Psychonauts 2 - Nitro Rad

[@NitroRad]

NOTE: There's been a few updates to the game that address a few of my criticisms, including the menus telling you when you've got everything in a room.

[@octoisgay]

cool

[@monster25man]

SWEET

[@PinkPanther45518]

I appreciate all that you do Nitro Rad. You have gotten me interested in games again. You have gotten me interested in games I already knew about and games I didn't have a clue about. I just want to thank you for reigniting my love for company games and indie games. I appreciate the love and care you put into to review these games in a constructive positive fair manner. I really appreciate how nuanced you are at looking at these games with a fair eye and critiquing them on enjoyability and accessibility to other players not just your own opinion. I appreciate it a ton and don't see it too often. So thank you so much for the hard work it's extremely appreciated!☺️💖👍🌺💮🌸

[@That_One_Gaming_Guy]

Now this game is 100% yas!

[@JasonGodwin69]

You could call it a small thing but I love how the alcoholic guy is treated with humanity. He isn't depicted as a cackling supervillain who needs to be stopped. He's a hurt guy who needs help.

[@screeb.3578]

“Models for a stop motion film” Man, I’d be so stoked if LAIKA studios picked up the concept for a Psychonaunts stop-motion movie.

[@personaking7]

I prefer psychanuts to be a show

[@lisabarnes924]

@@personaking7 why not both? Both are good ideas!

[@YorkJonhson]

That'd be my dream team collaboration. While I think Psychonauts works best as a game, the style and character design just feels like a perfect fit for Laika.

[@quartzossie]

Tempted to forward this to Laika's Twitter page!

[@FelisImpurrator]

Damn, you're right. I would kill for some kinda mini TV series about, say, Sasha and Milla's globetrotting adventures, or something about the missions of the Intern Group after the game's ending. Or heck. A prequel focused on the original Psychonauts and the Grulovian uprising. How awesome would that be?

[@JoshtheOverlander]

If we get a Psychonauts 3, we need an ability called Mental Gymnastics

[@cagedcreature439]

I’m curious as to what Mental Gymnastics would look like in Pyschonauts world? And while on the subject of Psychic powers that should be featured in Pyschonauts. Here’s a few other abilities: Possession Mediumism Train of thought Tracking/fortune telling

[@JoshtheOverlander]

@@cagedcreature439 I imagine it could be an upgrade to the Levitation power where you can perform more intricate moves with Levitation to reach higher or farther places, maybe allow for a higher level of precision platforming. As for Train of Thought, I can't help but picture Raz saying "I like trains" and then suddenly getting run over by an ethereal locomotive

[@cagedcreature439]

@@JoshtheOverlander yeah with mental gymnastics I can see Raz performing new levitation and telekinesis abilities. Like: -Flying around like Peter Pan -Making psychic platforms similar to what Morris did in the casino mission. -Levitation ability similar to the bucking bronco from BioShock As for the train of thought, at first I’d imagine it to be like mental connections except it acts more like a one shot attack.

[@NIGHTMARECRIPT]

YES!

[@EviltheNub]

I think that would make a better enemy than ability.

[@IanDerp26]

I can’t believe you didn’t mention how Raz’s Archetype is voiced by Gir, reuniting Zim and Gir for some more shenanigans.

[@andreassmed2255]

I mean… It’s not like it didn’t just happen in the Invader Zim movie from 2019… Oh wait.

[@zeldagameryt4018]

I’m surprised he didn’t mention it too

[@zigmus00A]

A VA cameo more then a game one.

[@ScottQ1]

it was mentioned in the first video

[@zeldagameryt4018]

@@ScottQ1 only Raz’s voice actor was mentioned in the first video

[@WillKazeOh]

I think the reason the kids are not as weird in the second game is because the first game was basically a summer camp full of rejects for the Psychonaut program, with the instructor trying to get clean them up a bit so they can become proper agents and join the academy proper. The students here are more capable, trusted with the ability to learn at a proper pace, not make trouble and become full-fledged Psychonauts. As a result, you can see the difference in personnality: they're not as weird because they don't have AS many defects as the kids at summer camp.

[@SpookyFraiser]

Fun Fact: the Brain in the Jar has Synesthesia, which is a mental condition where senses overlap. Tastes trigger smells, sights to sounds and all with all, so thats part of his level design as well (tired comment)

[@agnieszkasalach4395]

Wow, I can't believe I didn't notice this! I am actually synesthetic myself (grapheme-colour) and I spent the whole game thinking "wow, wouldn't it be fun to see what their take on my condition would look like"? I guess I was really focused on the panic attack/sensory overload aspect of it all

[@SpookyFraiser]

@@agnieszkasalach4395 thats so cool! I remember wonderful what itd be like to have that as a kid cause it just seemed so wild to me. I don't know much about the condition but it seems Psi Kings smell/taste and touch/sound are connected which is why those levels are merged.

[@trustytrest]

Smells trigger taste for me, but I think that's pretty normal considering how the two are linked. I find myself describing flavors by comparing them to smells a lot.

[@fruit4evr]

I don’t get that hate for the art direction. Personally, I love it, it’s kooky, weird, kinda cute. I think it’s rly creative

[@UnicornStorm]

well, it's like all expressionistic art. Either you can appreciate it, or not. I'm glad they stuck with it and didn't go for mass appeal.

[@ringer1324]

It’s because it’s not realistic

[@SolidSnake240]

@@ringer1324 there are plenty of games with non realistic graphics that get praise. I think it's moreso the surreal aspects of the art style that turns some off.

[@RobotScarlet]

@@ringer1324 I hate that that's even a point of criticism.

[@moondrip2163]

@@SolidSnake240 If it's not smooth, flawless, and *marketable* like Pixar, you bet people would hate it.

