some of the most imaginative setpieces you’ll see. One early mission has you pulling off a bank heist in the most bizarre sense of the word – thrilling, hilarious, and still managing to land an honest message about living with mental burdens. Because Psychonauts 2 isn’t just here to entertain; it wants to say something. And that might be its greatest strength.

When it fights, it fights psychotic

Combat, unfortunately, isn’t where Psychonauts 2 earns its stripes. It’s not terrible, but it’s never the reason you buy a ticket for this rollercoaster. Battles can be tough even early on, but not because they’re thrilling – more because careless button-mashing gets you flattened fast. Attacks lack punch, feedback feels muted, and fights often resemble kids whacking each other with plastic bats on a playground.

And yet, the toolkit is stacked. Alongside classics like Pyrokinesis, Levitation, and Clairvoyance, new tricks like Mental Connection let you yank yourself to platforms or fling into enemies. Every ability has its use, none feel wasted, and the whole system feels far tighter than in the original. The problem isn’t the powers – it’s that the combat just doesn’t hit the same heights as everything else.

Progression, though, feels rewarding. Hidden collectibles boost your rank, which you can spend on perk points in your journal – a hub for tracking missions, powers, ranks, and side quests. The menus may look a little retro, but they’re clear enough to welcome even first-timers into the mind-hopping madness.

Want to customize further? Head to the shop, where psychic pins add wild modifiers. You can equip three at once, with effects ranging from extending burn damage on enemies to letting you pet animals with telekinesis. No joke. These extras give Raz’s skillset real personality, encouraging you to experiment with your own unhinged combos.

Brilliant on both Xbox Series X and PS5

When we first tested Psychonauts 2 back in 2021 on Xbox Series X, it was already a visual treat. It didn’t need flashy next-gen effects to impress; its bold, handcrafted art style stood out on its own. The game held steady at 60fps, which kept the fast platforming silky smooth and immensely satisfying. Its palette is so bright and bursting with creativity it feels like a Pixar film come to life – if Pixar let Tim Burton have a hand in the designs.

Now that Psychonauts 2 has joined September’s PS Plus Essential lineup, we’re excited to revisit it on PlayStation 5. We’re curious to see how it performs on Sony’s console, and whether it shines technically and visually as brightly as it did on Microsoft’s flagship. A universe this colorful, this imaginative deserves to glow in full on every platform.

Meeting impossible expectations: check!

It’s still hard to believe just how well Psychonauts 2 turned out. This was a sequel fans nurtured in their minds for sixteen years – with expectations soaring sky-high. Everyone assumed Double Fine couldn’t possibly clear that bar. But not only did they reach it, they shattered it with ease, landing a backflip on the way down.

Psychonauts 2 is a masterpiece. Truly. It balances heavy, often uncomfortable themes – mental health, trauma, self-acceptance – with a surreal, exuberant world. In lesser hands, it could have become a stylish but hollow mess. Instead, Double Fine took everything we loved from the original, pushed it further, and honored why fans loved this universe in the first place.

If we had to rank 2021’s most memorable gaming experiences, Psychonauts 2 would sit confidently at the very top. This isn’t just a great sequel – it’s a textbook case study in how to make one. Everything else is still trying to catch up.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-

The review copy of the game was provided in 2021 by Microsoft Hungary.

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Double Fine
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release: August 25, 2021