Every Psychonauts mind ranked

[@rage_2000]

Being told that your mind isn’t interesting sure is one heck of a roast

[@trondordoesstuff]

imagine someone walking up to you and telling you without a shred of doubt that the platforming segments of your brain were too unfair

[@NIHIL_EGO]

@@trondordoesstuff "Well, yeah, I don't want to you see what lies behind, you shmuck !"

[@JeremyGG]

@@NIHIL_EGO "Exploring your porn addiction seemed like a funny idea on paper but it gets old pretty fast. The boss fight against your repressed fursona was pretty neat though"

[@YellowScar2014]

@@JeremyGG I laughed way too hard at this.

[@lazyboii735]

@@JeremyGG oh my god i laughed way to hard at this Tho for real i wouldnt be surprised to see this as an actual level in Psychonauts

[@talkinghoorse6936]

I love how the memory vaults all have trauma or vital memories, yet Fatherland Follies's memory vaults are just Gristol eating caviar, and Gristol not having any more caviar. Really emphasizes how little he's suffered in his life.

[@OriginalGameteer]

It also shows how much those incredibly minor things mattered to him He's so spoiled that running out of caviar is effectively as important to him as the the failure to save Lucy and Helmut during the Maligula battle was to the Payvhic 6

[@ZeroTheHeartlessKing]

that and one thing i liked if you noticed, all of the baggage were out for you to see meanwhile all the tags were hidden away, it just shows he's using his "baggage" as a part of his "feel bad for me" ride without you actually being able to get to said baggage

[@NexusShenanigans]

why are super rich people always portrayed eating nothing but caviar

[@adamvancleave9200]

He doesn't even contextualize anything that happened around him.

[@derpfluidvariant0916]

@@ZeroTheHeartlessKing that's actually some pretty cool symbolism.

[@CrazyTom736]

It should be noted Milla's mind being less "interesting" than other minds is actually deliberate - Tim's said in interviews that hers is an example of what a healthy mind should look like. It's very controlled, it's a relatively safe environment as mental worlds go, there's no obvious internal clashes or conflicts, and while there *is* an inner darkness, it's hidden and locked away - not to the point of denial, but in a healthy manner, so that it can't spill out into the rest of Milla's life. It's the same way that Sasha's mind was originally just a cube, or Hollis' was originally just the classroom and the hospital - their minds weren't wild, sprawling environments, there wasn't an internal mental conflict, because they were in good working order, and their issues weren't on the surface.

[@D3sdinova]

Her mind is one of my favourites, i dont think of it as bland at all. Its a super fun playroom that introduces more gameplay elements for you to get familiar with. I think the meat circus, war and order levels to be the worst, unfortunately two of those are the first two levels.

[@zubat2391]

One thing I really liked about comptons cookoff was that at the end it’s shown that the hand controlling the puppets are comptons hands, implying that he’s the one putting so much pressure on himself

[@henryapplebottom7231]

There's something really powerful about it.

[@sodacrush3052]

another thing i enjoy is that they never mention it, because people with social anxiety *know* that they’re the ones putting all the pressure on themselves, they just need help taking care of it.

[@PTemnikov]

For me it was worst and lamest mind of them all

[@mackenziewoloschuk7375]

Sometimes, you are your worst critic.

[@dejaypage1575]

And honestly I think it also shows the issue the family itself has: Remember he’s Dogen and Sam’s Grandfather. All three are basically walking bombs ready to blow. Dogen and Sam are too young to fully grasp it but Compten is legit terrified, and he’s failed in two major ways; trying to save the caged animals and trying to stop Maligula, which resulted in a lot of deaths that could have been avoidable. Yeah they’re aninals, but his specialty was the ability to communicate with animals. He’s likely heard some disturbing things from hearing them die

[@brodelicious]

I work in Chemical Dependency treatment and Bob’s bottles is probably the most profound expression of how a game can be art through both its theme, story and gameplay mechanics. If you need any reason for why Bob is fired…it’s because of what addiction does to you. It isolates you, it makes your brain foggy and it makes your job performance suffer overall (hence the firing). There’s a whole lot more there under the surface issues. The fact that there were references to both the effects of addiction and the some slyly referenced tropes of recovery tells me that the dev team took the time to research or there are people on the team in recovery. For me this level was the crowning masterpiece of the entire series. Not because it’s the best gameplay wise, but because the theme, mechanics and collectibles/mission objectives are so locked into each other. I don’t think any other medium besides gaming could have pulled off this type of deep connection to the audience, to those dealing with addiction and present the issue with such equity and understanding and still keep it funny. This was a high water mark not only in the series for me but in just how far we’ve come in answering the critics of video games as an art form.

[@adiksaff]

Seconded! Bob's Bottles has so much HEART! Definite top level for me!

[@madeofmandrake1748]

Could not have put it better. Bob's mind was just heartbreaking for me the whole way through. As much as I knew Raz was "helping" Bob through his problems, I was begging the game not to make me find those seeds. No one deserves to relive the discovery of their dead mother. Also the symbolism regarding the desert island. His mind is drowned in drink, disallowing him to explore deeper thoughts and more importantly - grow new relationships.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Oh, they did the research, no doubt. Hollis' Hot Streak alone already makes that clear and it's the first full level of the damn game. When basically the start of the real game opens with a crash course on things real therapists are expected to do and not do (like asking for consent and not aiming to reshape people in your own desired image), you know they did the work. On that note, the themes of Psychonauts 2's worlds seem to revolve in some ways around obsession, addiction, and regret. There's some aspect of at least one and sometimes all of them in each world. Bob's IS a great level thematically in that it weaves them all together, too.

[@neptuneplaneptune3367]

We even hear how he accidentally injured poeple on his last mission. Alcohol and psychich abilities cant be a good mix. And it was heart breaking g to listen to Bob in that scene. Going from anger to just....being more and more sad and broken. From all the Founder 7 he had it the worst I think.

[@lazilylapis676]

Yeah, and I think if he took a moment to look at the figments in the rooms before the office he would have known that's why he was fired. In the motherlobe area there are multiple figments of a seemingly younger Bob drinking, which implies he drank on the job and couldn't put it down. Even little things like that says a lot

[@Sjors_]

9:32 I believe Tim Schafer explained this one once. Sasha actually loves Tiffany lamps, but only if they're genuine, like the one he has in his office. The ones he brings up in his level for Raz to shoot are cheap knockoffs, and that's why he hates them. It's kind of interesting since you would assume that he dislikes them because they clash so much with the Bauhaus aesthetics he's obviously going for.

[@sleepythemis]

I think it's a remnant of his time with his mom. She had one on the nightstand beside her when she died and he remembered it clearly enough for it to be in his memory vault.