[@perryg6017]

My parents bought me the original Psychonauts back in 06 when my Nonna (grandmother) passed and it really helped. So a few years later I wrote to Tim Schafer about it. So when Raz's "Nona" appeared in Psychonauts 2 I felt a jolt in my heart. 100% sure it was pure coincidence, but I like to think Tim was touched by my story and that character was a subtle tip of the hat to me. Loved the game! (+ it runs amazingly well on PS5 with the loading and 60fps)

[@ElWeebDelBarri]

What a nice story, have a good day dude ^^

[@RodaMoonknight]

Yeah the next gen consoles really make the game run a lot better than the ps4 pro, hopefully Nitrorad can get one soon because... Yeah they get smoother framerates and a better resolution. The nonna story you told is touching I'm sure he did at least got a bit of inspiration from it.

[@grawman67]

I definitely understand how games can help with that pain and it's awesome to hear your story. Psychonauts is fun but also really touching in a way the best media is.

[@MrSkerpentine]

I love how they made a random VR spin-off game that no one really got and then made it *150% CANON AND A MAJOR SETUP FOR PSYCHONAUTS 2*

[@UnicornStorm]

Rhombus of Ruin was fun but yeah, it didn't have to be in VR. But it also didn't add too much to the lore, so it's not a huge deal that it is canon

[@RFieth]

In the industry they call that "doing the Chain of Memories"

[@indigowendigo8165]

@@RFieth LOL, just like this 1.5 game, I didn't even get the point of KH: Chain of Memories at first. XD And then when I did, it turns out the gameplay is super different and weird and that's like... Sigh, whatever. :p

[@bkgrila]

I don't have a VR headset, so I bought the game on sale and then watched a playthrough on KZbin while waiting for Psychonauts 2 to download. I was glad I did, since it was pretty good, and there were even callback jokes in Psychonauts 2 I wouldn't have gotten otherwise (mostly having to do with Coach Oleander).

[@LordArikado]

Not only that, it resolves the cliffhanger at the end of Psychonauts 1! So if you skipped Rhombus, you don't even get a proper conclusion to an over 10 year plot thread!

[@MrAl360]

Nitro Rad: _explaining the deep mechanics of the game_ Nitro Cat: allow me to introduce myself.

[@Diwasho]

I like that he not only kept but also voiced over that part in post-production. Good comic relief.

[@redlion5038]

15:35

[@ilikecurry2345]

It's because if you-- Get out of here... It's because if you...

[@fenrirsrage4609]

Nitro Rad: "I don't really find myself using the Archetype a lot" Invader Zim Fans: *WIll probably use Archetype wherever, whenever and however they want*

[@sportakus3]

Man, psychonauts 2 really hit the same vibe as the first game, even after all those years of waiting. GOTY for me.

[@VexAcer]

It's insane to think it's been over 15 years since the first game. Playing it through it feels like nothing's changed since then (and I mean this in a good way of course).

[@AxxLAfriku]

Chill out, what ya yellin' for? Lay back, it's all been done before. And if you could only let it be, you will see that I am the funniest YouT*ber of all time. Admit it, my dear follow*r spo

[@BoneDaddy69420]

it's even better.

[@GreenTomas2372]

How is it that Psychonauts 2 brought satisfaction in gamers while The Last of Us part 2 couldn't

[@altoid3453]

I disagree, 1 felt darker and the jokes did too. I played them back to back for the first time and 1 hit better with me. The jokes were funnier, the characters were more likable, the villain was more iconic, the platforming was funner.

[@lithydacat4264]

Some in my friend group were ones who complained about the games art style , and that "It doesn't look like a current game" ... sooo I just wiped up my art skills and made a semi realistic bust of Loboto and saw their mind change. I believe most just don't realize that the Art direction is so important for the actual story telling, You just can't deliver this kind of story in an non abstract style.

[@ember-september414]

I absolutely agree with you. I can only fear any form of a realistic Loboto XD At first, I didn't like the art style myself, but as time went on and I got more into the game, The style definitely grew on me. I hope your friends can learn to like it too.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Wait, what? How can you mention such horror during spooky month and not post a link!?

[@ThePreciseClimber]

> It doesn't look like a current game In my mouth, that would be a compliment.

[@lithydacat4264]

@@ember-september414 oh they have to xD They might still be all into Genshin Impact but I won't shut up about pn so either they get used to it or I will style convert their favorite basic anime designs.

[@lithydacat4264]

@@FelisImpurrator easy as pie links get instantly deleted . so you might have to search that infamous bird side on your own and hope to get lucky :'D

[@centurosproductions8827]

I really dislike how the cosmetic badges and the gameplay badges take the same slots. I don't *want* to stop using my rainbow hands and green ball just to get the ground slam and extra health from grapple nodes.

[@Bacxaber]

I'm surprised Otto didn't sell us a badge permit that lets us use them separately.

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

I've somehow never played Psychonauts, but you've convinced me to jump into this one! And WOW am I also stuck in the last generation. There are dozens of us!

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

As gaming KZbinrs, I'd have thought you'd gotten your hands on current gen even with the shortage. I know of a (mostly) cartoon reviewer who has a PS5. It's kinda weird.

[@crimesforkibble6912]

@@KeybladeMasterAndy some people can't afford to upgrade

[@BladeBlur]

I just finished 1 and despite some gameplay flaws it's fantastic. Also avoid the PS2 port if I were you! Unless it's punching weight material XD

[@PinkPanther45518]

Same with me as well. When this game first came out I was pretty young at the time and I was more interested in Japanese media than in American media or any other countries media at the time. So when this game came out I was not interested at all. The art style was not something I was interested in. I really did not like or enjoy the aesthetic of grimey characters or characters in a somewhat Cal Arts style. Now I have to say I really like the style and design of the characters. I like the asymmetrical blocky twisted shapes they are going for. I honestly thought it would be boring or plain gross, now I know I was completely wrong. This game is super interesting, the story is full of mysteries and intrigue, the art is downright artistically stylish, the characters are fun and quirky, and the overall feel of the game is just downright fun. I really want to try it as soon as possible. I just need to figure out how.

