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Psychonauts 2 2021
Psychonauts 2 is a platform action-adventure game released in 2021 by Double Fine and published by Xbox Game Studios. The title was unveiled during The Game Awards 2015 ceremony and launched on August 25, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It later became available on May 24, 2022 for Linux and macOS.
Players control Raz, a young acrobat training to become a Psychonaut—an agent of an international team using psychic powers to combat those who misuse their abilities. This sequel continues directly from the events of Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, which was released in 2017. In this game, the Psychonauts seek to discover who captured their leader, uncovering a mystery related to the organization's origins and Raz’s personal past. Raz enters the mental worlds of various individuals to gather information. These mindscapes feature new and familiar psychic powers that help him navigate twisted environments and fight creatures born from the minds of others.
The original Psychonauts, launched in 2005, received critical acclaim but did not perform well commercially, leading to it being seen as a financial failure for years after its debut. Tim Schafer, who directed the first game, and Double Fine expressed interest in making a sequel, though funding delays prevented progress for many years. In 2011, Double Fine reclaimed the rights to Psychonauts from Majesco, which led to a re-release on modern systems. This revival generated renewed demand and encouraged the development of a follow-up.
To fund Psychonauts 2, Double Fine initiated a crowdfunding campaign through Fig alongside the game's announcement. The project raised nearly 4 by early 2016. Initially, Starbreeze Studios was set to publish the title under a publishing-only agreement. However, Starbreeze went bankrupt in 2018. By 2019, Microsoft had acquired Double Fine as part of Xbox Game Studios and also secured the publishing rights from Starbreeze, allowing the team to finish the game according to their original vision.
Upon its release, Psychonauts 2 garnered generally positive reviews from critics. Many praised its platforming mechanics, level design, visual presentation, storytelling, and overall tone. Some criticism focused on gameplay elements and certain boss encounters.
Trailer
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Crew
- Director
- Tim Schafer
- Designer
- Seth Marinello, Zak McClendon
- Programmer
- Kee Chi
- Artist
- Lisette Titre-Montgomery
- Writer
- Tim Schafer
- Producer
- Andy Alamano, Gavin Carter, Naoko Takamoto
- Music
- Peter McConnell
Details
- Developer
- Double Fine
- Publisher
- Xbox Game Studios
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Linux, macOS
- Modes
- Single-player
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
