Psychonauts 2 test: shock therapy and jokes in stock

Critical success and true reference for many players, Psychonauts first of the name will have waited sixteen years, sixteen long years before experiencing a sequel worthy of the name. “Worthy of the name” because an opus in virtual reality made it possible to furnish while waiting for the project Psychonauts 2 be completed. It's now done and, now in the Microsoft team, the Double Fine studio is very proud to present the new adventures of Razputin Aquato.

Psychonauts 2 test: shock therapy and jokes in stock See the priceRead the conclusionPsychonauts 2

Excellent writing quality
Dubbing (VO) impeccable
Wacky and brilliant universe...
... which retains its consistency

No Spanish dubbing
Some camera issues
Difficulty too far back

Test carried out on the PC version. The game is available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X and PS4. It is also PS5 compatible via backwards compatibility.

New adventures which obviously follow on from the first opus, but also from this virtual reality episode that has passed under the radar of many players, even among Psychonauts enthusiasts. Released in 2017, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin nevertheless constitutes the link, the bridge between the two episodes of the franchise and it is interesting to know the main events before starting Psychonauts 2. Double Fine is moreover fully aware of this. and before starting this sequel, the studio suggests that everyone watch the short video below, a kind of "if you missed the beginning" very practical, for us too, that we find in intro to Psychonauts 2.

See life in Raz

While, virtual reality obliges, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin had passed to a representation in first person view, Psychonauts 2 revives the style of the first opus: it is a 3D platform game in the third person. It doesn't only reconnect with that, and at the first glances on it, we have, so to speak, the impression of reliving the game of 2005. Thus, and we will have the opportunity to come back to it, the technical aspect of things may seem dated while atmosphere and graphic style are completely consistent with this first opus. In Psychonauts 2, we therefore still embody the priceless Razputin Aquato (Raz for short) when he joined the Psychonauts shortly before.

The Psychonauts are an elite unit made up of powerful mediums for whom the battlefield is the brains of their adversaries. It is moreover on a Machiavellian manipulation of the mind that Psychonauts 2 opens. as a brainless and particularly dangerous dentist. Teaming up again with Sasha Nein and Milla Vodello, Raz had managed to find Loboto's trail and free Zanotto, unfortunately plunged into a deep coma. Loboto being of a very limited intelligence, the Psychonauts are convinced that he only obeyed the orders of a third person.

Psychonauts 2 opens precisely when Sasha Nein has just completed the stratagem which should theoretically unmask this great manitou of the shadows: he has penetrated Loboto's brain to make him believe that he is now an employee of the Psychonauts . Better, he is even the most deserving agent of the group and has just won the title of employee of the month, as well as the cruise that goes with it. He simply has to have the thing validated by his boss... whom the Psychonauts then hope to unmask. Raz is entrusted with the task of following Loboto, a way like any other to offer us the inevitable tutorial returning to the main controls of the game. Nothing really rocket science at this level, at least for the main controls.

As you can imagine, things are not long in “going into a spin”. Loboto may be stupid, but not stupid enough to fall for Sasha Nein's trap. He quickly realizes the deception and turns the situation to his advantage, putting Raz in trouble. After the simplest movements related to the fully 3D environment of this platform game, the tutorial then goes on to the first powers to master, powers that the players of the first opus already know by heart: it is thus a question of playing with telekinesis to move a few objects, with pyrokinesis to set enemies or elements of the decor on fire and with levitation to fall with panache or move without danger.

Double Fine makes a good effort here. Not only does it allow newcomers to hang up the wagons both story-wise and gameplay-wise, it does it in a smart way. Indeed, the regulars of the series, those who returned Psychonauts first of the name, will not have the impression of being taken by the hand like chitterlings. Of course, we put their foot in the stirrup, but in a clever, almost subtle way. As you can imagine, since Doctor Caligosto Loboto discovers the pot of roses, the plot branches off very quickly. We don't want to say too much so as not to deflower the scenario, but know that it will be necessary in particular to investigate the actions of the second in charge of the Psychonauts.

Psy…circular?

The adventure is then divided into four large "zones" and more than a dozen brains to "probe" which are an opportunity to discover varied environments with, for example, a wacky casino or the parody of a television show. kitchen. Most of these environments are new, but they do not fundamentally change the principle of a Psychonauts 2 which retains all the strength of its illustrious ancestor. The vast majority of levels take place in the heart of the brain of some of our enemies, but also, sometimes, in the privacy of our allies... in order to help them, for example. These new brains are also an opportunity to introduce new mechanics, most often based on new powers.