[@yeez13]

But Derek! Psychonauts literally IS THE DEFINITION OF PUNCHING WEIGHT! Interesting fun fact regardless. We all have a great game we’ve either put off playing or wasn’t sure would be for us 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@anthonytitone]

The way they handled Ford Cruller’s character development is incredible

[@Bacxaber]

*Character regression

[@jameslawrenson1208]

I actually found him very understandable in his actions.

[@PhantomShadow224]

I definitely loved Psychonauts 2. Only very minor things being: it didn’t seem like there was that much screen time with the interns or Raz’s Family and I thought the ending wrapped up things a little too quickly although the post-game conversations acting as an epilogue in its own way was enough to keep me satisfied.

[@FelisImpurrator]

It shows hints of its still-existing budget limitations, even though it got enough of an infusion of funds to become a complete game. They still didn't quite have enough time to make the boss fights truly epic mechanically, or add a lot to the postgame. Still, for what is actually a very low budget for a videogame, Psychonauts 2 is a masterpiece and still takes advantage of everything the series is good at, namely storytelling interwoven with exceptional character and level design. Here's to Psychonauts 3 existing before the decade rolls over. Hopefully.

[@PhantomShadow224]

@@FelisImpurrator actually I thought all the boss fights were pretty great. Strange that both games I played at the time ended with a “Sumo Match” against the final boss. XD

[@mackielunkey2205]

@@FelisImpurrator I really like the more introspective feel of 2. While I love how crazy and frenetic the first game’s levels were, more of the levels here gives you more of a chance to soak all the level design in (like Bob’s Bottles, the Cruller levels, or Cassie’s Collection).

[@magnusm4]

I just thought about that. The previous game had these small stories and interactions. One funny one is the sailor being told by the fish that Bobby is bullying them, and he, Raz and the invisible girl plays a prank on him and gets his lackey to run in terror. That doesn't happen in 2. They start in the motherlobe, but once they're outside it's pretty much over. They go to their one place and stay there. It's rather boring. You don't see Sam in the wild arguing with squirrels about the green needle witch or some fish about a scary presence going up to the area above the dam, no Adam having discussions or wanting to pull some distraction stunt to further his research into Psychonauts lore and nothing like that. Would've been awesome if they expanded on the concept like asking on outside to use her ice powers and you control her to freeze water surfaces, clog up the dam for easter eggs, boil water inside an empty aquarium to burst it open or something else. So much missed potential. It's one of the very few things they didn't develop and expand on from the first game, and actually went backwards.

[@mightyowl1800]

Playing a game that looks AND feels fully formed; not getting the nagging feeling that it's gonna have 28 updates, expansions and a metric butt ton of dlc was breathtaking. The bar is in hell but even if it wasn't Psychonauts 2 would have cleared it with ease. My personal GOTY!!

[@xtoadsannom6704]

It's funny but Nitro Rad praising the combat like that makes me think that they could afford to add a few seismometers to Gisu's side quest...

[@misswonnykins9841]

You know what, I'd buy the fuck out of DLC for this game if it added a mental world or two more.

[@scruffmutt]

@@misswonnykins9841 for real, there’s still tons of potential for DLC worlds - like seeing what’s inside Sam’s head, watching Augustus Aquato unravel the mind-wipes, or hell, even Otto’s head…though I feel like they’re saving that for a possible sequel? Even Raz comments on how strange it is we never went into his brain.

[@thedullfork]

@@scruffmutt Dude a dlc story expansion that expanded on the interns would be heaven. I feel like they could've used more love in the final product.

[@mightyowl1800]

@@misswonnykins9841 Yes, I agree, esp since it could help this studio make more amazing experiences! But only cause they did such a great job for the main game. Missing the characters already :-(

[@brianvaira486]

The Questionable area is probably the closest that we will ever get to a 3d Gravity Falls game.

[@mackielunkey2205]

The logo looks so much like The Cleveland Show logo lol

[@razputingaming5587]

@@mackielunkey2205 the Cleveland show??

[@MrSpartan993]

I thought I was the only one who noticed that!

[@TheLudicrousLuv]

I wouldnt be surprised if the area was based on it

[@2leftthumbs]

The original Psychonauts is one of my all-time favourite games! I'll have to hold off watching this one until I've played it for myself. It's driving me wild to have to wait! Hopefully this winter I'll find some time to hunker down and relive the amazingly weird world of the Psychonauts. I'll just assume this video is great in the meantime, and will leave a few forms of engagement, plus allow it to accumulate some watch time while I go eat lunch ;)

[@Explodinghairypotatocat]

Yo you should play it on your gaming channel

[@2leftthumbs]

@@Explodinghairypotatocat I most likely will! Feels like it'd be a great game to share with others :)

[@Explodinghairypotatocat]

@@2leftthumbs Nice!

[@FaultyGear9]

DO IT, DO IT, PLAY IT. IT'S INCREDIBLE. I played the Psychonauts 2 and it's like a freaking dream come true, a project of passion and heart! PLEASE BUY IT. I think, I'm going to freaking buy it at least three more times, on all the platforms and for my brother as well.

[@epichuman3198]

It is great

[@CloudHiro]

to be fair the slow down time ability does have a basis for it, the person you learned it from spent so much time in isolation his sense of time was warped and now can project that onto the world.

[@coreyburgh5831]

Glad to see you liking Otto a lot. He's definitely my favorite. He's got this old man "I've experienced it all" kinda demeanor to him. Nothing really bothers him but he's always willing to push boundaries for the sake of exploration. And Sam is just so perfectly written. I love her so much. Glad to see Doggan's sister took his place as the craziest sounding character.

[@andreassmed2255]

I was wondering why Otto reminded me of Phineas from Outer Worlds until I realized that it’s the same voice actor. He seems to have a knack for voicing morally ambiguous scientists.

[@sonicwontletmeleave]

This game is so creative. I love 3D platformers so much.

[@matthewbuckley7757]

Same here.

