The Invincibility Mode In ‘Psychonauts 2’ Will Make It A Better Game

One of the biggest cult hits of the Xbox/PlayStation 2 generation of consoles was the bizarre and entertaining Psychonauts. Directed by Tim Schafer and developed by Double Fine Productions, Psychonauts was praised for being a game that dared to be unique in art style and tone. As time went on, it became an example of a game that aged extremely well thanks to its quirks, and when a sequel was announced in 2015, there was a notable excitement surrounding it. Video game fans couldn’t wait to get back into that world.

Double Fine saw this adoration for their game and decided to make an admirable decision: They wanted to make sure that everyone could experience their game. Whether it was longtime fans, newcomers, or people that have never played a video game before, Psychonauts 2, which will come out later this year, is going to be a game for everyone to enjoy. So apparently, they’ve added an invincibility mode to the whole thing. The way they announced this was actually very funny, because it was in response to a tweet from Xbox about how beating a game on the lowest difficulty is still beating the game.

Unfortunately, the response to this tweet wasn’t exactly positive. There were complaints about video games being too easy and how nobody has truly beaten a game unless they’ve played it at the difficulty the developers intended. Essentially, it was a lot of people gloating about how they’re very good at video games. Double Fine was having none of this and doubled down on their original statement.

Everything Double Fine said is correct. Video games are not something that should be walled off to only those that want to experience a challenge. Video games are meant to be accessible and enjoyed by everyone. It’s an art form and there’s never a good reason to exclude people that want to experience it. When video games have easier difficulties — or an invincibility mode, in the case of Psychonauts 2 — they are not just allowing more people to experience their game, but as a developer, they’re making a conscious decision to be inclusive. There are people who want to play games because they love the stories they tell or the gameplay associated with them, but are unable to experience them for various reasons. Games like Psychonauts 2 are embracing these people and telling them that games are for them, too, and members of that community feel supported because of it.

Psychonauts 2 is going to be a better game because it has an invincibility mode. Video games are for everyone, and if a developer wants to add an invincibility mode, then good on them. More games should consider it.

-----------------------

By: Chris Barnewall
Title: The Invincibility Mode In ‘Psychonauts 2’ Will Make It A Better Game
Sourced From: feedproxy.google.com/~r/uproxx/withleather/~3/3gI8lQo2Xqw/
Published Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 10:20:06 PDT