Seeing as the original Psychonauts takes place in the 80s and Rhombus of Ruin takes place right after that, it's likely that Psychonauts 2 will pick up just a few days after saving Truman Zanatto. Since it's been 16 years since the original, it will be that much harder to transfer over the same feel from the first game. However, that's exactly what Psychonauts 2 is attempting when it releases sometime in the next year. Psychonauts 2 has big shoes to fill being set so close to the original, while also incorporating the best features of current-gen tech.
It's been over a decade and a half since Razputin escaped to Camp Whispering Rock in order to enhance his burgeoning psychic powers in Psychonauts. At the psychic summer camp, Raz would meet all kinds of interesting characters and explore the depths of their minds. In the end, he comes to terms with his own trauma that caused him to run away from home and is allowed to join the Psychonauts. The series saw a VR adventure called Psychonauts: In the Rhombus of Ruin that takes place immediately after the original, seeing the team rescue the leader of the psychic organization.
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After rescuing Lili's dad in Rhombus of Ruin, Razputin and the other agents head back to the Psychonauts headquarters, where they find that the organization has been greatly changed in the time the leader was missing. The second in command decided that the best way forward for the Psy-ops organization was to cut funding to the traditional Psychic espionage and moved money into more risky fringe programs, including necromancy. While working the headquarters, Raz learns about double agents, secrets from history, and evils long since forgotten. All while trying to find out what it means now that he has a girlfriend.
The game takes place in 1980, right after the events of Psychonauts: In the Rhombus of Ruin. The VR mini-adventure sees players finding the leader of the Psychonauts and return to the base of operations. Rhombus of Ruin was an updated peek into the world, and laid the groundwork for the future of the series. Psychonauts 2's release will see the return of fan favorite characters like Raz, Lili, Milla, Cruller, and more. Players will also get to explore the minds of new characters as well, as Raz tries to fix the Psychonauts program and find all the secrets locked away within its walls.
Seeing as it takes place right after the last game, it will have to maintain that classic snark and humor that Double Fine is famous for. At the same time, it will also introduce new chic mental worlds and will likely carry heavy themes of trauma and mental illness like the first entry did. The first game saw Raz coming to terms with his own psychological issues as he helped others deal with theirs. Raz will also get new Psi-powers that will allow him to destroy his competition. One of these new Psychonauts 2 Psi-powers is "Mental Connections" and it will allow Raz to link together thoughts to form associations.
In the 16 years since Psychonauts was released, the game has grown a cult following. Psychonauts had sold 1.7 million copies by the end of 2015, and the second game was crowdfunded in little over a month on Fig. That being said, some fans are skeptical if Psychonauts 2's gameplay can recapture the magic of the characters and scenery. With the game planned to release sometime later this year, fans are anxiously waiting for more news about their favorite psychic acrobat, Raz.
Psychonauts 2 will release on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2021.
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