After what feels like forever, Double Fine’s Psychonauts 2 is finally coming out this August. The game has been subject to three major delays since its announcement at the 2015 Game Awards and subsequent Fig crowdfunding campaign. Much of that owed to Double Fine’s well-documented tendency of going over-budget, but in this case, it was also due to that very budget being expanded beyond initial expectations. Starbreeze invested $8 million in 2017 to publish the game digitally on all platforms, and was one-upped by an unknown amount when Microsoft bought Double Fine and Psychonauts 2’s publishing rights in 2019. Company owner and director Tim Schafer somewhat infamously mentioned during a 2020 interview that the extra funding and time Microsoft provided allowed for all the cut boss fights to be added back in.
That’s a tumultuous-sounding history for the sequel to a cult-classic platformer, but the Psychonauts series is every bit as interesting as the stories surrounding it. Psychonauts was initially published in 2005 by Majesco Entertainment for PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The quirky little 3D platformer is known for its interesting and off-beat art style, and for having as much voiced dialogue as a large RPG. The amount of entertaining and creative writing, combined with the solid platforming and character-personifying mental worlds, made Psychonauts a fan-favorite. Even with such a solid foundation, there’s still a lot to be said about this coming sequel.
Psychonauts 2’s Release Date And Platforms
In the years between Psychonauts 2’s 2015 announcement and 2021 release, a massive amount of change has occurred. When Double Fine initially pitched the game to fans during its 2015-16 crowdfunding campaign, it had a 2018 release date in mind. Things almost immediately hit a hitch upon the campaign’s completion, with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission taking until September 2016 to authorize Fig's use of unaccredited investors. Fig is a special crowdfunding platform, as it allows users to invest in projects as well as donate to them, and almost half of Psychonauts 2’s initial budget was from investing. Fortunately, Microsoft was able to pay investors back with bonus interest once it bought Double Fine in 2019.
Despite its intent for a 2018 release, Double Fine announced in December 2017 that with the game in full development and its planned development roadmap completed, it did not expect to release Psychonauts 2 until at least 2019. By the time the next major trailer premiered in December 2018, the game was said to be in alpha. Microsoft’s June 2019 reveal of acquiring Double Fine only meant good things for Psychonauts 2, especially as it was clarified that it would still release on all promised platforms. The only real downside was that the extra financial security meant Double Fine could take even longer to release its game. Psychonauts 2's release date was delayed until 2020 for extra polish, and delayed again in July 2020 to 2021 so that Xbox Series ports could be made. Finally, the game’s release date for all platforms was announced for the end of August at E3 2021.
What is Psychonauts 2 About?
That is an awful lot of background to Psychonauts 2 as a product, but not as a game. Fortunately, there’s plenty to say about the game’s world and characters. The Psychonauts franchise is about one Psychonaut, a psychic secret agent, called Razputin Aquato. The first Psychonauts game focused on Raz’s training at Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, when he foils a brain-stealing plot. It’s best to experience the specifics of the older game’s story on one’s own time, if for no other reason than to travel into the mental space of many NPCs and solve their creatively-rendered mental problems. Suffice to say, Raz impresses his superiors, and is able to graduate as a full Psychonaut.
In Psychonauts 2, Raz is now fully trained and ready to face the world, but the Psychonaut organization is up to something, and he has to get to the bottom of it. After rescuing Truman Zanotto in the VR spin-off Psychonauts and the Rhombus of Ruin, Raz will have to unravel an even more nefarious mystery at the heart of the organization he is a part of. Even worse, the gypsy who cursed Raz's family with an aversion to bodies of water seems to have resurfaced, and is connected to the current going-ons. Between all of that and Raz continuing to deal with his own relationships, there’s a lot going on in Psychonauts 2 for players to sink their teeth into.
The Features of Psychonauts 2
While it’s too early to say exactly what will be in store for players — judging by the trailers, there will be a lot — Psychonauts 2 will continue Raz’s brain-hopping adventures as he explores the Psychonauts’ HQ in between levels. At its core, Psychonauts is a 3D platformer with fairly basic platforming and brawling elements. There are plenty of collectibles to find, and Raz’s growing collection of psychic powers let him explore the environment and interact with people, enemies, and objects. The basic game flow, if 2 is anything like 1, will be to explore the overworld until an impasse is reached, at which point Raz can throw a door onto a particular NPC’s head and explore the fantastical worlds representing their minds.
Exploring is a major part, and that’s not just limited to the environment. The original game and the VR interquel both had significant elements of classic adventure games. It contained a surprising amount of dialogue, found through interacting with every character in every way possible. There are even alternate cutscenes and extended secret conversations that the player can overhear. There was a massive amount of content packed into the first Psychonauts' small frame, and one can only imagine how the sequel will surpass it.
Psychonauts 2 will launch on August 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.