[@matthewbuckley7757]

@@Dragzilla66 Or hopefully whatever this next sonic game is next year it’s more like the adventure games

[@matthewbuckley7757]

@Fuck, You So true we need games like this. There’s too many gritty games nowadays

[@FelisImpurrator]

Nitro talking about how Levitation nerfs made the platforming more strategic and made it harder to skip content... Me, using the charge jump to cheese the collectibles in the Motherlobe before you're supposed to have the correct gadget: Heh.

[@GFCOLCQuote]

I can't deny, Psi king's level was my favorite. Ironically, while Bob's was a close 2nd, it was my least favorite to *play* in the game because the collectibles there are _brutal._ Green grass on green grass, hanging from trees hard to see in weird places, it just all blended in so much; however, the way the memories shifted into the bottles was amazing and I really loved it. Sure, the colors of Psi king got me and I loved the aesthetic, but the way the game plays with the visuals with how you go into the sense's world (Especially the eye's) was beautiful. I will also never forget Psi king's quote when you learn the power from him. "When you're alone as long as I was, time loses all of its meaning, and your perception of it becomes your reality." Fuck, that _really_ hit me.

[@mackielunkey2205]

Agreed, the Bob level has many figments that blend in so seamlessly into the environment lol

[@privacyfirst9041]

I totally agree and this was my feeling as well! *spoiler warning for anyone else who might be reading who hasn't played the game* I liked the story being told in Bob's mind the best and I had the most fun with the final boss in that level over any others in the game, but the collectibles were a nightmare in that level compared to the others. It took me about 28 hours straight from release to 100% the game and that and Psi-King took the most time. I missed one figment in the sensorium and it took me like an hour to find. The Sensorium has the most interesting and breathtaking level design and what I love the most about the game is that while these two levels are the strongest, there isn't a single level that I could point to and call weak or not as fun. The cooking show was much more compact but I loved the flavor (pun intended) and the design kept me interested the whole time. All of Ford's levels were interesting and engaging and I personally really enjoyed the bowling level but that might just be the Super Monkey Ball playing kid in me that loved the quirky movement. The secret rooms and sneaky platforming in Nick's mind were super fun and the design was so polished I couldn't help but love every minute, all of the minigames and engaging color combos and utilization in Forsythe's mind were a treat to explore, and my sneaky underrated pick is definitely Cassie's mind. I loved the fun interactions with all of the NPC's in her mind and I loved exploring her mind and all the unique ways it changes as you go through the level. Although admittedly, her final boss is by FAR the weakest in the game, I still felt so engaged through every level and the hub world that I never once felt like I had to "get through" a part I didn't enjoy to get to the stuff I really wanted to do like in most games. Sorry for the rambling but man I just really loved this game and even though there are a fair amount of flaws (the complete lack of development in side characters or "non-essentials" like the interns, most if not all family members, and LILI for gods sakes just as an example) it was just an absolute blast to play through.

[@MrLuigi002]

I love this game, just like everybody loves Nick Johnsmith.

[@UnicornStorm]

love that guy!

[@OrobaSpyro]

My man!

[@zoinkedjester4204]

Sorry, who’s that guy?

[@UnicornStorm]

@@zoinkedjester4204 OUT! can you believe the guy? doesn't know who Nick Johnsmith is... tzz

[@zoinkedjester4204]

@@UnicornStorm if you love him so much. Why don’t you explain this man to me :o?

[@friendbreakfast]

Speaks to the quality of the game that Nitro didn't even have a spoiler part of the video where he talked about the twists and stuff like he tends to have, y'know, that section where he says from that point on he'll talk about spoilers, etc? He wanted people to experience this game so much he didn't want to spoil anything he didn't need to.

[@mcstabbins4501]

I love how Panic Attack was used, for me irl if I ever get a panic attack I just start freaking out, same for the sensory overload cause everything feels so overwhelming. Hell I loved Raz's response to the sensory overload with his tone going to a very calm tone. I also loved the conversation with Raz and Sam with the pancakes with his tone sounding like he was about to cry when he asked "where'd you get the milk?" like he was expecting a somehow even worse answer

[@Mrbird321]

I was really disappointed the Thought Tuner wasn't a clever twofold use to help in detecting figments toward the end game, maybe it could open a menu that shows the remaining figments per room, or even pulling it out for Raz to say "Hm, looks like there's nothing in this part of the mind. I should look somewhere else."

[@eerieeric834]

I love how invaders zim and his robot GIR are in this game or at least their voices are

[@juliagoodwin9510]

So happy this game turned out as good as it did. The story gets pretty intense, especially towards the end. No spoilers - let's just say it goes to some pretty dark places. Also, love the cat cameo. (15:36)

[@Leetlefish]

They actually have a new update that lets you know if you've collected everything in particular areas! It's SUPER nice and helpful. As for the time-slowing mechanic- I think is really clever in context! It's like everything is slowed down so you can "think clearly and process what you're looking at". Really love the positivity radiating from this vid for one of my favorite series and can't wait to see what else comes from those kooky people at Double Fine

[@alsaiduq8869]

God, Nitro's reaction to his cat caught me so off guard, I don't think I've ever seen him break character (or however you might call that) during a video before, I almost chocked on my drink.

[@melodytowmn]

It's nice to see some praise for this game's combat, most reviews and other people I've seen who've played this game said that the combat was either mediocre or that it got in the way. If you think that, well that's totally fine and I respect your opinion but like damn I personally found this game's combat to be buttery smooth and genuinely one of the most engaging parts of the game because of how well Raz's moveset and abilities transitioned into the combat. It was so fast paced, creative and fit the game really well. Great to see that someone's able to acknowledge how I'm feelin' about the system. Great video too, really cannot expect anything less than quality from a NitroRad video.

[@bryanegelhoffsanimationtec257]

One thing I loved about the game is how the opening recapped the first game and Rhombus of Ruin for those who might not have played it, since not everyone may have played at least one of them. I'm always happy when game sequels do that for those who might not have played a previous installment.

