Whether you're leaping into Psychonauts 2 completely fresh to the series, or you're a returning brain veteran who stopped Coach Oleander the first time, there are plenty of tips and tricks to help you get through Raz's newest adventure.
Related: Psychonauts 2 Review – Phenomenal Psychic Platforming
After playing through the game twice and getting 100% completion, we've gathered together ten top tips to help you get through the game as smoothly as possible.
Psychonauts 2 – 10 Tips For Beginners
Change How Your Levitation Ball Controls
This is one of the earliest things that I'd recommend you do in the game especially if you're already played the original Psychonauts before. Things have been changed up in the sequel, and Raz can no longer pull his Levitation Ball down from a glide by default, which makes platforming a little bit trickier.
To change this, go into the options menu and look at the controls. There will be an option to enable Raz to pull his Levitation Ball as he glides, which will give you extra time to react to hazards. It's not clear why it was changed by default, but Psychonauts veterans will definitely appreciate the option to change it back.
As a bonus tip, you can also enable gliding to act as your triple jump through this menu, which means you can actually take Levitation out of your active Psychic abilities if you want to. This comes in handy later when you're swapping powers more frequently.
Upgrade Levitation, Mental Connection, And Pyrokinesis As Soon As Possible
Upgrades are a new addition to Psychonauts 2 and allow Raz to use his intern points to upgrade his psychic abilities. Whilst it's a good idea to upgrade all of your abilities, the ones you're going to want to do almost straight away are, Levitation, Mental Connection, and Pyrokinesis.
You'll want to upgrade Levitation as soon as possible to get its third-tier upgrade, Bouncy Ball, which lets Raz charge it up for a higher bounce. This comes in handy for some of the late-game collectibles.
Similarly, Mental Connection has an upgrade called Dark Thoughts, which lets Raz connect to specific nodes in some brain levels. It's sort of like the Mental Cobweb Duster in that it's essential for reaching and collecting certain objects in the world. You can get this one at Rank 30.
Finally, Pyrokinesis is important to upgrade as it's pretty much useless without some points behind it. Sure, other skills also get better with points, but Pyrokinesis goes from a small bubble in front of Raz to a massive dome that stretches out really far. It's great for defeating Regrets.
Speaking of Pyrokinesis…
Pyrokinesis Is Great For Earning Psitanium
Psitanium is a currency that's used in the Otto-Mattic, a shop that will sell you pins, items, and PSI cores to make challenge markers. It's a pretty essential currency in the game and the best way to earn it is with Pyrokinesis.
Each hub in Psychonauts 2 is filled with destructible items that contain Psitanium. If you're low on cash, it's a good idea to charge Pyrokinesis up as much as possible and run around burning whatever you can. They'll drop Psitanium pretty much every time.
Upgrade Your Wallet As Soon As Possible
When you start Psychonauts 2, you're going to have the starting wallet, which only allows you to have 100 Psitanium at a time. As you will quickly learn, this is nowhere near enough, so you'll need to upgrade it as soon as possible.
The Psifold Wallet can be bought from the Otto-Matic for 75 Psitanium, and it's one of the best purchases you'll make. You can then buy the Astral Wallet for 750 Psitanium, which is another good investment.
This is especially important as, if you've got the maximum amount and find a Supply Chest, you won't be able to access it. This makes getting all of the collectibles a little bit harder, so make sure to upgrade fast.
Learn How To Find Each Collectible
Finding each collectible is going to be a challenge, but there are numerous tells that make it easier to pick them out from a crowd. For starters, always look off the main path to see if any collectibles are tucked away.
Figments glow bright neon and are usually pretty easy to spot as they pulse and move. Nuggets of Wisdom glow gold and sparkle, so they'll stick out pretty easily. Memory Vaults will run and make a clunking noise whenever Raz approaches, as well as being light blue. Raz will also comment when a Memory Vault is nearby.
The best tell comes from the Emotional Baggage, which will cry loudly. Once again, Raz will comment on this if he is nearby, but just keep an ear out for crying anywhere in the level.
Visit Otto For Some Optional Gadgets
If you want to take awesome photos like these, you're going to need to visit Otto's Lab in the Quarry as soon as you finish the game's third brain level, Hollis' Hot Streak.
Once you get to Otto's Lab, ask him if you can rent out some gadgets. He'll give you the Thought Tuner and a camera that activates the game's photo mode. The Thought Tuner is key for finding several collectibles in the game's hub worlds, such as PSI Cards and PSI challenge markers.
Meanwhile, the camera is just fun for taking photos of Raz and making some cool images. Still, you don't actually need to get either gadget to progress in the story, but it's totally worthwhile that you do.
Use The Figment Menu If You're Stuck Finding Any
Figments are the biggest pain to collect in Psychonauts 2, no doubt. If you're stuck finding any in a level, there's no real hint system to help you along, which can make it difficult if you've got one last one to find.
The only thing that's close to a hint is the Figments menu, which can be found in Raz's journal. Go over to the level list and click the one you're on, and you'll get the option to view your Figments.
This won't always give you a clue which ones are missing, but sometimes you'll notice you've collected one out of two of a certain type, which can point you in the right direction. Figments are also meant to tell stories and decorate the environment, so they'll usually be where the object would be, such as figments of trees being near grass.
Platforms Can Be Repeatedly Time Bubbled
This is a small one that will help you a lot in the Brain in a Jar level – platforms can be repeatedly Time Bubbled to keep them slowed down.
You'll be made to slow down several spinning blades, moving platforms, and objects during Psychonauts 2, but one thing you might not know is that platforms can be Time Bubbled over and over again to keep them slowed down. This will help if you're having trouble with a specific platforming section.
The only limit is your Time Bubble's recharge, which will actually be very quick once you upgrade it for the first time.
Don't Worry About Content Being Locked Off
Unlike the original game, Psychonauts 2 doesn't have content that can only be accessed at specific points in the story. You'll be able to see and do everything whenever you want, including after beating the story.
That means that side missions, collectibles, brain levels, and achievements can all be earned after the credits roll. There's no "point of no return" here.
It's worth noting that the game will keep you in certain sections during parts of the story, however. Once you've beaten the third level for Ford, you'll be stuck in Green Needle Gulch until you beat the game. Don't worry though, you'll be able to access everything after that.
Almost None Of The Worlds Can Be 100% Completed Straight Away
One thing that's important to remember when playing Psychonauts 2 is that almost none of the game's levels can be fully completed straight away.
That's right, you're going to need to revisit worlds in Psychonauts 2 if you want to see and do everything. Several early worlds require you to have the Projection and Mental Connection abilities to access certain collectibles, so it's almost inevitable that you'll end up back in the worlds if you want to fully complete the game.
This means that you shouldn't stress too much if you're worried about getting everything. Just enjoy the level the first time around, and worry about collecting things after.
Next: Psychonauts 2 Complete Guide And Walkthrough