[@MysteriumArcanum]

@@sleepythemis also the final stage of Sasha's level before the boss fight is apparently supposed to be a lamp factory. So I feel Sasha hates the knockoffs both because they're an insult to his former profession and an insult to his mother's memory

[@off-the-grounder568]

He probably even applied for a job at the lamp factory because one of the few things he could remember about his mom was that she had one of those lamps.

[@thecaptain7259]

I think the Cookoff story was about how he felt he couldn't handle things without Cassie, such as during the mission he mentions that he can't do it alone and he wishes she was there. The sensory overload thing is again derived from her not being able to help him, as she seems to be his safe space

[@raccoonja5905]

Yes, the level is definitly about him learning that he is competent on his own. That's why the bossfight has him seperated from Raz and forced to cook on his own, in a kitchen without beeing able to hear Raz.

[@amandaalvis5958]

Yeah, it is more like co-dependency issues with Compton, that and anxiety. Everything about that level is about anxiety from sensory overload to the timer and the audience. Much of it comes from his own self-judgment in that case as he is telepathically sensitive to animals and he lost a whole army of them in the Deluge of Grulovia, thus, blaming himself and he thinks others blame him as well...again, self-judgment along with doubt, given all of the purple gunk that the goats were vomiting. So, he had to learn how to gain his confidence again in order to combat the anxiety, self-judgment, and the co-dependency issues, learning to stand on his own again.

[@FelisImpurrator]

What's fascinating is that Cassie needs him just as much, despite her mental projections of the other six seemingly overemphasizing Compton's codependency at first - the top of the room in Cassie's Collection is in a sense her literally projecting onto the others, after all. Also, their main skills complement each other and compensate for each other's weaknesses. Compton is strongest when he's focusing on one task; it's multitasking that overwhelms him with input and causes him to have anxiety attacks, which is why his level is simultaneously the most focused (one room, one repeating mechanic) and the most chaotic (filled with time management gameplay), but Cassie is the ultimate multitasker and no doubt helped him manage. Cassie on the other hand, as shown in the very same disjointed nature that makes her level such an odd one, lacks focus - she's constantly flitting from one thing to the next, doing a bunch of things in parallel, and spreading herself too thinly. She admits she needs Compton because Compton likely also helped her maintain focus on the task at hand and give it the care it needs. Really, it's just very wholesome, and one of the best non-explicitly-romantic character relationships around. Much like all the other relationships in game, it's not perfect, but that doesn't mean most of them aren't good and supportive.

[@anthonytitone]

Ya and the level design plays into the sensory overload too because each round includes more ingredients and steps and while that may overwhelm the player when they start, u will learn to take it step by step

[@djsnopel9594]

@@raccoonja5905 idk if you did it on purpose but "beeing" was a good pun

[@fennecwolfox]

Loboto's mind has the mafia teeth because there's a big theme there of trying to keep him quiet. And a lot of that is themed through posters using stereotypical mafia lingo "Don't snitch" "Snitches get stitches" "Only rats snitch" Stuff like that. So those are part of the theme. They try to remove your way forward because they're trying to keep Loboto's info from getting out. Because a mind is a beautiful thing. It would be a shame if something... happened to it. Also, Compton's stage is how it is because he has trouble multitasking and quickly becomes overwhelmed by anxiety overload, he needed Cassie, who is a master of multitasking. She, in-turn, worked well with him because she seems bad at small details since she's constantly working in such a broad scope, but he seems to have a knack for it. When Compton is making the dishes alone, he does great (better than your dishes, in fact), but he does need you to be able to get the ingredients to him, showing how detail oriented he is.

[@henryapplebottom7231]

Ohhh. That makes sense. The mafia teeth never clicked till just now.

[@mackenziewoloschuk7375]

As someone who sucks with multitasking and has undiagnosed anxiety, I relate to Compton. Details are everything for me, and if you slap a time limit on me, it makes it harder for me to do the job right the first time, forcing me to go back and fix it and use more time to fix it than to do the task right from the get go. I relate to Compton hard now

[@Randomyoutuber-4831]

37:03 I think you kinda missed the obvious context here; bob started drinking after fullbear’s death, which was also around the same time the mother lobe was founded. Bob’s drinking problem eventually got so bad that Truman was forced to fire his uncle because of it; the game isn’t exact subtle about this either, as long as you’re paying attention it’s pretty obvious.

[@WolfofKaos]

With regards to Shasha's hatred of Tiffany Lamps, Tim Schafer actually clarified in an interview ("Questions with Tim Schafer" on GameSpot, IIRC) that Sasha only hates cheap, knock off Tiffany Lamps. But real, authentic Tiffany Lamps he does love, being a man of fine taste and quality. So we can gather that the lamp in his office is one that's up to taste

[@aruce9]

That’s an odd bit of lore

[@dakotasan8719]

They’re called “Tiffany lamps”?

[@fennecwolfox]

The last stage of his Mindscape is supposed to be a lamp factory, too. I always assumed he hated them because he is a very controlled individual and hates something so complex and impractical as a lamp that doesn't show proper colors and even moreso because he MADE the things. But that info helps put it together better, thanks :3

[@Bread_Bug]

Also in the Sasha’s First Loss memory vault there is a similar looking tacky lamp next to his mom’s bedside

[@SuperSecretAgentNein]

@@Bread_Bug yeah, I was gonna mention that. I think on some level he associates them with his mother but also her death, which has got to be confusing on an emotional level.

[@SageofStars]

This was a good list. I do hate how many people were saying that the levels in 2 weren't as good as 1, but then they only one they ever wanted to talk about from 1 was Milkman, which, yes, is the best level in the series, but that's a big thing, it's the best, period, so it's a high water mark. And while nothing really makes it that high, they all aim for pretty close, and mostly succeed. A lot of the concepts feel like more refined versions of levels from the previous game, and since I'd not really consider any level bad in either game, even Meat Circus, that's saying something.

[@bugjams]

My thoughts exactly. Milkman Conspiracy and Black Velvetopia were outliers. The rest of the levels from 1 were just... 'good.' Meanwhile the levels from 2 are all very high quality, which I think exactly why none really stand out in the same way. I also like how the levels in 2 creatively blend themes, like "casino + hospital," "library + shady backwater town," "bustling city + germs," etc. My personal favorite is Bob's Bottles - using bottles as both a metaphor for alcoholism _and_ the "message in a bottle" trope to represent loneliness is just... pure genius. Psychonauts 1 didn't do as much theme mixing as I remember. Black Velvetopia combined playing cards and art in a cool way, but other than that, most levels just focused on 1 theme or gimmick. Meat Circus was technically a blend of themes, but it doesn't really count, since it was literally made by 2 brains mixing together. Overall, Psychonauts 2 has a higher standard for levels. Although I have to say, I miss the item inventory from the 1st game. The way Milkman Conspiracy utilized it and the "disguises" was really clever. That's what made it stand out as a brilliant level. I get it was a relic of old adventure games, but if it wasn't broken, why try and fix it?