[@amaikurusu188]

Also, this is one of the few games that made me SO attached to the main character that I needed to pause, stand up and walk for a bit because mY BOY RAZ DOES NOT DESERVE THIS SLANDER-

[@theonegoldengryphon]

Ikr he’s fuckin adorable! The writing, animation, and Horvitz’s performance all do such a good job at making him feel like a real fun kid

[@shok9396]

This game made me feel like a kid again. It was like someone took a game from the 6th gen and gave it all the quality of life upgrades of modern game. Definitely my GOTY so far

[@WeaselOnaStick]

I agree wholeheartedly that this game is insanely amazing. This is a great review but I wish it included some really neat details like: You can buy a pin that makes your time bubble accelerate time instead of slowing it down (which could be used on funicular for example) -Astral projection and mental connection powers were used to lock several memory vaults in early levels (like they did with mental cobwebs in Coach's mind in the first game) -Upgrade to 4 psi-power buttons from 3 -Using clairvoyance on a sensory-overloaded brain shows a unique vision -Completely cosmetic otto-shot camera, cosmetic reward for scavenger hunt -Funny transition into Forsythe's mind level -Loboto's mumbling "No mommy, I didn't bend the spoons" is directly ties to Rhombus of Ruin and tragic backstory Just minor things that wouldn't hurt to mention, still a great review!

[@clairvoyantPastry]

using the pin to make the funicular go faster is so big brain and i commend you for it

[@SILVERF0X13]

I disagree with you on the fall damage on this one. I like the way you explained your reasoning, but I would argue that fall damage is legitimate in this game because you have several ways to cancel it. In universe Raz would get hurt falling from way up high, but if you are levitating or (I think) if you dive last second, you can stop the fall damage from happening, making it a more skill based thing than a straight punishment.

[@privacyfirst9041]

Big agree here! Such a stupid minor thing but it was honestly super satisfying to pop levitation at the last second to avoid fall damage and landing and then immediately popping and balling out after was so buttery smooth and satisfying that I was having fun even just moving around and doing nothing haha

[@Crispeaks]

I think you also avoid it altogether if you jump off while riding the levitation ball.

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@Crispeaks Yeah there's no fall damage if you land on the ball. That does mean you have to jump off while you're on it and avoid floating though, since there's no way to create another ball in midair.

[@magvargas2658]

@@guy-sl3kr there is, you just press jump while floating and then raz will jump to the thought bubble he was using for slow fall (you also have to change a setting in the gameplay settings)

[@DesignDoc]

Finished it last week. Very good sequel though I will say that while all of the key elements of the story are there, it feels like the story needed more room for everything to just breath. There might've been too many characters introduced here. Between the Psychic Six, Raz's Family, and the interns, the game really glosses over the latter two groups on top of some established characters getting sidelined hard. Also the ending kinda comes in a bit too suddenly, like maybe 1 more stage might've been nice.

[@UnicornStorm]

or maybe more content in the postgame. I mean, the Rank 102 ability demands some kind of postgame content

[@ajbXYZcool]

I'm curious if there's more or less total named characters in this game vs the first one. At the very least most of the campers I felt were "sold" as having the right amount of focus they ended up getting, as opposed to the interns that were positioned as being SUPER RELEVANT and yet some of their big moments felt flat to me as they got camper-level characterization or less.

[@DesignDoc]

@@ajbXYZcool Yeah, the big difference is that the campers were never presented as major characters and instead were used as a way to inject a lot of character to the camp itself. With the way the interns are introduced, you would think that they'd be much more involved in the plot. Perhaps some of them would be tagging along with Raz in each mind.

[@FelisImpurrator]

You can actually see signs that they wanted to do more. Such as the interns appearing in Hollis' Hot Streak so prominently. But it seems clear to me that even all the support they got wasn't enough to add *every* scrap of content: The boss fights were added back in via Microsoft funding but are very rudimentary and more cinematic than actually challenging, the postgame is cut a touch short relative to the first game (nothing to use Rank 102 on AND no secret ending; 101 was similarly redundant but hey, you got something fun at the end), and heck, Raz even makes a note of how weird it is that we didn't enter the minds of ALL the original Psychonauts. Honestly, this just translates to "we need Psychonauts 3 to build on these new characters as the core, and also DLC in between". Hey, at least some of the levels are still a masterclass in game design, though. The final level is so fucking good as a narrative exercise, and stuff like Cassie's Collection is full of subtle things to analyze.

[@sirGuy1995]

I wish there was at least one more real-world mission with the interns. That alone would have helped a lot!

[@alexring3214]

one thing that helps you locate figments is what they look like. every figment has a different design after all, and you can see all the ones you do and dont have on the total screen. so you can use that to guess where a figment would be hidden

[@voidishprattles4319]

Dude Bob's Bottles is a level that hits so close to home it's making it so hard to 100% I a have like only 5 figments left but if i stay too long in that level I just break down crying. It sounds so corny but playing 1 and 2 back to back was a really emotional experience and has made me really take my mental health serious. That's how you know these games aren't just games they're works of art. The kind of thing that actually changes you a bit after you're done with them.

[@TheCapitalLetterM]

Fun Fact, apparently the double that Raz creates of himself is the same voice as Gir, Rikki Simons, from Invader Zim.

[@JasonGodwin69]

You could call it a small thing but I love how the alcoholic guy is treated with humanity. He isn't depicted as a cackling supervillain who needs to be stopped. He's a hurt guy who needs help.

[@winterdragon2004]

Man, I loved this game more than I was expecting too, largely because of how seamless the shift between exploration and combat were. Having Levitation tones down made it surprisingly more fun to control, even if I think the hover pops a tad to early for my liking, and how often I was switching between powers was invigorating (and not in a "this enemy is weak to this power" way, I would face a judgment with pyrokinesis one battle, and telekinesis the next) Also, on the topic of Figment hunting: I dont know how viable this was in the first game, but I found entering the Figment collection and searching for the ones I dont have to be rather helpful in narrowing down my search. For example, in the authors mind I was missing 3 figments, so I checked the collection and noticed they look like tufts of grass. So I thought "where would make sense for grass to grow in this level? Maybe the small island at the start of the harbor area?" So I checked there and sure enough I found them easily. Probably wouldn't work with every Figment, there's probably a ton of generic ones you could miss, but I found it to be a really nice way to clue in to where to look without having some Figment Radar or something.

