Psychonauts 2: 10 beginner tips and tricks to get you started

Source: Windows Central | Xbox Game Studios

The 3D action platformer genre is far from dead, with a number of returning franchises and new entries filling the space with new experiences and innovation. Xbox Game Studios and Double Fine Productions take come together for their own addition with Psychonauts 2, the long-awaited sequel to the sixteen-year-onetime original that instantly became a cult archetype. Psychonauts 2 builds upon its predecessor in every mode to exist bigger, more content-packed, and more than inclusive.

Backed up by our Psychonauts 2 review, all the signs are there that Double Fine'due south latest game has what it takes to exist one of the best Xbox games around. Whether y'all're new to Psychonauts or coming fresh off a playthrough of the original Psychonauts, hither are 10 beginner tips and tricks to assistance you become the most out of the game.

Enter the mind

Psychonauts 2 Reco Image

Psychonauts 2 (Preorder)

The long-awaited sequel

Psychonauts set the bar for a psychological platformer, with cleverly implemented sense of humor and understated messages virtually mental wellness and the state of heed. After many years, Psychonauts two is finally arriving to put our nostalgia to rest and bring this fantastic 3D platforming chance franchise to electric current and next-gen platforms.

1. Explore everywhere

Psychonauts 2 Source: Windows Key | Double Fine Productions

Psychonauts ii, just like its predecessor, takes players to several areas (many inside the minds of various characters), to explore wildly unlike environments and themes. Every one of these locations has its own collectibles and secrets to observe, likewise, giving players tons of reasons to jump off the beaten path. If you want to get the most out of Psychonauts 2, don't hesitate to ho-hum down and look around.

Collectibles and secrets in Psychonauts ii aren't the about well subconscious, but you do demand to continuously explore everything you lot can see to ensure you don't miss anything. Thorough exploration can lead you lot to new collectibles, which can progress the game and power upward Raz (your character), lore and additional globe-building data, and even all-new side quests and objectives from different characters.

Deport in listen that some areas may not be explorable until yous unlock sure abilities, but (like mentioned elsewhere), you tin return later if you need to.

2. Utilise your abilities

Psychonauts 2 Media Screenshot Source: Xbox Game Studios | Double Fine Productions

Psychonauts two contains a pretty hefty drove of unlike psychic abilities that are always at your disposal, and these abilities can even be upgraded and modified over time with the use of ranks and pins. You tin can have up to four of these abilities equipped at any one fourth dimension, and it tin be pretty like shooting fish in a barrel to become accepted to a sure set that you constantly rely on.

However, it's easy to equip different abilities on the wing, and using every ability at your disposal volition assist you access and explore different areas or proceeds an advantage of dissimilar bad guys and bosses. Brand sure you bear in mind which abilities you tin can use, and regularly switch between them as the situation needs it. These abilities range from pyrokinesis, levitation, fourth dimension chimera, and and so much more, and tin make the difference between victory and defeat in Psychonauts 2.

three. Utilize the accessibility settings

Psychonauts 2 Accessibility Image Source: Double Fine Productions | Twitter

The original Psychonauts was an amazing game, just it also brutal victim to the game design of the era in that information technology wasn't the nigh accessible or inclusive experience. Xbox Game Studios has placed a lot of importance on game accessibility, and Double Fine followed suit by delivering a ton of accessibility features and settings to the game, on top of the more sensible game design.

Psychonauts 2 is far from the near difficult game around, but different accessibility settings can add subtitles for dialogue, subtract or remove damage, and lower the difficulty of Psychonauts 2's occasionally hectic combat for a greater focus on the story. Double Fine wants to ensure that Psychonauts two is a game that admittedly everyone tin play, and the accessibility settings aid deliver on that goal.

4. Listen to the game

Psychonauts 2 Source: Windows Fundamental | Double Fine Productions

Psychonauts two features pretty thorough accessibility settings, merely its cadre game design also lends itself to greater inclusivity and accessibility. Psychonauts 2 is extremely forward with explaining new sections of the games equally they're introduced, including abilities, collectibles, missions, and more than. All the same, if players ever run into a section where they're stuck, or are struggling with a particularly difficult fight, Psychonauts 2 has you covered.

If y'all always find yourself stuck in a situation for more than than a few minutes, ane of the relevant characters in the area (usually Raz himself, but information technology can be anyone), volition chinkle in with their own personal thoughts on the state of affairs. These comments are hints to what you tin do to progress, and sometimes volition even tell you straight out how to motion forward. These tips pop upwards only after a few minutes of cypher progress, then yous won't exist constantly assailed with these tips when you don't need them.

However, these tips are also audio-only, so if you lot're stuck, be sure to heed carefully or keep an eye out for subtitles (if yous have them turned on). Psychonauts 2 doesn't echo these tips over and over again.

5. Upgrade your abilities

Psychonauts 2 Ability Upgrades Screenshot Source: Windows Central | Double Fine Productions

Psychonauts 2's roster of psychic abilities features a lot of similarities to the original (with some new additions thrown in), but i large change is included for players to take advantage of: ability upgrades. As you rank upward, either by completing psi cores or collecting imaginary fragments and nuggets of wisdom from minds, you proceeds rank points. You can and then plough around and spend these rank points to upgrade your psychic abilities.

