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One Psychonauts 2 Figment Change Would Be a Massive Upgrade for Completionists

Of all of the collectibles Raz must find in Psychonauts 2, Figments are definitely the most troublesome. If Psychonauts 2 had a more detailed Figment tracker, though, it would be a different story.

Figments make up the backbone of Psychonauts 2's collectibles. Represented as hovering two-dimensional drawings, Figments can only be found in the game's mental worlds, as they are the physical embodiments of that world host's imagination. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they are littered throughout the game's levels, being both laid out along a level's designated path, and also strewn around its more open sections. On one hand, Figments contribute to Psychonauts 2's great amount of replayability, but on the other hand, the excessive amount of them and lack of an in-depth Figment tracker can make the process of collecting all of them rather tedious.

RELATED: Double Fine Says It Doesn't Have the Budget to Add More Language Options to Psychonauts 2

How Psychonauts 2 Currently Tracks Figments

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As mentioned, there is a Figment tracker in Psychonauts 2; it displays the total quantity of Figments collected out of all Figments that can be found in the level. A tracker such as this works for the game's other collectibles — Nuggets of Wisdom, Memory Vaults, Half-A-Minds, and Emotional Baggage — because they are in such fewer quantities compared to the Figments. Furthermore, some of these collectibles make sound effects and move around, making them much more noticeable than the silent, and often stationary Figment. As the levels get larger though with multiple sections, it becomes a guessing game where the remaining Figments could be.

The other tool at player's disposal is the Figment collection screen. Players can view all the Figments they found, as well as how many of them may still be remaining in the level. However, this screen does not show Figments that the player has not collected, so unless they already know what they are looking for, this screen does not offer much help. Unfortunately, the original Psychonauts suffers from the same problem, so it is a shame to see this aspect of the game not being improved in the sequel.

Psychonauts 2 Needs a Sub-Section Figment Tracker

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A simple solution to Figment hunting is increasing the detail of how Psychonauts 2 currently tracks them. Using the "Hollis' Hot Streak" level as an example; there are 106 Figments spread across eight different level sections, each with their own unique name. While each part of the level is thematically different, and even somewhat visually distinct, there is no way of knowing whether the players' missing Figments are in the "Shattered Classroom" section, "Doctor's Only" section, or "Pharmacy: Back Room" section.

However, if the game tracked the Figments to each of these sections and displayed it in Raz's journal, then players would know exactly where to look to find their missing Figments. This could even be streamlined for the Emotional Baggage and other collectibles too. Players would no longer waste their time by replaying the level in its entirety searching desperately for their lone, missing collectibles. It's either this or Double Fine tweaks the already useful Mental Magnet pin so that Figments are also attracted to Raz, but that might make things too easy.

Psychonauts 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Psychonauts 2 Review

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