[@IITRIGGERDII]

I love to hear Rad geek out over incredible games like this.

[@aderose]

If this game doesn’t get GOTY or at least nominated, I’m gonna go all maligula 😤

[@NanaKyoto]

I'm just very happy that 3D Platformers have been making such a comeback in recent years. I feel as if it's the one genre that has limitless potential in terms of weird and wild concepts, you just have to put your mind to it.

[@apairofglasses775]

Yes, *mind*

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

It's honestly a welcome change, 3d platformers were always my favorite genre, but after a while... it feels like the fps genre took its place... but I just prefer a straight 3d platformer. A hat in time basically reignited a fire I thought died when I went to middle school

[@xXYannuschXx]

@@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32 "A hat in time basically reignited a fire I thought died when I went to middle school" So freaking true. I had TONS of fun with that game and I realized how much I missed platformers (that were cookie cutter Mario games). I still hope for a new Sly Cooper and Jak and Daxter game to this day.

[@HeroineNisa]

Psychonauts 2 quickly became one of my favorite games of this year. The direction, the writting, the characters... Everything we wanted from the first and more. I loved exploring and meeting Raz's family, their issues, their troubles, and so. Really cool amazing game. I hope we will get to see more games like this from Double Fin, and any other studios overall.

[@samuelbarrett1082]

I agree, this game was an amazing addition to the original. My biggest gripe with this one was the other interns. They just seemed like a bunch of jerks that had no purpose other than to antagonize me. I couldn't even get back at them. Definitely missed the original crew, besides Lilly. At least she was still there.

[@len-len3661]

Surprisingly acceptable! On a more serious note, I haven't had this much fun playing a 3d platformer in a long while. Hopefully Psychonauts 2 gets more traction because it's rare to see games with *this* much passion put into them. I have a few complaints but overall it's a fantastic sequel.

[@PlanetKhaos]

The first psychonauts is one of my favourite games of all time. This game is in my opinion even better and I'm amazed and delighted it even exists.

[@SwaggyG_2102]

It's been about 16 years since the last game came out. Quite a lot has changed since then. Boy has time flown by so fast...

[@shoestringVA]

The voice acting is stellar all around, but the runaway best performance is definitely David Kaye as Ford in this. He was a fun mentor with a hint of darkness in the original, but holy shit. We see every facet of his personality and his life. And Clank here sells every moment with the seriousness, the tragedy, the comedy, and the anger throughout all the flashbacks and levels.

[@Topaz542]

I just finished Psychonauts 2 a few days ago and my God this game is absolutely FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. The movement, the combat, the Level design and the story all working in complete harmony! Some of those twists too, man i had a massive smile on my face the entire time. My favorite moment probably has to be when you're about to confront Maligula in what you think is the final level only to be dragged out and get thrown into another level that ties EVERYTHING together SEAMLESSLY. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this game since I started it. Absolutely GOTY for me.

[@strawberrylatta4234]

30:50 i relate, there hasnt been one run of psychonauts ive seen that hasnt made me at least tear up. i cant even think about bob and helmut for too long without crying. at least they got a happy ending.

[@MrSkerpentine]

Surprised you didn’t bring up the fact that Raz & his archetype from the Mental Projection skill are voiced by the voice actors of Invader Zim and GIR respectively

[@sacripants]

my favorite thing is that the mental projection is voiced by the same guy who voiced gir from invader zim. its a great call back to the fact that raz's VA was also in invader zim and that they brought back elijah woods and jack black who where in other double fine games. it was so great to hear them in it.

[@duncanaustin7102]

The fact that Raz's projection clone sounds like Gir is perfect

[@magnafoxodyssey2127]

That's because it is GIR's voice actor, Rosearik Rikki Simons. A very cute and clever Casting Gag

[@maligulant4396]

@@magnafoxodyssey2127 it also adds onto the fact that Raz's voice actor is also the va of Zim himself!!

[@misterzygarde6431]

I am so glad that this game wasn’t a Mighty No. 9 or Shenmue III and more like Shovel Knight. Also unrelated, but what kind of conversation between Raz, Silver the Hedgehog, and Mob would look like?

[@conic2721]

Just Silver screaming IT'S NO USE, THAT WILL DO IT and TAAAAAAAAKE THAT

[@UnicornStorm]

well, I didn't back it so it HAD to be good (I did back Shenmue and Mighty No 9 ;-P)

[@thewholecircus]

Dude, you should play it takes two. It would be right up your alley.

[@derrinerrow4369]

One thing he forgot to mention are the pins you can buy that can further alter your abilities. Some are cosmetic, like changing levitation's color or letting you do Raz's little dance as an idle animation. There's also some that adds extra bonuses to abilities like Telekinesis creating an object to throw when there's nothing to use or having the Archetype explode on death to damage enemies, and some will completely change how the ability works like having Mental Connections anchor enemies in place rather than closing the distance, or Psi Blast stunning enemies instead of doing damage Only problem is that you are limited to being able to use 3 pins at a time and all pins have to share those slots, so I often just not use the cosmetic pins just so I can use the more useful stuff.

[@cantrip7]

I love how in-depth you went into movement. Heard reviewers mostly "meh" on the movement. I understand why, but I was doing all of this kinds stuff to get collectibles earlier than expected. It's so flexible!

[@FreakinSweet1987]

I thought about what you said regarding the fall damage and at first I agreed with you entirely. In fact I played through the entirely of the game with it on and never even realized you could disable it. But the more I thought about it, two key things came to mind as to why they'd make it the default. The first is pretty obvious. With Raz's ability to float (albeit heavily nerfed) it gives more incentive to the player to be mindful of when they use it as to not take damage when they jump from a great height. Just an extra little layer of gameplay to think about. But the second is something I think actually benefits the player. If you fall to your death, the game resets you from the starting area where you may have accidentally fallen. With fall damage off entirely, you'll be forced to trek all the way back up if you didn't mean to go down there, which is actually a heavier punishment in some cases. Of course this is all situational, but I can see the benefits on both sides. For me personally, I never find myself falling that much in platformers, but I'm sure some less experienced players might find themselves preferring one over the other.

