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It took over 15 years, a crowdfunding campaign, several publishers, and a whole bunch of shuffling the rights to the IP around, but Double Fine's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Psychonauts 2 finally launched in 2021. And if the nominations for the Game Awards are any indication, this long-awaited game was worth the wait. Though Psychonauts 2 draws its inspiration from genres that aren't as dominant as they once were, blending the gameplay of a 3D platformer with the storytelling techniques of a point-and-click adventure game, it feels like a breath of fresh air in the current landscape.
But if you've just finished the game and you're looking for something else to scratch that itch, you might not know what to boot up next. Not to worry! There are plenty of games that can help you get your mind-hopping, double-jumping fix... provided you know where to look. (Hint: scroll down.)
10 𓃲 Psychona🍰uts
Yes, it might be an obvious choice, but - if its abysmal sales performance on its original 2005 release is anything to go by - there's a decent chance that you missed the first 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Psychonauts game.
You don't need to play it to appreciate the sequel, but while it hasn't aged perfectly, it's still an excellent platformer in its own right. From iconic༺ levels like The Milkman🅘 Conspiracy and Lungfishopolis to the brilliant writing, there's a lot to love here, and it's worth a playthrough just to see how Double Fine - and gaming in general - has grown in the years between the two games.
9 A❀ Hat 𒅌In Time
If you're looking to scratch your 3D platforming itch but you need a more modern game than the original Psychonauts, A Hat In Time will be right up your alley. This indie platformer is inspi🐼red by classics like Super Mario Sunshine and, uh, Psychonauts - but it has a charm and style all its own.
Chalk that up to the tight controls and to the level design, which is dizzyingly creative - one set of levels takes place on a succession of different film sets, while another finds you signing contracts with a devious spirit in a haunted forest. There's a surprisingly dark sense of humor underneath the whimsy, too, much like how Psychonauts uses its bright and friendly exterior to explore serious themes.
8 Omori
Speaking of using a bright exterior to explore serious themes, the indie RPG Omori shares the gameplay idea of exploring an inner world with Psychonauts 2. Admittedly, it's not the same genre; Psychonauts 2 is a 3D platformer, whereas Omori is a top-down horror RPG. But both games are deeply interested in how the mind can obfuscate deep truths, and what it would take for a person to face their innermost demons.
Omori's battle system also uses emotions as stat buffs or debuffs, which is a cool way of implementing aspects of mental health into its gameplay. This game has all the makings of a cult classic. But be aware that its content can be pretty intense, so you'll want to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:do some research before you start.
7 Gr♔avity ꧅Rush 2
The underappreciated Gravity Rush 2 is a definite must-play if you enjoyed Psychonauts 2. The original Gravity Rush was released as a launch title for the PS Vita, pairing a bright, comic-book-inspired aesthetic with mind-bending gravity-shifting gameplay; Gravity Rush 2 does everything its predecessor does, but amps it up to 11.
Its vertiginous world is massive, with tons of nooks and crannies to explore and interesting shifts in architecture, from the wealthy district high above the clouds to the slums down below. And the main character, Kat, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:oozes likeability; I bet she and Raz would be fast friends.
6 ཧ Broke♑n Age
Before Psychonauts 2 really cemented Double Fine's comeback, there was Broken Age, a throwback to designer Tim Schafer's original glory days as the director of point-and-click hits like Grim Fandango and Full Throttle.
It follows two teenagers, Shay and Vella, who are trapped in situations that seem out of their control; Shay lives alone on a spaceship seemingly designed for his childhood self, full of soft objects and boring fake adventures, while Vella is set to be sacrificed to a giant monster named Mog Chothra. The game is full of the same kind of charm and emotional depth that animates Psychonauts 2, and it's got great voice acting to boot.
5 Control
Though Control is much more serious in its tone and atmosphere than Psychonauts 2, fans of secret agents and psychic combat will find a lot to love in this one. Control is set in the Fede💛ral Bureau of Control, a secret government organizatioไn that deals with supernatural phenomena.
You play as Jesse Faden, a young woman 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:with a mysterious past, who arrives at the Bureau's brutalist headquarters to search for her brother Dylan. But the Bureau has been invaded by a malicious entity called The Hiss, which has possessed all of the other humans in the building. You use guns and psychic powers to battle your way through the building, manipulating the very fabric of reality itself. You know, normal stuff.
4 🔴 Kena: Bridge Of Spirits
If you enjoyed Psychonauts' supernatural combat and puzzle-solving but Control's serious vibe doesn't appeal to you, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Kena: Bridge Of Spirits might be more your speed. The game takes place in a forest corrupted by darkness, and𒈔 Kena - a young spirit guide - is tasked with finding its source.
Along the way, you'll help out the corrupted spirits of the deceased, who are unable to move on to the spirit world. Like Psychonauts, Kena's gorgeous visuals make the game feel like a playable cartoon; it's overflowing with detail and personality, but maintains an innocent spirit. It's as if your favorite 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:PS2 platformer was m𒐪💖ade into a PS5 game.
3 ও Lost In Random
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Lost in Random is another game that shares a playable-ca🌃rtoon feel with Psychonauts, but if Kena is a Pixar fable, Lost in Random is more like a spooky Tim Burton fairy tale.
You play as a young girl named Even, whose sister, Odd, is kidnapped by the evil Queen of Random. You have to travel through the game's eerie land to save her, fighting enemies using a unique dice-roll-based system. It's an incredibly unique take on the 3D action-adventure, full of oddball allure.
2 Celeste
You've probably heard of Celeste by now, as this tough-as-nails 2D platformer has become one of the biggest indie hits in recent years. But every inch of that praise is deserved; if you haven't played it, you should really remedy that, like, yesterday.
Like Psychonauts 2, Celeste uses platformer mechanics to discuss thorny issues of mental health and well-being; its steep difficulty is a way of expressing how frustrating and painful dealing with depression can be. But as hard as it is, Celeste is never unfair, striking just the right balance of accessibility and playabili♔ty. And if you get really stuck, Celeste offers a bunch of smart accessibility options that make it enjoyable for everyone.
1 ꩲ A🐻nodyne 2: Return To Dust
An undersung indie gem, Anodyne 2 takes Psychonauts' mind-hopping gameplay and spins a story of institutional corruption, marginalization, and self-discovery. You play as Nova, a girl who is born for the singular purpose of cleaning Dust from the minds of the world's citizens. As you travel through the overworld, you'll jump, Raz-style, into the heads of the quirky denizens to fix their problems. But as you clean out more citizens and discover more of the world, Nova begins to question her purpose.
The overworld sections are stylized in gorgeous low-poly 3D, while the inner worlds that you travel to are top-down 2D adventure levels reminiscent of old-school Zelda; at least, until the late game, where the very structure of its digital world starts to fray. Anodyne 2 is a genuine masterpiece with brilliant storytelling, a banging soundtrack, and consistently thoughtful and surprising gameplay. If you play just one game f🌺꧟rom this list, make it this one.