[@alexanderkosten7611]

@@bugjams The removal of the inventory system also bothers me because for some inane reason the game has two pause menus, and despite the Smelling Salts being in the collectibles menu with all the other items, the option to actually USE them to exit a mind is in the menu that's otherwise focused on system stuff like settings. This is a terrible idea, who split up the menus like this?!?!

[@papermario332]

To be honest. I think Gloria’s theater or Waterloo world or lungfishoppolis is my favorite mind from the first. Milk man conspiracy was a let down for me.

[@rosykindbunny1313]

​@@papermario332 I love Gloria's Theater, but that's probably because I'm a bit of a theater kid and the mechanic with the stage lights wowed me

[@eadanime1741]

Honestly I agree on the cooking show level, as someone who suffers from anxiety I honestly felt it was a fantastic representation. I also loved the psychedelic world for representation of sensory overload and while I’ve only suffered mild panic attacks a few times the monster representative of panic attacks felt so accurate it’s scary

[@teamkozmicabyss512]

Yeah that's true. I feel like it does it right. I LOVE Compton as character I feel like I can relate to him so much. The anxiety and the dependency on another person so much. I know it's bad but I get so nervous and scared around people and I have to have my spouse talk to people for me alot because I get anxious and nervous so bad. I had a panic attack one time in a mall because I was around so many people. Idk why but I just get so overwhelmed and anxious around alot of people. Even when I'm with people I don't know or don't know so we'll I try to stay away from them and I feel so anxious. Like being around people just takes so much from me, and I love being alone by myself for long periods of times. And helps calm me like Compton was doing.

[@plague1263]

It was honestly my favorite level, the last cooking part legitimately overwhelmed me and almost gave me a panic attack, but I kept trying and eventually got it down to a pattern, and was able to control it, and it's helped me control my anxiety irl too.

[@NANA-su5ql]

I'm autistic and while I appreciate the psychedelia idea for sensory overloads, I really don't think it's all that accurate. Mostly because an overwhelming world isn't really neon, it's bright. It's like being caught in a lens flare, and everything around you is glowing on you. And they're also somewhat painful, I don't know how much my perception can actually hurt me, but the world feels like physical pain. And also someone during a sensory overload usually doesn't have a panic attack, which was the weirdest detail psychonauts added for me.

[@EJ-vb5it]

@@NANA-su5ql It's what happens if it's the first time in years

[@NANA-su5ql]

@@EJ-vb5it Well, not sure, I experience I'd say 2 big ones each year, and more micro ones all the time

[@jahjalh9648]

Fun fact about gristol's mind. While in there, you encounter every enemy type at some point, except for one: at no point in his mind do you ever see a regret enemy. Theyre the only enemy type not found in the level.

[@mrlaz9011]

it's the regret enemy thats missing, you can see doubts in the angry mob section.

[@jahjalh9648]

@@mrlaz9011 yeah. I realized that a few days after making this comment, but was too lazy to go back and change it. Guess I'll do it now.

[@psi-blast]

I assumed that Bob got fired because he was coming to work drunk. Works with the level and feels implied.

[@binbag4203]

I think Cassie’s Collection feels so empty because the NPCs don’t talk unless you go out of your way to talk to them

[@psychicjellyfish9466]

The way I interpreted it was that Ford breaking his own mind was actually unintentional, and he was going to tell everyone about Helmut's Brain _after_ he had wiped his own memories of what he did to Lucy.

[@mymaydaymelody6526]

That's a good take, but it's definitely implied to be intentional. When Raz first enters Ford's mind, Ford says that whoever shattered it must really not want it put back together

[@watchm4ker]

@@mymaydaymelody6526 He certainly didn't want to remember anything about Lucrecia, out of fear of letting slip where she was, but he probably thought he'd still be coherent enough to hand Fullbear's brain over. He underestimated how deep he was going, and with nobody to help, he was gone.

[@marley7868]

also if I remember correctly his mind kinda broke as he was doing the clean up hemce why he wasn't so good come psychonauts 1 in short the guy accidentally gave himself a shattered mind and psycho-senility at like 40 fair enough he forgot some things

[@megamannt125]

I'm glad I never watched any trailers for Psychonauts 2, as I got to experience the Psi King level entirely blind and I don't think it'd be nearly as effective if you've seen it before.

[@BatailleRapTishort]

I also got to experience it partially blind, i just saw images of it on the xbox store page for pn2. Great if a bit slightly linear level, and i figured out who psi king was as soon as i saw the helmet on the stage in the world map lol

[@iggykoopaiskool]

I came to psychonauts 2 blind and I still remember first playing Psi King's level I couldn't stop pausing the game and telling my friend everything about it like that level is one of my favorites it made me so emotional

[@grey-spark]

Fatherland Follies is my #1 unseating the Milkman Conspiracy. It's basically a superior Shido's Ark. Everything the ark did wrong, this level did right. It delivers a stunning and (as you mentioned) well crafted plot twist, an incredible last-minute villain, with a catchy villain song. All three of these feats could have easily been mishandled, but are instead executed flawlessly in an engaging final gauntlet, that tests all the skills you learned while expanding on the games themes about violence and closemindedness, which given the context of what Maligula represents, creates a subtext of fascist entitlement. Another layer of interest is how "he's not suffering from trauma or mental illness" as you put it. So many people come away with that impression but if you look closely at the details, he's clearly unwell. Suffering from "delusions of grandeur". For me, it didn't hit me until I saw him muttering the song to himself in the prison cell in the post game. The ride in his mind is the story he tells himself to cope. Consider that one part of the ride where the facade breaks and you're thrust into his traumatic memories of a murderous mob of peasants, indicating that deep down he knows they hated him. But he cant bring himself to believe it. So he just digs himself deeper into denial, The fact that it does all of this while being short enough not to break the flow of the climax is an astounding accomplishment.

[@ember3579]

Gristol is basically the grand archetype setter for the subtle narcissist. The level does a fantastic job of getting that across, and every single mention of the little turd both prior and after this point reinforces it with varying degrees of subtlety. The story through gameplay also works, because why would a narcissist ever have regrets?

