Kara Dennison
August 21, 2021 
Psychonauts 2 is almost here! As we revisit the original name from Double Fine, about a psychic spy kids at summer camp, we can’t help but think… This game would have made an amazing anime.
No, really. Think about it. It has a cast of adventurous kids, it’s full of weird action sequences, it messes with your head… Still not on board? No worries, we’re here to be as convincing as possible.
Multiple Settings with Cool Designs
You know how in Kingdom Hearts, Sora gets a different look for every world he visits? That’s how it is with Psychonauts… or, rather, how it was intended to be. Protagonist Raz Aquato, a ten-year-old boy with amazing psychic powers, dives into people’s minds to help them unlock secrets and solve problems. Think Persona 5 a la early 2000s Cartoon Network fare. But cooler.
Each person’s mind is themed to their personality and the issue they face. For example, lovelorn artist Edgar Teglee’s mind is Black Velvetopia, which is just as the name suggests. This is the only lvel where Raz changes his look to match his surroundings. But with an animated adaptation, maybe that early idea could be re-explored.
Lungfishopolis Specifically
Your anime is automatically cooler if you can work in a tokusatsu pastiche. And Psychonauts is already prepared!
The mental world of the giant lungfish Linda is a kaiju movie tribute, with Raz appearing as a giant to a city of terrified lungfish. But Goggalor (his name according to the townsfolk) is a friend to all the fishies, and is here to save them from the influences of the mind-controlling “Kochamara.” It’s up to you, as Raz, to fight this Ultraman wannabe and free the “people” of the town. And wouldn’t that look cool in an anime? It already looks cool in the game.
It’s Got So Much Steve Blum
What’s the number one thing anime and Psychonauts have in common? Steve Blum is everywhere. The ever-present anime dub actor appears in three separate stages of the game. Though you’ll hear him the most in the Milkman Conspiracy level — a mishmash of 20th century conspiracy theories — as all the G-Men you have to sneak past.
Keep an ear out for him in the aforementioned stages of the game, too. He’s the wrestler known as Tiger in Black Velvetopia, and a lungfish in Lungfishopolis. See? He’s everywhere. What more do you need to know?
Are you excited for Psychonauts 2? Would you watch it come to life as an anime? We sure would.
