Psychonauts 2 Xbox Series X Preview

August 6, 2021 at 8:08pm
By Jason Stettner

It was rather exciting to be invited to take a look at Psychonauts 2 early on Xbox Series X. While I am writing this sometime after actually playing the game and doing a video preview which you can see below, the experience is still fresh in my mind. This is definitely a game of the year contender, with the demo we were presented being representative of a near finished experience while also providing many hours of potential gameplay time.

I think that shows a level of confidence in the title, and I’m very eager to see what the rest of the game has to offer as it really isn’t that far out at this time of writing. I still wanted to compile this to talk about the game, and build up some additional hype for myself ahead of the full release which I of course will be covering so stay tuned for that. I will mention firstly that the game did provide some visual options being Xbox Series X Optimized.

I first noticed this while playing, and then followed up during a special ask the developers sort of chat. I was later provided the chart where the game will provide two choices. You can select a max resolution of 4k (3840x 2160p) at 60fps or choose to have 1440p at 120fps. Both are quite impressive in their own way and do feature HDR support as well which is appreciated.

I personally think the vibrancy of the 4k resolution was rather awesome since it’s still fluid, but also getting to try out that high frame rate at 120hz was a complete delight as platformers feel so good at that level. Other aspects to mention is that the game supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) for smoother fluidity and that it’s a Xbox Play Anywhere title.

That means you buy it once digitally on Xbox or the Windows Store and you own it on both spots. That in turn also provides PC inputs as an option. I should also mention those playing Psychonauts 2 Xbox One X Enhanced will receive a max 4k resolution at 30fps.

Going back to what I played, we were given a few different checkpoint options. There was a free slot to start right from the beginning and I will say the game does a good job of getting you prepared for the story while also giving context into what happened prior. That’s really good, and it immediately drops you right into the action and amps up the bizarre style that makes this brain diving thrill ride so exciting.

The other two points were about two to three hours into the game. One being a crazy cooking show and the other being somewhat directly of a boss fight. They aimed to give a good tease into what this game is offering and it was very exciting to get an early glimpse into the title as it’s not at all what I had expected. I really think this one has some stellar style to it and high potential of being a stand out against similar releases.

I was excited prior to playing, but now I definitely know this is a must play release in the year. From wacky visuals, to crazy abilities it offered some neat aesthetics. The game also feels good to play, being varied in style mixing up both combative and platforming experiences. It also switches up how you platform as you move around, shifting that environment.

The same somewhat goes for combat as you gain new abilities. I feel that this one is on brand with the original, while bolding pushing it forward as well. That’s about all I really have to say about it at this point. It’s great, and for those struggling with it I will mention there’s an invisibility toggle. I was told in the special meeting that this is to make games playable and enjoyable by everybody.

“While Twitter makes it seem controversial, it’s probably not as big of a deal as Twitter users make it out to be” – Tim Schafer. So just a fine ending note I suppose, I don’t mind its inclusion since it’ll help folks try it out. They also mentioned that nothing was really cut from the game aside from ideas that didn’t work and that was largely thanks to the extra support from being part of the Xbox Game Studios. You can read a review of a related title below, or check out a game hub for further coverage as well. Don’t forget to check out the video content to see the game in action.

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