[@FelisImpurrator]

Heh, subtext, you say. I thought it was as overt as you can get without being pushy - the most detailed and arguably best deconstruction of fascism's delusional mentality I've ever seen in gaming. Arguably, it's one of the best in any fiction in the specific context of depicting that from the inside. This mind's one of my top three or four, if only because of how perfectly focused it is; every single design element in the entire level mechanically and thematically plays into exploring the theme and everything fundamentally wrong about Gristol's psyche. It's interesting how people ever came away with the impression that he was healthy, because the very way his mind works is indicative of how he's arguably more broken than the Psychic 6. I mean, think about it: From the Truman room to the way the "theme park" itself works (where you can literally break the background music by delving into the backstage, leaving eerie silence for the entire damn level in perpetuity), the question this level raises is - why would you need a propaganda machine in your own mind? And that's the brilliance of it. His entire persona is this hollow construct, a play put on to disguise the fact that there's absolutely nothing of substance behind it, just the infinite silence of a black void. Gristol Malik was always just a pathetic loser, because all his life he's only ever gone from brainwashing to brainwashing, whether it's the near limitless entitlement of his childhood to the self-conditioning he engages in. He was never allowed to develop a personality that wasn't for show. The other crack in his facade is when you confront him in the Luctopus replica room and get to see how miserable he really is. And really, that's what all fascism is at its core. It's not the image of untouchable strength they put on; it's not a ruthlessly efficient war machine clad in immaculate black. It's a pageant of cardboard glory hiding a center of emptiness and patent absurdity. It's the screaming fits of an entitled child. And that's all it's ever been throughout history. Just, man, the fact that you can break the background music is already enough to seal the deal. And the fact that half of it is on rails exposition is part of the point. It's all meant to be infuriating to sit through and play, because that way you get to experience what it's like to be Gristol: Trapped in a candy-coated hell of his own making, over and over for what feels like eternity.

[@ozmega]

I Remember playing psy2 and thinking "persona5 and psychonauts are pretty similar and different at the same time" it was pretty cool

[@TheBlueLink3]

I feel like Shido’s Ark was going for very different things.

[@grey-spark]

@@TheBlueLink3It's a grand opulent level in the mind of a megolomanic who wants to become the ruler of a country, built around exposition on how they achieved their masterplans, with a twist villain that's secretly the son of an important person. They even both have loudspeakers, and villain songs if you count the piano music dedicated to the future prime minster.

[@silversolitaire1519]

When I first played Psi king sensorium, my birthday was just a few days away and my family and I put in a request with a local shop for a milicrepe cake, something I'd never had before. So for me, it truly was a feast for all my senses and it was awesome.

[@ShenDoodles]

Brain Tumbler is my lowest mind, followed by Lungfishopolis. The best is for sure PSI King’s Sensorium. Sorry, Milkman Conspiracy, but you just can’t beat a journey through trippy psychedelic locales set to bootleg Pink Floyd and Jack fucking Black.

[@mackielunkey2205]

I also feel that one aspect that Conspiracy actually falters at which Sensorium doesn’t is the theming. The Boyd level is there to show you “oh, look how paranoid he is!” While in the Helmut level, we see music and colour combine together.

[@ShenDoodles]

@@mackielunkey2205 I beg to differ, Floyd's level uses its confusing, twisted design to communicate how much his mind has been destroyed by his delusions. Gravity is never straightforward and everything in the level is watching you, even lawn flamingos and fire hydrants.

[@mackielunkey2205]

@@ShenDoodles Oh wow I hardly thought of that!

[@ethejumper6568]

The real worst Level is the Meat Circus because Reasons

[@ShenDoodles]

@@ethejumper6568 I don't agree, but I get it. It's nowhere near as frustrating as I remembered and I had fun playing it. I lost once on the escort section and it was my own fault.

[@jamesklark6562]

While I don't really like Compton's Level his story is pretty clear and not about sensory overload. Compton excels in the ability of telepathically communicating with animals much like the other members of his family Dogen and Sam Boole. His issue is something of a social paranoia, a fear that everyone is judging him; due to that insecurity he built a habit of picking up on the thoughts of everything around out of suspicion that they're all judging him, the only way he's been able to cope until Raz dives into his psyche to help him out was by isolating himself and his thoughts in the Psychoisolation Chamber. Compton's peers being represented as both judges and puppets ties into the idea of Compton's Paranoia, he is judging himself and assuming that's what his peers think of him.

[@sleepythemis]

Yeah there was a literal whole other mind about sensory overload so I'm not sure where the perception comes from that overload was Compton's problem.

[@devinaddison8634]

@@sleepythemis Probably because he's in psychoisolation because of "Too many voices" and he freaks out when Raz brings 3 bees instead of one

[@sleepythemis]

@@devinaddison8634 We then proceed to get a whole mental world that has nothing to do with sensory overload.

[@badideagenerator2315]

I believe its called social anxiety disorder.

[@enzokalani]

. . . I never thought I'd hear someone say "lamp tsundere"

[@jonathansmith1281]

"-or is Sasha a lamp tsundere?" is not something I was expecting to ever hear but I am all for it.

[@RD-tp4yp]

I hate the meat circus as much as everyone else. But just saying the escort mission I completed it on my first try with collecting all the figments but the tunnel of love was such a pain I ended up finding a way to skip the tunnel of love with the ball. The platforming challenge with raz dad was a pain. And the final boss was pitiful.

[@AreesDaOG]

Speedrunners on their way to ask you about the ball skip

[@ethejumper6568]

Atleast this Stage had the 2 best Soundtracks of Psychonauts 1

[@Ironsidesgamingtheuttphater]

I get it’s main theme mentally mixed up with the stupid tune that plays in that movie about Mr Bean when he’s making his breakfast for no reason but that just makes it better in my opinion

[@thomashart22]

43:20 I believe Compton's level is about his codependency as a whole not just his reliance on Cassie O'Pia. Although I believe she is mentioned during the boss fight. One of the boss shouts something like "you're nothing without Cassie".

[@mcihay246]

Ah. Yeah. The Otto Goat Puppet. "And he's supposed to be the nice one."

