News

PSA: Don’t Sleep on Psychonauts 2 | Game Rant

The number of new games releasing in the final four months of 2021 is a little bit daunting. With so many high-profile titles coming out seemingly every week, it's hard to keep up with which games to pay attention to. Although it hasn't received nearly as much attention as other first-party Microsoft games releasing this year, Psychonauts 2 might just end up being one of the best games of the year that everyone is sleeping on. It releases on August 25 and deserves far more attention than it's currently getting in the weeks leading up to its launch.

A sequel to 2005's Psychonauts, Psychonauts 2 is the latest game to come out from Double Fine. The studio has a history of creating excellent games and with the original Psychonauts' status as a cult classic, Psychonauts 2 has just about everything going for it to make it one of the year's all-time greats. Because of the 16 year gap between releases, it's likely that many people haven't heard of Psychonauts before, but Psychonauts 2 will definitely be worth the time of anyone who decides to give it a try.

RELATED: Psychonauts 2 Dev Working With Psychologist to Accurately Depict Mental Health Illnesses

If it turns out to be anything like the original (which every trailer seems to suggest that it might be) Psychonauts 2 has so much going for it, especially when compared to the other games releasing in the latter half of 2021. If there's one thing that Double Fine games have, it's vision above all else. Even with their less fondly remembered titles, each game is nearly full to the brim with style, personality, and humanity that all work in favor of Double Fine's vision for the game, and Psychonauts 2 seems to be totally in line with that.

The game's visual style is so unique, almost looking like a claymation movie in the same vein as The Nightmare Before Christmas or Coraline. Each character in Psychonauts 2 has unique silhouettes and body shapes that really inform who they are, almost helping the player distinguish each character based on their memorable appearances alone. While not every Double Fine game has such distinct character designs for each new addition to each game's story, Psychonauts really makes the most out of its wackier tone by including characters with wacky designs that still fit into the fiction of the world.

Double Fine games seem to all share a refined slapstick sense of humor, no doubt due to Tim Schafer's directorial and writing style. Tim Schafer is the president and CEO of the studio and has directed and written many of the classics that Double Fine is known for including Brutal Legend, Costume Quest, and the original Psychonauts. Schafer is once again writing and directing Psychonauts 2, so it'll likely fall right in line with the comedic tones of the games that have come before it: a tone that will help it stand out from the rest of the 2021 release calendar. While serious games are all well and good, comedic writing isn't often explored in gaming, at least, not usually in the AAA space, so Psychonauts 2 has a good chance to really shine next to the likes of other major titles releasing this year.

Xbox Game Pass has done a lot to change the industry, however, one of its best features isn't always appreciated as often as others: the numerous original Xbox titles that are hosted on the service. Those looking to try the original Psychonauts out before its sequel releases but can't find a copy are in luck as the game is already on Game Pass. Subscribers are able to play the original right now in preparation for Psychonauts 2 and then download that as soon as it goes live on the 25th. Additionally, if a subscriber is on the fence about purchasing the new game, they might as well just download it and give it a try for no additional cost.

Psychonauts 2 will launch on August 25 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

MORE: Psychonauts 2 Has a Major Advantage As Opposed To The First Game

Original Article

Spread the love
Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also
Close
Back to top button