Psychonauts 2 was deliberately designed as the opposite of an action game or a shooter, in that protagonist Raz should leave every level in a better condition than when he entered it.
Speaking at Develop: Brighton 2024, Double Fine marketing and communications director James Spafford recalled how studio co-founder and Psychonauts 2 director Tim Schafer had told him about his approach to minds in the sequel. Schafer expressed that levels in Psychonauts 2 should be the "complete opposite" of what happens in a shooter.