[@ChexieMyx]

All righty, here I am, stepping up to plate to be a filthy Meat Circus apologist. In terms of gameplay, from what I can recall from replaying Psy1 rather recently, the only real egregious sections when it comes to Meat Circus' platforming is the Tunnel of Love (which, as mentioned, is debatable to count since it's just a wonky railgrind) and the spiral gate in the Don't Drown segment, as the game has kind of a hard time figuring out your double jumps on it. Overall, on a gameplay standard, it's not that bad- Not even protecting Olly is really that bad, provided you can put the pedal to the metal in your movement. Is it still the hardest level in the game? Oh, almost certainly. But that's what makes it work. Not just from a gameplay perspective either, but logistically it's something I genuinely adore about the level. Meat Circus isn't hard because it's the last level of a video game, Meat Circus is hard because _solving your problems is hard._ This isn't the usual romp where you tinker around in someone's brain and help them grapple with themselves enough so they give you their jacket, it's a ten year old boy being forced to confront his own personal issues with his father, and just like they needed help, so do you. I think this point is honestly emphasized more so by the final boss. Is having a curbstomp final boss kind of lame? Sure, but the fact that it's a curbstomp is kind of beautiful, in a weird way, because you're finally getting help from an outside source, and one that's contradicting your personal demons at that. ...Also, while I'm here with my frankly, probably controversial hot takes, the Milkman Conspiracy is far from the best level in the game, especially from a gameplay standpoint to me. It's far from the worst, to be certain, but in and of itself isn't really that much to write home about, but much like Meat Circus I moreso like what it means for Raz as a character going forward, because the Boyd situation makes him realize that he has to be a little more delicate with the brains he's stomping around in, which you can tell immedietely because of how he starts interacting with the rest of the Thorny Towers Patients and their mental figures (Bonita Solei springs to mind as a good example of this), and, thankfully this carries into the second game, with another, more straightforward variant presented in the Aftermath of Hollis' Hot Streak. Anyway hi this was my small essay on why Meat Circus needs to be cut a little slack, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[@ember3579]

Milkman Conspiracy isn't the best level for gameplay, yeah. But the storytelling and just pure outright straight in your face insanity of it on every conceivable scale of resolution just makes it the perfect representation of what Psychonauts is at its core, as well as being funny as fuck. It's hard to argue with those last two cutscenes. At the end of the day, the gameplay of Psychonauts isn't what you came here for, it's the premise. Milkman Conspiracy delivers on the latter beautifully without making the former drag on too long. Sure, some levels manage to make the combat work, but yeah. Having one with minimal to no combat every once in a while ain't bad.

[@FelisImpurrator]

I like that perspective. Even the escort mission means a lot when viewed from that lens - you have to be very patient and careful when dealing with childhood trauma, especially if it's your own, because there will be a lot of setbacks and it won't be fast or easy. Dealing with some of the most vulnerable parts of one's own psyche involves a huge number of setbacks, much of the time; it means learning to be kind to yourself, but also often to face your deepest fears, and it often means learning to ask for help as well. Also, that theme of Boyd and Hollis being breakpoint minds where Raz learns to take a healthier approach is interesting thematically. The second game especially almost seems to treat it as a crash course in the lessons real psychotherapists (at least, good ones) learn - that your job isn't to "fix" people by rooting around in their minds and smashing what you don't consider acceptable. Rather, it's more about helping people through the process of dealing with their own problems.

[@erickgort3758]

very well written, thanks for this bro

[@rbaws1]

When you come down to it, the point of the levels isn't the gameplay. What draws you in is the stories, the minds themselves. It's about learning to deal with problems and help others recover by facing their demons. Although Raz hasn't always helped others correctly, he is still young and learning how to help. And even if he fails, he tries to fix it. Even though he's a kid, he's got a great track record and learned so much. So yes, Meat Circus is hard, but so is facing your problems head-on. And i respect Raz for being able to do so and help Olly.

[@afriendofafriend5766]

@@rbaws1 From a real-world perspective, the gameplay has to be good to make the level worth playing. TMC just has terrible gameplay and therefore can't place highly.

[@zeenasty]

26:46 honestly I feel like it was well enough implied that he simply forgot to tell anyone because he was so distraught, and he possibly didn't realize at the time quite how badly he was going to mess himself up to the point where he'd forget about having Helmut's brain.

[@NezumiTheMouse]

gloria's theater was the fist mind they worked on in the first game and it shows

[@spongeintheshoe]

Funny story, while I didn't really enjoy playing through Compton's Cookoff (the time limits wreaked havoc on my performance anxiety), I spent a while constantly replaying the last dish because my perfectionism demanded that I get it done within the time limit. It was only when I finally decided I was okay with not getting that one that I was able to move on and experience the rest of the game.

[@henryapplebottom7231]

Swap "game" with life and that's basically Compton's Character arc.

[@SirSomeguy]

37:00 That's easy. If you wait and listen fully to the back and forth between Bob and Truman at the end of Bottle 2, it becomes increasingly obvious that Bob's alcoholism, which has resulted in him getting reckless, angry, and troublesome to work with others ultimately made him impossible to properly do his job. Even though we only hear Bob's half of the conversation, it's clear that Truman is basically saying "You need to get some serious help, Bob. You're a danger to yourself and the Psychonauts at the moment." He even gives Bob a number to call, implied to be Alcoholics Anonymous, which Bob angrily refuses, denying there's anything wrong with him. Here's a transcript for you: "Fired? You can't fire me! I helped create this place... recruited by Ford Cruller himself! No pipsqueak nephew's gonna fire me! What do you mean what's happened to me? What's happened to you?... What's this phone number? I'm not going to call some... stranger! I don't need help! I just need my job! I made some mistakes, but so has everybody. Yes, people were hurt, but no one died! It worked out in the end! Why are you all attacking me? You're my own blood. Why aren't you on my side? Truman... how could you?"

[@SirSomeguy]

Bob's memory vault also shows him leaving the desk with Truman looking sad and sorry, far from the mad and angry depictions seen elsewhere in the world, implying that deep down, Bob knows that Truman felt horrible for firing him, and did so out of genuine concern for his health and safety, and that he chose to isolate himself instead of seek real help and control.

[@scoutscoodles]

Pretty sure Ford forgot about Helmut’s brain due to the effects of the Astralathe.

[@UmTois]

I think I only disagree with The Milkman level, it's indeed hilarious with the spies and I like the Mario galaxy feel, but it's the level with the cobweb wall and I don't think the backstory is quite as interesting compared to Edgar and Fred levels imo.

[@YourCrazyDolphin]

A correction at #8- Raz and Lilli are in the same mind for Loboto's, as well. You even show it in the video.

[@matthewgillis2617]

Fun fact, if you cheat and bring confusion grenades to the Milkman conspiracy, you can use them on Boyd and instead of confusing him, he has a brief moment of clarity before going right back to his theories after it wears off XD

[@hikawagetsbitches]

thats a cool secret

[@nickwoodfin2690]

While I loved the Casino, I find it jarring in hindsight. The whole secret agent angle and the interns don't mesh well with the more personal story focused on the psychic seven that the game is really about.

[@iantaakalla8180]

I do really hope that if they don’t show off the secret agent shenanigans later on, that they at least write stories about it. The whole point is to be a secret agent that neutralizes threats by helping minds, but in both games they are both swept aside. For good reason, but now that every crisis is dealt with, there shouldn’t be any reason to not show off the missions.

[@TCG31456]

Great video! To me, Compton seemed like someone with social anxiety disorder, cause he felt he was constantly being judged. I mean, the cooking show had some of his closest friends be literal judges, and the game introduces the big judge enemy in this level. He perceives the voices he hears as more judgments, and he can only handle so much. In the end, he finds out that he was his own worst judge (as seen when he removes the puppet and it is his hand controlling it.) Cassie was probably his rock that helped quiet the voices, and without her he spiraled downward. Though there is much more to say about him and his mind than just this.

