Man I love Raz's "I think you're a very confused person. And you don't know what you're messing with." line. It's an incredibly Psychonauts (and especially Psychonauts 2) thing to have one of the least redeemable villains in the franchise not even be outright vilified by the protagonist.
It was honestly exciting to see our friends and Bobby as figments... but it's also kind of a scary idea that someone as dangerous as Gristol was in camp next to those kids. Also, the line "Grulovia was amazing, I had a cotton candy machine in my bedroom" is so great because it really speaks to the volume of how entitled and self absorbed Gristol is. Grulovia was a country where the citizens suffered under the Gzar's cruel reign, but he lived in luxury, so that's the only thing that matters. That line really captures his entire character.
Also the line in the first verse of the ride's song "the people's complaints...drowned in prosperity!" plus his memories of the protesters' signs just reading things like "we're dumb" and "blah blah blah."
Gristol seems kinda harmless next to Oliander. Dude isn’t even psychic. Tbh, I have no idea how he managed to intimidate Lobato so much; I know he was invoking Maligula, but it’s unclear why Lobato took him seriously in the first place.
I love how instead of diving back in like a generic hero, Raz understands that he is outmatched and says that he is going to need some help from other people. He is, as a kid, way smarter than most adults are.
It's funny that when I first heard the name "Nick Johnsmith," I said "Haha, that sounds like a fake name." And then moved on and didn't think about it again.
I wish the game made you find the brain, instead of resolving it off screen. The “basket box egg” mystery is interesting, it would be nice if the game actually rewarded you for solving it
Back in Ford's mail brain there was a mail/package from the Gzar to Maligula that looked like a bomb, with wires coming off of it They planted hints very early on about how she turned xD
I find it interesting that Gzarina Rokel, Gristol’s mother isn’t mentioned apart from being his mum. I’d guess it shows how self-absorbed he is that he doesn’t find his mothers presence after Theodore’s death or presumably her death as something important in his mind.
I just love how the main villain in this game is not someone who is 'crazy' or even a pyschic, but someone so self-conceited and vain that he thinks that releasing the 'dam' of Maligula will not only destroy the organization he blames for his ruin but also restore him to power (even if it is as a puppet).
Are we sure Gristol's not psychic? - Someone put a hypnotic suggestion on Loboto, strong enough that none of the Psychonauts could break, that prevents him from telling them who hired him, even though he wants to. - Nick Johnsmith got a job at the Motherlobe, passed their (presumably psychic) hiring and audit process, and no one has any opinion of him other than 'Oh that guy? He's great'. - The 'costuming room' in his brain seems like a deliberate, constructed, purposeful space. Maybe that's just a thing that people can do, but it 'feels' a lot like the explicitly artificial spaces we've seen in the minds of Loboto and Nona, or Hallis and Sasha.
@@seancoleman3850 i believe someone, possibly Hollis, actually says Nick isnt psychic but its never touched on after the reveal. Its implied though that he was somehow able to do all this without any actual "powers" so normal people may be able to do things like this with motivation and training.
@@LazyDogJumper I mean creating a mind palace is something regular people can do in the real world, so it makes sense that he could manage to make some intentional design within his mind even if he isn't psychic. It's possible that during the Psychonaut's screening process whoever hired him didn't look past the surface level of his mind (which he may have constructed a facade over) and didn't see him as a threat since he isn't psychic.
17:12 A subtle touch here. Note the ginormous supply of caviar on this slide, then note that every can displayed on the next slide is empty. Even taking into account Gristol's voracious appetite, there's a timeskip here, during which Gristol had no intention of retaking his homeland. But once the caviar runs out, out come the waterworks and the oaths of vengeance.
Psychonauts 2 has been a very needed breath of fresh air from the near constant buggy, hollow, AAA games that get released these days. I am so greatful for Double Fine and everyone involved.
Just noticed the egg basket thing next to the loboto robot might be talking about when, in the very first level of the game, loboto was talking about that. Wow my explanation is confusing. Amazing gameplay btw!! Love ur videos!
The sign makes it clear what the "old egg" is at last. ... box, in the ocean. ... whelp, that's going to take the 7th psyconaught to find THAT, in the big water.
Im actually really impressed by how Gristol turned out as a character. This type of self absorbed almost fanatic character is very hard to write, never the less make them a understandable character. I can actually find myself *understanding* why Gristol is the way he is. I can understand his motives and why he does the things any sane person would consider objectively evil. Thats something I have seen many attempt and only really one or two actually succeed at.
