Psychonauts 2's first trailer looks as charmingly twisted as ever
It's all in your head. Or his head. Maybe some kind of psychic hivemind.
Psychonauts 2 is looking exactly how a Psychonauts 2 should. Double Fine have kept the hype-engine on their Lucasartsian platform adventure sequel gently idling since their crowdfunding drive in 2016. Last night at the game awards they gave it a quick rev. Somehow, this is the first real trailer for the game - familiar, but with some exciting new sights, sounds and people to meet. Oh, and terrible puns being called out by its own characters, because it wouldn't be a Tim Schafer game otherwise. Open your mind's eye below.
Psychonauts 2 looks to pick up exactly where VR adventure Rhombus Of Ruin left off, which in turn picked up shortly after the 2005 original. Raz has finally arrived at the Psychonauts headquarters - the Motherlobe - ready to live the life of a psychic secret agent. Lots of familiar faces here - it's a weird feeling that we're returning to these characters supposedly just a day after their last big adventure, but well over a decade has passed for us. Fortunately, nobody in the game seems to have aged a day - their polygons are looking smoother and more cartoony than ever.
It's a testament to the original's art direction that it feels like nothing has changed. It's hard to believe two console generations have come and gone since we last saw the likes of Sasha Nein and his psychological Censors. I'm a lot older and beardier than I was when I played Psychonauts on the original Xbox, though the notorious Meat Circus level has been tenderized a bit on PC in the intervening years too. Time seems a bit wobbly over at Double Fine, as the game has clearly sailed past its optimistic Autumn 2018 release date. No idea when it'll finally launch, but at least we know it's looking fine.
Still, that Starbreeze logo (due to them investing $8 million into production) at the start is a little concerning after recent events, and the escalation thereof.