[@theprophettoast9914]

In bobs bottles of you wait before picking up Truman’s seed you’ll hear bob and him arguing about his drinking at work, kinda easy to miss but a good indicator for why he fired him.

[@samualwakoski4560]

This year was definitely a highlight in the career of Richard Horvitz. This game AND Helluva Boss?!

[@gragongv]

If you translate the Latin in Cassie's mind it tells the story of the Deluge of Grulovia, with bees representing the members of the Psychic 6.

[@Wiimeiser]

I noticed that while I was looking for the last figment, I translated some of the Latin text and got "And he lives there to this day, scaring strangers"

[@Jackbarrany]

About the lamp: the one he conjures in the construct is a cheap knockoff. The one in his office is a high quality, artisan, Tiffany style lamp, which he’s a fan of.

[@srujankale7274]

I don't understand why noone mentions that psy king's level is a literal acid trip, it was my favourite level, the music,the cosmos scene, the moving colours sends your mind the exact stimulations like you are on lsd or something

[@animal_gal_adventures9885]

I'm pretty sure in the tasty/sniffles section the player has to give the tongue doors "candy" to pass through. (Aka LSD)

[@Titan990]

The number one spot has its own freaking Wikipedia page. That’s impressive

[@sleepythemis]

Apologies if someone already mentioned it, but I think the reason why Ford didn't mention Helmut's brain to anyone is because he literally forgot. He fractured his own mind so greatly because he couldn't live with the guilt of what happened to Lucy and the rest of the Psychic Six, after all.

[@randomwowjunkie]

Seeing Cassie in the real world as like the psychic queen of the bees, I was kinda disappointed her mind wasn't beehive themed in some way.

[@EJ-vb5it]

Well Animals were more Compton's forte she just got along with them due to being aware of being multifaceted

[@Decadentotter]

Oh man the Waterloo board game level is the level I remember most from both games. Something about its structure and the changing sizes to progress through the area made it stand out for me. The Milkman Conspiracy was the other one I remember most. I used both of those levels to describe the actual game to my friends because none of them knew what was going on with the game.

[@cubixoro9547]

The navy has decided to pull out what they’re most famous for… AIRPLANE

[@PeaceandPuzzles]

I interpret Compton's mind to be more about anxiety than sensory overload. Specifically performance anxiety. Anxiety can be caused by sensory overload, yeah, but if you look at Helmut's level, he's a literal rockstar playing for a packed stadium. Compton is in a tiny, confined stage, but he's in a total panic because he's actively being judged and watched for his every move. He doesn't trust himself to make decisions on his own, and feels like he constantly needs help. Now that Cassie is gone, he's put himself into a literal bubble where he can be safe and not cause anyone any problems. Cassie isn't present in the level, because she's no longer present in Compton's life. It wouldn't make sense for her to be a judge, or even an audience member, because she was his rock. If she were present, there would be no stage and no pressure to perform. That's why he needed Raz's help to trust himself to act on his own again. As someone working through serious anxiety problems, his level was an amazing depiction. And I also love cooking shows, and that just made it all even better.

[@gabriusv]

Excellent ranking video! I disagree with almost every one of them! 😊 In spite of this, I think what makes this ranking still so enjoyable is that is speaks to the vast differences of perspective & with out life stories. The comments are filled with what spoke to each of us, and I love that a game series can evoke that.

[@mashu_sukotto]

The milkman is not the true personality is shown in one of the vaults That the coach hypnotized Boyd And after the asylum is set fire to the milkman personality disappears

[@Pooky1991]

Cassies level is actually one of my favorites in the game despite it having one of the most difficult to figure out secrets and figments. The librarian is clearly her coping mechanism trying to lock away aspects of her personality she feels make her weak due to her failures with Maligula. It also has one of my favorite austhetics in the game with the paper npcs and the flavortext. The Meat Circus terrified me as a kid, but somehow Fatherland Fallicles managed to be so much more creepy compared to the majority of levels due to how its basically the mind of a egomaniacal narcissist who literally has no regrets or empathy for his actions.

[@TheTolnoc]

I think the near total lack of Cassie being mentioned was intentional; she's gone. She has no lasting presence for him to cling to and work through his problems with. That's where Raz comes in.

[@NiGHTSIntoMemes]

God, what I would've given to have a proper level for Lucrecia. You wouldn't even have to get rid of most of it-just make it longer and stretch out the degradation as it goes on and she regains more of her memories. To watch a sweet and almost Wonderland-esque world twist and warp into something horrifying and unrecognizable as you help her work from the moments with her family all the way back to the death of Marona, where Maligula lurks behind that dam of emotional baggage would have been incredible. It's probably the only real complaint I have with Psychonauts 2-we never really get to see her actual perspective on what's happened, even though she is undoubtedly the central figure in all of these events.

[@Dafawfulizer]

That's why it's my least favorite level. It could've been one of the best if they gave it the time and attention it needed.

[@MStonewallC]

It would have been interesting to see her perspective changing in real time too, when at the end she finally admits to herself that she killed her sister.

[@KaminoKatie]

Plus highlighting the fact that in spite of everything, it's still her who ultimately chooses to destroy Grulovia out of guilt-driven rage

[@otter4370]

37:00 The game does tell us why Bob was fired by Truman. Play through the game again and listen to the dialogue that plays before you grab the seed in that segment. It explains that, after Maligula beat him and 'killed' Helmut Fulbear, he became a violent wreck, constantly lashing out at his friends and family. Because of this, Truman fired him to keep him from doing something that could compromise the Psychonauts.

[@morningstar8496]

Ford forgot about helmets brain because his mind was shattered after he brought it back, so the brain was left without anyone to tell of its significance. This is literally said in the game

[@darkAwesome100]

fun fact about waterloo world, if you look outside the window in the room you start in, you can see that the building they are in is, in fact, part of the board game itself. At the smallest level you can also find a building with a window in it that lets you see the starting room as well. The level is infinitely recurring.

[@NapalmX717]

9:32 Now that you bring this up, I'd like to think that Mia DID give him that lamp as a gift and told her that he liked it when in truth he hated it and imagined destroying it in many different ways. XD

[@burnout713]

My favorite is Cassie's Collection. I think the way it visualizes dramaturgy is awesome, but what really does it for me is the atmosphere. I was onboard for the library aesthetic already, especially with that fantastic score, but when you get into that second half, it just blew me away. It also marks the debut of the Projection ability, which may be my favorite ability in the series. Seeing other comments dissecting other levels really goes to show how incredible the level design in these games is. Truly top notch stuff.