That caviar thing is such a brilliant idea. Such a perfect illustration of how spoiled and entitled Gristol is. And used very effectively in that second slideshow.
Gristol remembering campers like Dogen when first meeting Ford implies that he's only worked for the Psychonauts for a few days. And he managed to become the most loved employee within that short timeframe? That's impressive. Also, I never noticed the shrinking Raz effect before, that's so cool!
That's contradicted by Lily remembering her dad not liking Nick. I think those figments are there more as a nod for the fans, but I agree it sends a confusing message regarding the timeline.
@@Xitoshi the Psychonauts timeline is kind of confusing in general. Thorney Towers closed over 55 years ago according to the canon timeline but that would mean the remaining patients are 70 years old at the youngest and also they've been there with no food or consumable water for 55 years. A magazine from Ford's Follicles is dated in the year 1960 and the battle with Maligula took place 20 years ago so that must mean the game takes place in the 1980's right? No, the Campster pages were written in 2003. My general philosophy is "don't think about it too hard, because it's not very important."
@@Robots2124 So, the Archer approach to when it takes place: "It takes place in whatever time period is most convenient for the story. Don't worry about it."
11:45: I don't know how, exactly, they keep doing those portal effects, but I'm glad they do. Makes these minds seem _so_ much less...physical. 15:05: Also that one, which I wouldn't have noticed without Dan's pro animator eye. 20:15: Nick is terrible at singing, in a way that isn't grating on the ears. It just establishes that he's not good at harmonizing with others. _chef's kiss_ 24:20: Technically, neither Raz not Nona knew that until like an hour ago, so she's still _emotionally_ his grandma. 1:20: It's not easy to make platforming feel perilous even through a Let's Play, but this is...that. 7:20: And just to prove Dan's point, Gristol's brain _slowly_ closing a trap around Raz. 16:55: I don't know what he expected would happen. 18:55: Thank you, Dan/Raz. 22:55: Every country is amazing if you get to be in the ruling class. 29:10: Someone who could swim would be an asset right about now.
Wow, this is the second game I have seen with time travel ending up with a big Waterspout and the total erasure of a world... I mean I have complete confidence in your saving them all.
"You guys said I was crazy for wearing that around the Motherlobe! Well, look at us now!" "Oleander, if you tried to wear that out here you'd still be flopping on the doorstep." "Exactly!"
I get why it happened, but I wish that Sacha and Milla and Coach Oleander got to be more involved in this game, instead of sitting in the background for most of it.
Fun fact: You can stop the music in Gristol Malik's mind. There are hidden rooms with music players, and you can get an achievement for finding all of them. You nailed it on your guess their, Dan.
I love how they intentionally made Elijah Wood sing off key - I’m sure he could have nailed the tune but I have no doubt they just made him totally mess it up, heh
I just had a realization: it was well established that Loboto was insane, much more than Coach. From the info in this episode we know that Loboto was in contact with Gristol this whole time. Was the old memory vault from the first game,"The World Shall Taste My Eggs", Lobotos interpretation of Gristol's plan?
Yeah, I think Tim Shaeffer had the idea for Psychonauts 2 when he was doing the 1st one, he just never got the chance to make it (until now) because of the poor sales of Psychnauts 1.
I had a feeling that Nick from the mailroom was the mole, in part from the clues you mentioned last episode, and in part from the fact that "Nick Johnsmith" just sounds like a fake name someone would come up with trying to sound extremely normal and unassuming. Also, thank you for your understanding regarding the music in the main ride sections of this level. I'm glad that you're enjoying it, but listening for it for too long makes me want to claw my own ears off. Also, Gristol's obsession with eggs makes me think back to the weird memory vault from Psychonauts 1 that was in Raz's-and-kinda-Oleander's mind called, "The World Shall Suck My Eggs!" Didn't that memory vault have someone's brain crossing a large body of water for some reason? I might be overthinking it.
Honestly? I got kinda creeped out the moment after that maddening music suddenly stopped when Dan smashed the record-player. It was as if something was missing.
iirc, we only see panic attacks in Helmutt's mind, potentially the Psychometers (depends on when you do them), Nona's, and Bob's(?) and now in Gristol's brain. Helmutt's panic attacks are obvious, the psychometers probably picked them up from other people's minds, Nona's panic attack was right next to the near-collapsed damn holding Maligula back, and Gristol's panic attack shows up in his memory of the invading force Maligula stopped before she was used against the protestors and snapped. Not sure Bob had panic attacks, and if he did I'm not sure why, either.