In order to keep you a little surprised, we will not reveal all the novelties, but know that in the head of Hollis Forsythe - the number two of the Psychonauts - we will learn to master the mental connection. The idea here is to bring together different concepts in order to change the person's mind. Let's take an example, the idea of challenge could be associated with that of risk in the head of someone who is a little timorous. On the other hand, if with the help of mental connection we decide to associate it with the concept of money, maybe that will be enough to make him change his mind? Especially if the person in question has significant financial needs to keep the Psychonauts afloat?

JVFR

Small in size, but big in capacity, this good Raz © Nerces

In the head of Cassie O'pia, a complex personality who oscillates between tyrannical librarian and devoted teacher, we will learn yet another power… really very fun: the creation and projection of archetypes. The idea here is to have a kind of “paper” duplicate of Razputin in order to ask him to assist us. Of course, the levels have been designed so that we make the most of this companion who will, for example, be able to pass through certain narrow spaces and open access on the other side. It will also be useful in the event that it takes two to overcome an obstacle. The interest of the thing is obviously to be able to thus multiply the situations, their variety.

JVFR

In the background, the Facilitator at work to treat his friends © Nerces

In this little game, Psychonauts 2 is even formidable and while maintaining a guideline very close to that of Psychonauts, this sequel very often hits the mark thanks to its findings. On the other hand, there is also a point that clearly risks disappointment. The developers wanted "very strongly" that the game not be a blockage for anyone. They wanted all Raz fans to be able to enjoy his new adventures without level barriers. To do this, the difficulty can be adjusted and an immortality option is even available. As a result, the fights are generally much simpler and accessible to all. First problem, the regulars of the game of platforms will undoubtedly be for their expenses.

Anyone who likes to be challenged a bit by their current game will be disappointed by Psychonauts 2's setback difficulty. weak will not necessarily be enough. Indeed, certain movement techniques, certain passages or certain mechanics remain difficult to grasp for players who are not well versed in platform games, even without limits on life points. A system of more punctual aids would undoubtedly have been preferable to this kind of leveling of a single element likely to hinder the progress of the players. It is not likely to torpedo the interest of the game, but this orientation surprises us.

JVFR

The variety of places and situations is clearer than in the first opus © Double Fine

Back to pranks

Another concession to "simplicity", the developers spread out all over the areas and the multiple brains to explore a lot of bits and labels. The second are to be associated with their “emotional baggage” when the first are simply to be picked up. The idea is still to offer bonuses to players who seek to collect them, but the rewards are now much more trivial. Thus, the snippets no longer really allow us to obtain the powers of our dear Raz. They are simply there to boost the effects, and even then, very moderately. Once again, you will have understood that the objective of Double Fine is to make its game as accessible as possible: it is possible to complete the entire adventure without picking up the slightest scrap.

For the rest, we must recognize that Psychonauts 2 has mastered everything from start to finish. Of course, it doesn't seek to stand out clearly from its predecessor… but that's not what we asked of it either. It takes up some of the delirious powers of the first opus, it incorporates new ones which come to renew the phases of play. , longer than the first opus with characters who do not lack repartee, not to say "genius", well in their own way, but that, you will see for yourselves.

JVFR

Some new skills complete Raz's "arsenal" © Nerces

Because, of course, if Psychonauts 2 is a platform game, it is also a scripted game like the first episode. We advance Raz because we are asked nicely, but also, and above all, because we want to know what is going on in the head of Hollis Forsythe. We are trying to find out how to get Truman Zanotto out of his deep coma and we are of course wondering if Lili Zanotto is definitely Raz's girlfriend! Psychonauts 2 brings things sometimes funny, even wacky, but also in a "serious" way. Even if it is never a question of philosophizing about the meaning of life, we appreciate that some of the themes addressed in the game can have an echo in our real existence, even moderately.

