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Double Fine Productions is a studio that knows the ups and downs of game development all too well. Between the publication of deals gone through the cracks, layoffs, multiple game delays and a lawsuit involving two of the industry’s biggest video game companies, the team has had to contend with its fair share of instability.
When the company announced the sequel to its cult hit Psychonauts, founder Tim Schafer thought creating the game would be a “two-year cake,” Schafer told Polygon on a recent Zoom call. As it turns out, the title’s development has become a “five-year roller coaster.”
Although it took five years to create the first game, the team had learned a lot and Schafer felt better prepared for the sequel. This time around, however, there were new hurdles to overcome, Schafer explained. “No matter how many years you’ve spent in game development, there are new challenges, new teams, new technologies, which make every game unique,” he said.
Still, the team persisted. After three delays and financial difficulties from the former studio editor, Psychonauts 2 will finally be released on August 25. It’s been over five years since it was first announced as a Kickstarter campaign at the 2015 Game Awards.
Despite these issues, Schafer had a remarkably bright tone when he spoke about the game’s imminent release. Perhaps that’s because his studio is in a more stable location. Microsoft acquired the company in 2019, and now it looks like blue skies are ahead for Double Fine.
Psychonauts 2 marks a new chapter, a unique moment in the history of the studio. The story of the game also marks a life-changing for the protagonist of the series, the fearless young medium Razputin “Raz” Aquato, who ventures for the first time into the great official world of the Psychonauts HQ. The sequel picks up directly after the events of the VR game Psychonauts in the ruin diamond, which was fixed after the events of the first Psychonauts game released in 2005. Polygon played a preview of Psychonauts 2 on the Xbox Series X which included the first four hours of the game as well as some other sections.
When Raz arrives at Psychonauts HQ, he quickly realizes that it is nothing like the summer camp he attended in the first game. It’s a sprawling, futuristic corporate campus that’s a far cry from the rustic, rambling atmosphere of the camp. When he does show up, he faces a “new to the neighborhood” scenario. Raz is intimidated by other mediums and is given the role of intern.
Raz’s story parallels that of Double Fine in a way. At the start of the studio, it was a rambling operation started by former developers at LucasArts in a garage turned office in San Francisco. “We were the coolest kid in summer camp – and now we’re the smallest in the giant headquarters,” Schafer said. To be clear, Schafer didn’t intentionally write Raz’s story in relation to the studio situation, and there is no reference to Microsoft in the new game. “But who knows? You know what, that is. is the problem with art, you never know why you are making the choices you are making.
Unlike Double Fine, which has evolved a lot in recent years, Raz feels preserved over time. The sequel stays true to the formula of the first game by creating a storytelling-driven 3D platforming experience. As a medium, Raz travels through the minds of other characters and resolves their mental trauma by exploring their inner spirits and helping them overcome negative thoughts that manifest as bosses. The first part of the game is about Hollis Forsythe, a leader of the Pyschonaut HQ who has to deal with her own anxieties of leading the Psychonauts.
As the player character explores his mind for the first time, a real treasure hunt awaits him. Like the original Psychonauts, this game brings back fictions, which are floating drawings that help Raz level up. It also adds other ways to strengthen Raz. You will collect pins that give Raz specific powers; for example, a “glass cannon” greatly increases its power, but makes it particularly susceptible to attack. New abilities also await Raz; his new power of mental connection allows him to jump from thought to thought in the air, almost like a grappling hook between the tiny, swirling spirals that represent thoughts. Raz can also unite the brain lobes to improve his health and return the luggage tags to their “emotional baggage,” in his quest to move from being a simple intern.
Throughout it all, Raz maintains his boyish charm. “I really like the intensity of this really serious little kid who was a martial arts master,” Schafer said. “[Raz] doesn’t have an inch of sarcasm. When he talks about the Psychonauts, he is very serious about it. Like, he loves – he worships them, and he really wants to be one. In the game, every time you unlock a new psychic power for Raz, he gets a new patch on his messenger bag, and then he takes a little pose. It looks very dramatic, with spotlights and everything. It’s a way of helping us see Raz as he sees himself.
Schafer wants players to understand how Double Fine sees itself as well. Despite the Microsoft acquisition, one main mission remains true within the studio: They hope to lift the veil on game creation and show that games are made by people. Schafer told Gameserver, “I always wanted gamers and game makers to not feel that wall between them, that there were people making games and people playing them, because people who make games also play there a lot.
“I think most of the time you’re playing a game, you get so angry because you know your shotgun doesn’t have the right power you wanted, or something like that – but if you really knew how much work went into making this rifle work and the care taken in those decisions, i think it would only enhance your enjoyment of playing. The studio has created a documentary series on the development of the game Broken age for everyone to watch on YouTube, and Schafer has spoken openly about the challenges the studio has faced.
Schafer seems optimistic about the studio’s future with Microsoft. Additional support from Microsoft allowed Double Fine to completely complete the game, as well as add boss fights. Beyond that, Schafer told JeuxServer that he was “excited” that the game was coming to Xbox Game Pass. For him, being of service will allow many more people to benefit from it.
“When someone is in a retail store and they have a physical copy of a game and are trying to figure out which one to buy, it’s a tough decision,” Schafer said. “But when they’re on Game Pass, there are so many great games. They’re a lot more willing to try a weird-looking game, and we try to make some weird-looking games.
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