Psychonauts 2

If you’re looking for: an action-platforming adventure with wonderful characters and positive vibes
Available on: Xbox One, Series X/S, and PC

Psychonauts 2 sure took a long time to arrive, with the original having launched all the way back in 2005. Tons of trends in gaming have come and gone since then, and Psychonauts 2 arrived in 2021 with solid writing, platforming, and far better combat action than its beloved but uneven predecessor. In our review of Psychonauts 2, Zack Zwiezen had this to say regarding the combat’s more successful treatment in the sequel:

You can now freely map any four powers to the triggers and shoulder buttons, which is very useful for areas that rely on specific abilities. For example, you might need both the ability to slow time and the power to zip around thought bubbles to get through a gauntlet of spinning blades over pits of death. But after that, you may want psi-blast back, to take out some tiny enemies spawning in waves. So you just quickly swap out your powers; nothing is locked away behind too many menus. Being able to quickly map powers to whatever buttons you prefer keeps you immersed in the action and does away with some of the first game’s unnecessary frustration.

Psychonauts 2 also manages to cover some rough topics concerning mental health and personal struggles, but it always does so with a caring and cautious approach.