[@jymfiskburk2256]

The combination of movements on the go becomes a second nature after a while and feels amazing

[@PineappleLiar]

I think part of the reason the interns don’t hit the same as the summer camp kids is because all the summer camp kids had these weird little mini-arcs going on with each other Raz was simply a bystander to. They all clearly had their own shit going on and were very busy pursuing their own personal goals (before losing their brains of course). And while the interns do have their own things going on, they are either insular (only involving themselves) or directly related to Raz. I don’t want to be told Liz and Norma are sisters, I wanna ‘see’ them get up to annoying sibling shenanigans! Hell, you could even bring back the weird love triangles again when Gisu starts crushing on Dion, have one of the other interns get jealous! Adam suffers the most from this, I think, because outside of main story progression I genuinely couldn’t tell you where he is in the overworld and if he even does anything.

[@letsgetsomeshoes1239]

My honest reaction to playing the game is just, it's SHOCKINGLY good. I was expecting something maybe a bit mediocre, like "oh they'll try but they won't capture the original feeling" but wow was I wrong. They captured it flawlessly and I genuinely had more fun playing this than any other game in years. Sure, not perfect at all (finding those last figments on Bob's Bottles was a pain in the dick) but wow am I glad they pulled it off.

[@Invidente7]

This review made me buy psychonauts on my PS3 Yes, it's the PS2 version but at least it was worth just 5 bucks.

[@MetaBro]

4:20 I love how it cuts before it… *happens*

[@leontst497]

Having played (and LOVED) it on a Series X I can confirm that the load times on 9th gen consoles are non-existant. I am not even exaggerating, this video was the first time I saw this game's loading screen

[@12ealDealOfficial]

XSX is the pro-gamer pick this gen, in my opinion. Have you started messing with the Retroarch support?

[@TheFuzzyOcelot]

the cat cameo was good, and i appreciate good ol teridax chillin in the back now. i find that while the game doesn't have as much "secret lore" as the first thats because they put it at the forefront. now you dont have to extrapolate why bob is an alcoholic with 2 illustrated panels, now you get to see it unfold before your eyes. i absolutely love the story in this game, my favorite level has to be crullers correspondence because of how the story beats play out. ford in general is a super interesting character with this games plot. without saying too much, the last plot twist had me shouting. seriously genius.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Ford's mind is a pretty uncommon pick for a favorite. I think they're likely to go underrated because they're pretty short and mechanically some of the more gimmicky levels... But they certainly are excellent storytelling. My personal favorite is Cassie's - I'm a psychology nerd and seeing such a great exploration of Jungian psychology also be so fun lore and character-wise is fantastic. Overarching plot though? The win goes to the final level. Every minuscule detail in that has something to do with either a callback to the first game or giving you a complete picture of the person whose brain you're in.

[@chibiiiwerewolf]

I'm so glad Psychonauts is getting some attention now, it truly deserves it!

[@PIB2000]

It's so beautiful to see a franchise revived by fan demand.

[@explainer777]

About fall damage: I disagree There's levitation. You can use it just before touching the ground. And there won't be any fall damage Edit: forgot to add. There's also no landing/recovery animation (that stops character) with using levitation, so using it is even faster than just dropping down

[@BigKlingy]

You can also turn fall damage off in the options. Which I'd be okay with doing, I don't feel like it really adds anything to the game, except maybe with the Gluttonous Goats' spatula attack.

[@explainer777]

@@BigKlingy I mean that's why it's pointless

[@Toothlessninja]

You actually found the two I was missing for a LONG time when showing the Psychodelic level. Literally 3 hours finding these, I swear

[@tommo21tm]

Tim Schafer and Double Fine knocked it out of the park with this game. Absolutely adore the level designs, the characters and the storytelling, especially. It's been a long time since a game's story gave me chills; that moment in a particular mind when Raz stumbles across the bed with the couple lying on it... Sounds rude to anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about... But seriously, I was like 'oh sh*t', when you realise who it is and what the whole game is about; so good

[@AluminumFusion22]

With Tim Schafer getting the funding through Fig, a lot of people thought he was gonna scam the Psychonauts fandom and just dip, but no, he put out a really good game.

[@MarcM143]

This guy could talk about play dough and make it interesting

[@arthurdurham]

While I don't think it's as good as the first, I prefer the narratively disconnected levels and more compact design, this is still a great game and I can't wait for Psychonauts 3.

[@georgie9303]

This IS Psychonauts 3 Tim Schafer considers Rhombus of Ruin the second game and called 2 the end of the trilogy

[@dotapazappy]

Something about nitrorad being stuck in the last console gen too is charming

[@stageplay262]

Man, the small bit about Bob’s Bottles reminded me about how that was the only part of the game that actually made me cry. And I mean CRY. Similar to the video, I’ll try to be scant on details to avoid spoilers, but out of the three main sections of Bob’s mind, the part that made me cry wasn’t actually the two main sad ones, it was the one that was arguably the happiest. I mean, yeah, it still had strong themes of love, loss and grief, but it was centred around one of the happiest moments in Bob’s life, which if anything just made it sadder to me. The fact that after having a pretty rough childhood and early adulthood, he finally found joy only to have it later ripped away was heartbreaking. Also as a queer person, it did tug on my heartstrings in a very specific way because of that too.