Yous can choose exactly which abilities y'all want to spend your points on, and see how that ability will exist upgraded. These upgrades tin boost damage, surface area-of-outcome, and even add central changes to how the power works in some situations. Upgrading your abilities in Psychonauts 2 can help you tackle more challenging areas, or render to previous areas to explore and find new collectibles.

Every ability in Psychonauts two has several tiers of upgrades, with each tier having unlike unlock requirements (minimum rank and required rank points).

6. Use the vending machine

Psychonauts 2 Pins Screenshot Source: Windows Cardinal | Double Fine Productions

To farther enhance your abilities, help yous earn ranks, or load you upwardly with various consumables to help you lot in battle, plow to the vending machines in Psychonauts two. At that place are several of these vending machines, hosted by Psychic half-dozen fellow member Otto Mentalis, scattered throughout the Psychonauts Headquarters, and they provide several services to players that have accumulated plenty psitanium from their adventures.

In these vending machines, you can spend psitanium on psi cores for the loose psi cards y'all've collected, purchase items to increase how much psitanium or how many consumables you can carry, buy consumables similar dream pop that provide you with mental energy (health) in the midst of battle, and even purchase pins that customize and enhance your abilities in diverse ways.

Pins, specially, can be extremely useful to players when used properly, and tin range from irresolute the color of abilities or attacks and other more light-headed cosmetic options to legitimate upgrades and changes to abilities. There are dozens of pins for players to buy from the vending machines, and y'all tin cull exactly which ones to equip at whatever fourth dimension.

7. Talk to people

Psychonauts 2 Image Source: Double Fine Productions | Twitter

Some of the all-time moments in the original Psychonauts were the side conversations you could have with secondary characters, and this doesn't change in the new game. Psychonauts 2 features a huge roster of new and returning characters, and there are plenty of conversations to be had if yous speak to them.

Besides amusing interactions and comical writing, nevertheless, these side conversations also serve other purposes. For one, players tin can learn more about the wider world of Psychonauts two through these conversations. On top of that, several side quests and optional objectives can likewise be started past speaking to sure people in the game. While exploring Psychonauts ii, don't be afraid to speak to anybody you find.

8. Think autosaves

Psychonauts 2 Image Source: Xbox Game Studios | Double Fine Productions

Many games feature an autosave organization to help prevent players from potentially losing their progress and work, so it's absolutely no surprise that Psychonauts two is the aforementioned mode. However, it may surprise you to know that Psychonauts two doesn't permit you manually save your game, and instead relies on a "checkpoint" system to ensure autosaves are regular and lenient.

Whenever you quit Psychonauts ii, yous'll get a message letting y'all know how long it has been since the concluding autosave. Simply bear this in listen when you decide to quit, equally yous may accidentally give up a little of your progress. Psychonauts 2's autosaves are generous, so you'll never lose more than five to x minutes of progress, but it'due south yet something to remember. Quitting just afterwards a cutscene, new area, or mission update is almost ever a safe bet.

9. Apply the fast travel system

Psychonauts 2 Image Source: Double Fine Productions | Twitter

The Psychonauts Headquarters is the hub where all your journeys begin in Psychonauts ii, and yous'll actually spend a lot of time here when playing the game. The Headquarters is a deceivingly large identify, especially equally you unlock new areas farther in the game, and information technology tin can take time to move back and forth. Fortunately, Psychonauts ii features an unorthodox fast travel system that you lot gain access to relatively early.

Scattered throughout the Psychonauts Headquarters are hatches that lead to "secret" tunnels traveling all over the map. Equally long as you lot've gained access to these tunnels, you tin can virtually-instantaneously travel to whatever surface area you've already visited in the Psychonauts Headquarters (equally long as at that place is a hatch there). The more you explore, the easier moving around will be!

x. Return to places after

Psychonauts 2 Areas Visited Screenshot Source: Windows Fundamental | Double Fine Productions

In Psychonauts 2, you'll swoop into the minds of several people to unravel a conspiracy to resurrect a long-dead serial killer, fix your own mistakes, and assistance other people. These minds are each unique in their own ways, and include a ton of collectibles that are not simply fun to detect, just can also assistance power yous up. At showtime, it seems like yous're not able to render to these minds if y'all missed collectibles, only that'southward not at all the case.

After a trivial while in Psychonauts 2, you'll proceeds admission to the Brain Tumbler, a machine that sends you to the Collective Unconsciousness and lets you revisit previously explored minds. This ways yous tin can power up, unlock new abilities, and then return whenever you're ready to find missing collectibles and access new areas. You can exercise this whenever you lot want, just the Brain Tumbler is a great tool to employ near the finish of the game, when you lot want to finish as much of the game as possible and be equally stiff as you can before the terminal fight.

Enter the mind

Psychonauts 2 Reco Image

Psychonauts ii (Preorder)

The long-awaited sequel

Psychonauts ready the bar for a psychological platformer, with cleverly implemented humor and understated messages virtually mental health and the state of heed. After many years, Psychonauts 2 is finally arriving to put our nostalgia to balance and bring this fantastic 3D platforming adventure franchise to current and next-gen platforms.

A itemize of psychics

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