Psychonauts released on the Xbox in 2005 and has become a cult classic video game. The game marries the worlds of story and 3D platforming that took the industry by surprise with over 1.2 million copies being sold after its debut on Steam. A full decade later, fans were surprised to hear that Psychonauts 2 began development in 2015.
Now, over 5 years later, Psychonauts 2 is right around the corner. Read on for a recap of the events in Psychonauts to prepare for its sequel.
The World of Psychonauts
Creator of Psychonauts Tim Schafer was out with his team one day when someone from the group asked the uncanny question, "What color is the sky in your world?" The question struck a chord with Schafer, inciting the philosophy behind its characters' minds, which makes up Psychonaut's level design. The player enters the minds of the camp counselors and quickly moves on to visit the minds of psychiatric ward patients, each of which is shaped by the character's history and psyche.
For example, Sasha Nein is a closed-off individual that buries his problems in his mind, represented by a giant block drifting in space. Raz, eagerly attempting to speed up his training, unleashes items that represent parts of Nein's past. Each mind in Psychonauts has an item called "baggage" in which Raz can see a series of images that make up the character's backstory which gives the game a somber tone around its goofy and colorful aesthetic.
Raz's Story in Psychonauts
The 10-year-old Raz is a gifted psychic with a tragic backstory leading him to Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. His father is known for hating psychics, and realizing his son was developing powers, he quickly made Raz practice gymnastics to distract the boy from his growing powers. Eventually, his father gave him away to the circus, but he escapes to join the training camp. Because of his past, Raz is motivated to become a psychic soldier like the counselors, also known as a Psychonaut.
The counselors all notice that Raz's abilities are much more advanced than any other child's at the camp and decide to take him in for special training. However, discovering his powers comes new challenges as the campers are kidnapped and have their brains taken from them to be used in a psychic super-weapon. Finding himself caught in the middle of the conspiracy, Raz takes it upon himself, equipped with his new Psi-Power abilities, to rescue the campers and defeat the evil doctor. In doing so, he reaches his goal of becoming a Psychonaut.
Psychonauts 2 Story
Immediately following the events of the first game, Psychonauts 2 will tell the story of Raz and his first day on the job as an official Psychonaut. With the team of psychics from the first game on his side, Raz is faced with new challenges in the real world of psychic warfare. The release date trailer for the game gives a glimpse into the Psychonauts' troubles. They are tasked with unraveling the mystery of who is resurrecting Psychonaut's main villain.
Someone has infiltrated the Psychonauts' headquarters while the organization's leader is out of commission, and signs are pointing to shady and suspicious activity from the second-in-command. Raz and his friends must unravel an internal conspiracy in hopes of stopping a psychic with overwhelming abilities from being resurrected, Maligula. The Psychonauts sequel will also feature Raz's father and family of carnies, revealing more about the protagonist's past and how he will make amends with his father. Psychonauts has always been about exploring mental health through its gameplay and story, which will continue into the sequel.
Psychonauts 2 releases on August 25, 2021, for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.