[@V1CT0RHUG0123]

Very this! That whole section was brilliant and bitter-sweet. But the moment you get to hear Bob's vows, that's when I lost it and the tears appeared. Definitely my favorite game from 2021 and one that has a special place in my heart :')

[@stageplay262]

@@V1CT0RHUG0123 OH SAME! The vows were very much the part that made me go from teary-eyed to just ugly crying

[@mackielunkey2205]

It’s such a good level. There are so many amazing touches to it, like Bob’s Lili having a different voice since he didn’t know what she sounded like at the time, or how Bob’s memories of Helmut destroyed him, but also helped and saved him in the end. I think I might be reading too much into it but SPOILERS One of the reasons why Bob is an alcoholic when he meets Raz to me isn’t just because of his family history, but it’s also because it reminds him of Helmut. I think I remember one slide in the Cruller memory reels where Cruller is calling the other members of the Psychic 6, and it has Helmut and Bob bonding over wine (which is alcoholic). It’s a toxic reminder that he needs to (and does) move on from, but a reminder nonetheless. He doesn’t want to be like his mother, but to me, at the time, I felt that Bob felt it was the only way that he could latch on to Helmut.

[@roxlyn1665]

15:35 sent me into a laughing fit GOD i really want to play these games! I hope we get more platformers with as much love and care as this.

[@yaboymintz]

Psychonauts 2 was easily one of the best platformers I've played. It was relatively short, but I was hooked the entire time. I never felt bored with the levels. The last 2 levels feel a lot more plot based than gameplay based, but manage to be some of the most memorable. Even when I didn't care for the visual theming of a few levels, they were still enjoyable.

[@menichelli3743]

Sometimes, in the comforts of the quiet night, watching from my TV with a soda in my hand, a little Nitro Rad makes me feel a lot better. Keep it up, I love your stuff.

[@Jac-Man]

Missed opportunity for them to name the Time Bubble "Brain Freeze"

[@dixafu]

I find all of that new psycho powers not fitting with the whole psychic powers thing, like you got telekinesis, levitation, pyrokinesis, clairvoyance, etc... and Time bubble???? what the heck

[@Jac-Man]

@@dixafu At least Brain Freeze would’ve made for a good pun, and would hint towards what the ability would do before the player uses it for the first time. They’re using their *brain* to *freeze* their surroundings to they can proceed.

[@dixafu]

@@Jac-Man Brain Freeze sounds cooler 🥶

[@dixafu]

@@Jac-Man when i first got freeze bubble i was thinking that the ability should work like the pyrokinesis you got a literal bubble and freeze The surrounds(im from brazil so sorry for my bad english )

[@Jac-Man]

@@dixafu That’s a cool idea actually! (And don’t worry, I understood you just fine)

[@matiasstrzys2272]

Psychonauts 2 is a game that would've had blown my mind away if I didn't play the first one.

[@maraganger]

Aaah ! I've been waiting for this, can't wait to watch it. :>

[@xknightmare013]

To be honest I don’t even care if you spoil the story I honestly just want to hear all your opinions about everything it’s fun to hear you talk about something you’re so excited about it’s kind of how I feel about it. to hear someone else have the same Excitement as me regardless of their opinion is enticing

[@SockyNoob]

Holy shit this game is a miracle in every conceivable way.

[@larrydupp3988]

While I’m a little disappointed you didn’t bring up the Story for this game except for a brief mention of the intro and Bobs Bottles, HOLY SHIT. It’s such an insane roller coaster, I’ve watched 2 whole series of vods, 1 completely unspoiled and the other with the context of the whole game and every line, every subplot, every little thing just like Nitro said, it all connects back together. I’m really excited for when Gaming University does videos on the Psyches of the different character and what symbolism is hinted in by Double Fine. Thank you for making a bad night better Nitrorad!

[@yogibear8683]

It may look like a cheap cashgrab to to catch old time fan of their nostalgia similar to how the Phantom Ruby giving the people what they wanted but Instead It's nothing but It's Illusions with Sonic Mania ; this game was truly worth the wait and totally had a wild blast with this one, had some unanswered questions finally answered (most of them anyway), and despite some old favorites like; The Milkman may not be relevant with this game, I still had a great time with both the old cast and the newer cast and Raz's future Is truly looking bright with this game.

[@lizerdtnt]

I love this game! The only thing that got on my nerve were the invisible walls I would come across when trying to explore. It was a little difficult for me to know at first where I was allowed go off the beaten path. I would sometimes try to jump on what I thought was a platform (like a rock ledge) and then slide to my doom instead lol.

[@kevinhixson1586]

I'd love to see a remake of psychonauts 1 with the psychonauts 2 engine, graphics, etc.

[@lou626]

Yeah i completly agreed with you on te ROR theme , not everyone has the money to earn a VR system. But love the way they expand the characster backstory , especially loboto

[@cheebins]

This is genuinely the most excited I’ve EVER seen James in a video. his eyes lit up completely when talking about the combat

[@Edeninari]

That smile Raz got when his dad said he didn't mind talking to him, that's so god damn heartwarming

[@samic]

A very strong hint that where Raz's empathy came from.

[@tagonize6940]

I went into this year expecting Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart to be my Game of the Year….. But then Psychonauts 2 came out. This game was fantastic! I loved it so much, after playing it for free on Game Pass, I’m still going to buy it on PS5. Not paying for this game feels wrong, it’s that great!

[@UnicornStorm]

played the first 2 hours on gamepass and immediately bought the game. It sucks that I can't get it in physical form

[@tagonize6940]

@@UnicornStorm I agree! I really wanted it physical too!

[@Awecyan32]

Psychonauts 2 is a game that perfectly expanded on everything in the first game and improved on most every issue from the original. It's amazing and I love every aspect of it.

[@Shibby4L]

Loved 2 so much. Wanted the original camp kids though, can’t stand Norma haha.

[@drenerd510]

23:24 THEY REALLY DIDNT HAVE TO DO THAT BUT THEY DID THEY ADDED THE VOICE OF GIR TO VOICE THE CLONE.... THATS SO HYPE

[@ClumsyReaper]

I liked the interns in general, myself. But they were very much not the focus. And while it doesn’t super fit, I love how they explained time manipulation as a psychic power. It’s all about perception.

[@destructive_thoughts_]

You know the game is really a Master Piece when Rad the Platformer man gets excited while talking about it all the way to the end.