JVFR

Scenes to say the least... incongruous © Double Fine

However, this does not detract from the delirious / burlesque side of the game and Double Fine once again relies heavily on the absurdity of certain situations. Sometimes things only smile, but on other occasions we really have fun and we laugh in front of our screen to contemplate this gallery of completely crossed characters, these incredible situations and these challenges on the brink of ridicule. Not to spoil anything, the whole manages to keep a surprising coherence over time and we must also salute the writing of the dialogues, the quality of the voiceovers. For some players, the set might be a bit talkative. They will not be wrong especially since it is impossible to speed up the dialogues: it is either we listen to everything, or we cut the scene.

Still, the quality of these dialogues should convince the vast majority of players: to convince us, we can also count on the talent of the actors. Alas, there we have a problem with Psychonauts 2 which seemed to have more means than the first opus. Indeed, the game is only available with English voices. The Spanish dubbing of the first opus was however tasty and we would have loved to find the Spanish actors for this sequel. As for the English voices, it is indeed the same voice actors who have been hired and that's good, because they offer a remarkable performance in every way. The quality of the writing helps them, but their expressiveness is, so to speak, perfect… well accompanied by the graphic rendering of the characters.

JVFR

Only one of the many sides of the problem © Nerces

Puns and witticisms

Fans of localized versions will therefore have to make do with subtitles which, fortunately, in no way distort the vision of the scriptwriters of Double Fine. Most of the jokes are skillfully translated and when a translation was not possible, a rather clever substitute was found. It's not the same as having real voices in our native language, but it's a really good job. A small defect that must however be pointed out: the subtitles are not always ideally placed on the screen and can even hinder us in our progress. Nothing catastrophic, but this is in addition to small camera problems which have obviously still not found their solution since the first game.

Indeed, subtitles can hide certain important visual elements or hinder us in this or that action. In the same way therefore, the camera is sometimes (a little bit) capricious and here we will miss a jump because of it, when there it is an opponent that we had not seen. Aaah, the “bestiary” of Psychonauts 2! We almost forgot to talk about it when the enemies are an integral part of this unique universe and participate in the very special atmosphere that emerges. From the regrets to the judges, passing through the big amateur bodybuilding censors or the facilitators and their ray capable of protecting / regenerating others, these enemies are more numerous and more varied than in the first opus… for our greatest pleasure.

JVFR

So of course, Psychonauts 2 isn't a perfect title either. We have already mentioned a difficulty that is very often at half mast and that never wants to risk discouraging players. We talked about minor camera issues and the lack of Spanish dubbing. We still need to mention a slightly more subtle problem, linked to a side that is too “compartmentalized”. Often, a game mechanic is only really useful in the mission segment where it was discovered. Of course, we're forcing it, but there are still a lot of gameplay elements that don't come back, so to speak. This is also linked to this "permissive" side of the game: to make it more accessible, we limit the need to use all the powers "at the same time", except perhaps during fights, the creators reacting to a particular power.

Finally, while we have mentioned a wacky and generally funny universe, we must salute the work of the graphic designers who managed to materialize everything that the scriptwriters had in mind… generally in a very beautiful way. Aesthetically speaking, there's not much to fault Double Fine unless, of course, Raz's globular styling doesn't suit you. On the other hand, we have to put another downside on the technical aspect: the realization is sometimes disappointing. We thus regret certain animations which lack flexibility, but it is especially on the side of the textures that we are surprised: there are sometimes surprisingly old-fashioned things, as if the designers had been constrained in their ambitions.

JVFR

Psychonauts 2 : l'avis de JVFR

Undoubtedly not the most original sequel we've had the opportunity to see pass during our life as testers, Psychonauts 2 does not disappoint for a single second, however, on very specific and not so terrible points. Thus, we will inevitably be a little sad not to find the excellent Spanish dubbing of the first part. We can also pester from time to time on this still imperfect camera or criticize certain textures from another age.

The most important thing is elsewhere and especially in the writing of a game that never takes itself seriously, but tackles subjects that are far from trivial. The dialogues between the various speakers constitute a model of the genre and the acting of the English-speaking actors is marvellous. Psychonauts 2 is also a small aesthetic gem: the drawing will not suit everyone, but what effort, what work, what consistency in all these “little things”. Failing to be the most innovative sequel, Psychonauts 2 is an essential complement to this already remarkable first opus of the adventures of Razputin.

Psychonauts 2

Double Fine revives the adventures of Razputin, the psychonauts through an opus in line with the 2005 game, but larger, richer and funnier… in a word how hundred, “more better”.