[@rendedspace5606]

By the way if you wait until after the mission is over you can come back to the race with no time limit. If you take it slowly and plan your route you can get all the remaining figs in 8 minutes with only 2 runs.

[@diegoizaguirre3452]

Can’t wait for the boss tier list!

[@Anton-de5vu]

From what I could gather, bob was fired from the psychonauts because of his alcoholism. In the motherlobe you can see figments of people drinking and vomiting. Implying that bob used to go pretty hard in the paint even back then

[@Babbleplay]

I may be too delicate, but, the sheer reliance and central focus on the puke in the bossfight would knock Compton's level down a peg or two, for me; it just felt juvenile, but, I'm not claiming that's a set in stone issue that should apply to everyone.

[@FluffyPrincess888]

I love Helmut because of how iconic Jack Black's voice is.

[@ScintillatingSusie]

After thinking, I noticed another difference between the minds of Psychonauts 1 and the minds of Psychonauts 2. Psychonauts minds didn't have many main minds that connected to each other, not counting the Tutorial Minds. Psychonauts 2 on the other hand had all of them to connect to each other. Every mind feels like you can't experience without experiencing other minds, like imagine playing Bob's Bottles without the Psiking's Psirosium. Like you would still get the story of both without the other, but you don't have any of the emotional satisfaction. Like if you played Bob's mind without Helmut's mind, then you would miss out on the emotional satisfaction of knowing that Helmut is alive. And Same thing with Helmut's mind, you won't get the idea that Bob blames himself for his husband's death.

[@DWN037]

I usually follow along lists with my own silly opinions but this would take forever and they're almost impossible to accurately and justifiably rank so I did a tier list instead S - PSI King's Sensorium, Fatherland Follies, Compton's Cookoff A - Sasha's Shooting Gallery, Lungfishopolis, The Milkman Conspiracy, Loboto's Magic Dance, Black Velvetopia B - Bob's Bottles, Cassie's Collection, Waterloo World, Hollis' Hot Streak C - Gloria's Theater, The Meat Circus, Milla's Dance Party, Lucrecia's Lament D - Ford's Fractured Mind, Basic Braining ONE AND A HALF STARS - Brain Tumbler Experiment secret lowest tier - specifically the part where Ford Flea shouts at you to hurry up and do the circus challenges and also the bosses in Compton's Cookoff and Bob's Bottles since I couldn't figure the latter out until 2/3 of the way through the fight and the first one gave me nausea- Also if you didn't pick it up the idea for Compton's brain was based off the Amnesia Fortnight 2017 winner "The Gods Must Be Hungry" where you played as a small human chef preparing giant plates of food for malicious gods

[@what-bs7rm]

For “Meat Circus,” try using the shield to deflect the knives straight onto the wheel. My friend did it by accident and it worked for all the other wheels.

[@smogdoggie2816]

I thought I finally got that grulovian song out of my head, then there it was when Nick's mind came up

[@ADHDont]

I gotta say, I couldn't disagree more on Milla's dance party. (Aside from the collectibles bit, her level sucks for those) i think the slightly generic setting is perfect for one of the first minds you enter. She's created a fun dance party to teach the kids levitation and its all light hearted and fits her character, then you get that emotional whiplash from finding the orphanage and you realise how constructed everything is. She has a lot of pain but chooses to show her mind to the kids like its always a big party. Her mind is just as 'under wraps and organised' as Sasha's. I think its really strong subtle storytelling and sets the tone well for how dark the game gets later on. Also if you aren't on a completionist run its a super fun level I think you made some fair points about placing it so low but I would have bumped it up at least a couple places

[@superdimentiobrolyX]

I think of comptons mind as representing a general anxiety attack. Its bright and loud with alot of textures, theres a self imposed time restriction that means nothing, and unsettling goat muppet versions of his friends are judging his every move.

[@spacepimpkevin1184]

Even if the meat circus is last, that circus music just sticks in my brain.

[@gachareacter4170]

When I heard "Fairy figment," I was filled with indescribable rage. I had to look up a walkthrough, because otherwise *I* was going to _end up_ *_in_* that mental ward! But it's still one of my favorite minds in the game Edit: (spoiler) For those having a hard time at the platforming section at the end in [#7]'s mind, you can kill the enemies early and have plenty of time, just use fire for the armored shell cannons after hitting them

[@Ark-a-Znoy]

One of all powerful impressions of both games was discovery in the Waterloo World: in the smallest mode there's a palace, where you can see through the window Fred and Napoleon playing this game, inside of wich you are now.

[@XolTheGreat]

coach oleanders basic braining is easily my least favorite. its just boring to me and nothing sticks out in it. it's the reason i had such low hopes for the game because starting it out with a war theme when war games are so painfully overdone, even at the time with medal of honor, battlefield, call of duty, it just didn't do anything for me

[@spongeintheshoe]

To be fair, given that a major part of Raz's backstory (and the in-universe justification for the game's platforming nature) is that his father has been training him from birth to be an acrobat (and Raz suspects he may have been trying to kill him during it), it makes sense that the level formed from Raz's daddy issues would feature some of the hardest platforming in the game. Also, the level's problems really only extend to the gameplay half of the equation. As much as I hated the climb through Evil Augustus' obstacle course, the sequence leading up to it was pitch-perfect.

[@blissfuldirtbag2279]

I love how decisive Milla's dance party is, I love her, being called baby does something for me and I'm not completionist to the point I wanna lose my mind so the figments only mildly bother me. I didn't mind it being a tutorial cause it never really felt like it, yeah I was doing it to learn abilities but you get to know the person's mind you're in and that never failed to interest me idk. like I said I love how decisive It is and I've only played psychonauts one so far so it could be bias ad well

[@quintopia]

This is a great video to understand how these games affect at least one other person. I had this vague feeling that I overall preferred the level design in 1 basically across the board, and this video really helped me crystallize why that was the case. Thanks for putting in the effort!

[@twistedturnip8487]

I feel like the cook-off is less to do with perception of others and more confidence as a whole, through the memory vaults and interactions its clear Compton is a timid man who was always or atleast mostly paired with Cassie, she propped up his power, hid his weaknesses and gave him a boost, so when she isnt there he's on his own to face his Weaknesses and insecurities which becomes obvious he can't do without her, so he locks himself away to avoid facing them or the animals the remind him of them. Then come the cook-off itself you stand by his side in a high pressure environment slowly helping grow his confidence as you make meals and show him how to face the questions of his inner thoughts until you the boss fight where instead of needing you to help him, he's the one helping you with a new blooming confidence that doesn't need to be shackled to anyone else. And while usually revisiting a mind doesn't add to the idea, When you revist Compton's mind it's empty, the eyes on him, his inner thought and the pressure they put on him are gone showing a growth in his self perception, atleast that's how I see it

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

For the bob’s bottle thing, he was probably fired due to being an alcoholic, in timeline order I think the bottles are His mom dying Helmut dying Getting fired There’s a voice line in the getting fired dialog that says something vaguely about taking to some stranger and something with a phone number which suggests he may have been drunk on the job hense why he got fired, and his nephew was handing him an Alcoholics Anonymous number or even a therapists number

[@Pooky1991]

Millas level is part of why i never 100% the 1st game along with the meat circus. That race and the fact that the figments are difficult to see in that level.

