#Psychonauts levels how to#

Its levels are a delightful medley of bizarre visions, a whirling carousel of fantastical, grotesque and carnivalesque spaces. Even Dishonored 2, which has some of the best level design around, reverts to floating islands for its “Void” sections. Most mainstream video-games struggle with surrealism, as evidenced by how many of them resort to floating islands as shorthand for “weird.” It’s a trope you’ll see everywhere, from games like Arkham Asylum and Spider-Man, to Doom Eternal and Bioshock Infinite. Contrast that with the psychedelic realm of the Psi-King, which adopts a more cartoonish, hyper-saturated style to maximize its ’60s vibes. In the game’s already infamous tooth-world, for example, the game strives to make the world’s disembodied teeth, gums and tongues look as realistic as possible, because it’s more disgusting that way. But one key tenet of Psychonauts 2’s design is that the more modern elements always exist in service to the art. I’m not wholly sure how Double Fine has achieved this marriage of curation and modernization, beyond lots of hard work and possibly some kind of Faustian pact. Somehow, though, Psychonauts 2 not only succeeds in rendering its weird, Claymation-ish world with modern materials and realistic lighting, it’s one of the most visually spellbinding games I’ve played this year.

But the original game’s art-style is almost wilfully anti-snazzy, with characters who all look like they suffered horrible accidents in a Play-Doh factory.Īdding reflections to Ford Cruller’s forehead seems like an action that would rend a hole in the universe. The game is built in Unreal Engine 4 and obviously has a fair whack of budget behind it. Double Fine clearly wanted Psychonauts 2 to look modern and snazzy. Use of technologyīefore diving into design specifics, it’s important to acknowledge the remarkable balancing act Psychonauts 2 pulls off in its general approach to visual presentation. Each level demonstrates a huge amount of imagination and ingenuity, and I want to break down exactly what makes Double Fine’s amazing spaces tick.

#Psychonauts levels how to#

Its levels aren’t simply brilliant, they’re brilliant in several different ways, dazzling showcases of how to build unique and captivating 3D spaces. Yet where Psychonauts 2 most astounds is in its level design. The empathetic representations of mental wellbeing.

Double Fine’s follow-up fixes virtually all the problems I had with the first game, the pacing, the awkward puzzling, the random, punishing difficulty spikes, while also heightening everything that was great about the original. After having mixed feelings about the original Psychonauts, I spent my weekend playing the sequel and I am hopelessly in love.