When first booting up on Psychonauts 2, a disclaimer of sorts greets players. Such screens aren’t uncommon when playing video games. Plenty of games have warnings about strobing lights or similarities to real-life people and events only being coincidental. Psychonauts 2’s is different. It isn’t a legal liability clause but a mental health advisory, warning that the game deals with issues like addiction and PTSD that may be upsetting to some folks. Some may gloss over this screen with a shrug or even dismiss it as an increasingly common content warning that may not be relevant to them. As ComicBook.com sets about choosing releases to highlight for its annual celebration of the best games of the year, that mental health advisory is emblematic of why Psychonauts 2 is a part of that group, representing the amount of care and empathy put towards exploring these subjects entertainingly.