[@zktfg4579]

As a person who is deeply terrified of judgement Compton's Cookoff exemplifies that very well, at least in my opinion. The setting of a live TV cooking show embodies the anxiety of having your work and life watched by others, and the way you have to cook ingredients in a specific way, within a tight time limit, I'd a great way to translate all the little tasks you do to avoid judgement when you fear it. I don't know if I communicated it well in this comment, but Compton's Cookoff is one of my favorite levels, and I adore it's design and writing.

[@WolfRider2002]

I can't help but wonder what Ford's reaction was once he first realized Raz's connection to Lucrecia

[@zakthegodtypehallucination1462]

Still hopeing for psychonauts 1&2 on nintendo switch

[@onlyacomentarynothingspeci2419]

And Raz in smash xD

[@zakthegodtypehallucination1462]

@@onlyacomentarynothingspeci2419 If only that were true.

[@Fuzunga]

I legitimately cannot believe you put The Milkman Conspiracy at number one, giving it nothing but praise, and didn't even mention one of the worst boss fights I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing. I couldn't even complete it the way the game intended because the perspective combined with the terrible hitbox on the projectiles you need to throw made it impossible to hit the boss. Eventually, I read online that you could actually target and blast her while using clairvoyance. It did way less damage, but I was eventually able to complete the fight that way.

[@yuyuyuyu94]

Yes! My dark room in Milkman Conspiracy wasn't rendering properly also! I replayed it later and it was so easy if you can actually see where you go. Also, at every number I was repeating along lines "Milkman Conspiracy is gonna be number 1"

[@jesusisking09]

I now see why Bob is flying a bird in Bob’s Bottles. He’s flying *high in the sky.*

[@nutsandbolts1264]

I think #11 has to do that the character doesn't like how everyone treats her as 1 dimensional, she acts a certain way to someone and always ends unsatisfied by how she is treated back like a backround character

[@eldritchcupcakes3195]

The mafia teeth are meant to link laboto’s situation to that of someone a stereotypical movie mafia threatening someone to stay silent

[@lukefox5271]

''the meat circus has 2 problems: 1- its too easy 2- its too hard''

[@Procrastian]

29:50 weren't they in lobato's labrynth together?

[@Souliex]

So funny that you mention having technical difficulties with the camera bit in milkman. I had something like that happen in my game too! I just remember me and my sibling as kids trying to figure it out for so long and eventually realizing that it was a technical issue. We never did end up getting past it. I ended up playing the game again when I was older on steam and finishing it then.

[@Dracnoral1987]

I like to think the final boss stages in both games are short because they are psychics, they are hostile, and they are so deeply entrenched in their decisions that their mental world is literally just focused on what is driving them. In the first game, the two having issues with their fathers makes it so you have to wrestle with Raz's mental problems alongside Oleander's mental problems. It makes everything twisted and distorted and is likely risking to mentally break both minds so you don't have much time to figure out the issue and help get it resolved. You have to hurry to help Oleander with his problem so your minds can get separated. In the second game, you have been hearing Lucy's story from different people throughout the whole game. Her mind was tampered with so you can't actually SEE her whole mind, because Ford sealed a large portion away to conceal Maligula and repress that personality. Even when you fight Maligula, you actually see what her mind was focused on back when she was sealed away. The player doesn't need to see her whole history and backstory in her mindscape because you hear about it so often from everyone. It's why Nick's mind is so much longer. His is a story that isn't mentioned until the very end of the game.

[@xXYannuschXx]

Honestly, its quite astounding how competent Gristol. He not infiltrated a organization fully made up of psychics, but he also managed to hide his true intentions for YEARS, while not being a psychic himself! Furthermore, he actually made people like him, except for Truman, who likely felt that something was wrong with him. And his plan to re-awaken Maligula was also executed flawlessly (well, except for Maligula not being the way he imagined). Seriously, Gristol was really well written and in the end it really felt like he had played EVERYONE, including the player, for a fool and got what he wanted.

[@izzylee64]

At 37:00 He was fired because of his alchoholism.

[@darkAwesome100]

I like the comment Hollis makes about not "fixing" people. It's hard to put into words (because i'm not a professional) but it's a really important distinction. If you go to help someone with their mental issues with the mindset of "I'm going to fix them" that often translates to forcing your values and beliefs on them, even if you don't intend to. It's like how some people think of autism or ADHD as a disease when they really aren't. If you try to help other with the mindset of "fixing" as opposed to "helping" you'll often do more harm than good.

[@Temmie665.9]

Boyd Cooper has always been my favorite character.

[@Mask0fFate]

In regards to Bob being fired, apparently he was fired because of his alcoholism. After Hellmut’s “death”, it got worse, and while Truman tried to help him, Bob didn’t take, and Truman had to fire him.

[@Ethonra]

Mind. Blown. At 50:24-50:26, I heard that line months ago in a game called "How To Make A Cup Of Tea" (played by CJUGames, highly recommened that vid and especially his channel but the music from that game may play on repeat inside your head). I could tell that line had to be a reference given how funny it was but never would have guessed it was from Psychonauts!

[@evanraynolds8699]

honestly, i was gonna dislike this vid if you said the meat circus music was bad. just listen to that beat man.

[@tomdekler9280]

About Sasha's lamp on his desk in Psychonauts 2, it's likely a gift of his dad he couldn't part with. If you check his memory about his childhood, his dad actually made tiffany lamps for a living. The reason he likely has negative emotions about that lamp in his mindspace is because they remind him of his childhood spent watching his dad's memories of mom getting her back blown out freaky style, but like... it's still a lamp his dad crafted lovingly by hand for his son. So Sasha, master of self-censorship, owns the lamp as a dilligent son but is also simultaneously and consciously deleting it from his mind.

[@calamaria9221]

Omg I remember that race part in Milla's Dance Party. That alone made me abandon getting all the figments and I'm so glad there wasn't an achievement for getting all of them.

[@jolteonrush738]

I believe the story behind Compton was his Social Anxiety more than sensory overload. I just watched a video on it that explains it a lot better than I can, but it makes this level make a little more sense in that regard.