When Raz arrives at the Motherlobe, he quickly finds that he’s just a small cog in the machine, being relegated to the intern program after almost not being considered. From here, he’s further antagonized by the other young interns in a way that is reminiscent of the kids at camp. Somewhere around this time, the player starts to understand that no matter what Raz was able to accomplish in the original Psychonauts, he will have to prove himself worthy all over again. However, it’s not all back to basics, because the young Psychonaut in training still has his powers from the original, now with more freedom of customization on the controller.
RELATED: Psychonauts 2 Features Spinning Tunnel Made of Teeth
Ford’s Former Glory
In the original, Raz saves the world from armored tanks that were being piloted by the enslaved brains of children, and is recognized for that. Ford makes Raz a Psychonaut due to his work in helping the various people around camp and ultimately defeating Oleander. However, it turns out that Ford isn’t as respected by the Psychonauts as he once was, with the Second Head of the Psychonauts refusing to recognize his deputization of Raz in the field. Instead, he’s relegated to be amongst the interns, who immediately respond to him with teasing.
Raz is Still Growing in Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 does a great job of hitting the reset button and making the player feel like they’re starting out again at the bottom. But Raz is better equipped than he was at the beginning of the original Psychonauts, retaining the abilities he learned as part of his training at the camp. The sequel even allows the players freedom to customize and switch up those powers quickly using four buttons on the controller. Raz isn’t exactly the most inexperienced, but he still has to prove his worth to the entire Psychonauts organization.
Raz’s place in the Motherlobe starts out not as good as he expected, but it quickly shows how much more he has to learn, and that’s not just about powers. That being said, the Second Head of the Psychonauts teaches him how to leap from idea to idea with Psychonauts 2’s new Psi-Powers, a grappling hook ability and a power that allows him to project himself outside of his own mind.
Fans of the original Psychonauts have been waiting a long time for a sequel and, like always, Double Fine’s game has gone the extra mile to provide. Starting the player out at a similar spot as the first game plays perfectly with nostalgia, because it hints at those similar feelings fans experienced in the first game while still standing solidly on its own ground. Only time will tell if it will be enough to quell the fans’ hunger, but this status reset creates a whole new opportunity for comedy and the implementation of new mechanics.
Psychonauts 2 will launch on August 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE: Psychonauts 2 Condenses Years into Days