Man I love Raz's "I think you're a very confused person. And you don't know what you're messing with." line. It's an incredibly Psychonauts (and especially Psychonauts 2) thing to have one of the least redeemable villains in the franchise not even be outright vilified by the protagonist.
How to tell Gristol is a villain: There's a gift shop in his own brain.
25$ for a tiny doll?!
Very true
@@sofer2230 it's $1 for the plush, but $24 for the metal breafcase
It was honestly exciting to see our friends and Bobby as figments... but it's also kind of a scary idea that someone as dangerous as Gristol was in camp next to those kids.
Also, the line "Grulovia was amazing, I had a cotton candy machine in my bedroom" is so great because it really speaks to the volume of how entitled and self absorbed Gristol is. Grulovia was a country where the citizens suffered under the Gzar's cruel reign, but he lived in luxury, so that's the only thing that matters. That line really captures his entire character.
Also the fact he sees Lucy/Malligula as a tool to achieve his own goals - the exact same mistake his father made.
Also the line in the first verse of the ride's song "the people's complaints...drowned in prosperity!" plus his memories of the protesters' signs just reading things like "we're dumb" and "blah blah blah."
But they unanimously elected us every year!
"Our friends and Bobby" well put xD
Gristol seems kinda harmless next to Oliander. Dude isn’t even psychic. Tbh, I have no idea how he managed to intimidate Lobato so much; I know he was invoking Maligula, but it’s unclear why Lobato took him seriously in the first place.
I still can't get over the awesome name for the ride engineer. Whoever came up with propagandeer had a stroke of genius!
It's a play on Disney's "imagineers." Just instead of spreading imagination they're spreading propaganda lol
@@reperfan4 yeah, that's what I thought too.
@@reperfan4 that's wat makes it so good :)
I love how instead of diving back in like a generic hero, Raz understands that he is outmatched and says that he is going to need some help from other people. He is, as a kid, way smarter than most adults are.
It's funny that when I first heard the name "Nick Johnsmith," I said "Haha, that sounds like a fake name." And then moved on and didn't think about it again.
I'm laughing at Dan commenting on the "Egg, Basket, Old Egg, Box" sign, then immediately afterward asking where the brain could be.
To be fair, it's not unreasonable to think the box isn't a box when the basket isn't a basket (and the eggs aren't eggs).
@@timothymclean It literally shows a picture of Truman's head with the caption of "basket" and a picture of the box he carries with the caption "box"
*You put the egg in the basket, and the old egg in the box, and the box in the ocean."
I wish the game made you find the brain, instead of resolving it off screen. The “basket box egg” mystery is interesting, it would be nice if the game actually rewarded you for solving it
Back in Ford's mail brain there was a mail/package from the Gzar to Maligula that looked like a bomb, with wires coming off of it
They planted hints very early on about how she turned xD
It didnt just look like a bomb, it ticked loudly and you are forced to pass it. Its a very big clue but kindof only on the second run through.
I find it interesting that Gzarina Rokel, Gristol’s mother isn’t mentioned apart from being his mum. I’d guess it shows how self-absorbed he is that he doesn’t find his mothers presence after Theodore’s death or presumably her death as something important in his mind.
I think she's the one puffing him up.
I'm sure she narrates the stuff in the ride.
I just love how the main villain in this game is not someone who is 'crazy' or even a pyschic, but someone so self-conceited and vain that he thinks that releasing the 'dam' of Maligula will not only destroy the organization he blames for his ruin but also restore him to power (even if it is as a puppet).
Are we sure Gristol's not psychic?
- Someone put a hypnotic suggestion on Loboto, strong enough that none of the Psychonauts could break, that prevents him from telling them who hired him, even though he wants to.
- Nick Johnsmith got a job at the Motherlobe, passed their (presumably psychic) hiring and audit process, and no one has any opinion of him other than 'Oh that guy? He's great'.
- The 'costuming room' in his brain seems like a deliberate, constructed, purposeful space. Maybe that's just a thing that people can do, but it 'feels' a lot like the explicitly artificial spaces we've seen in the minds of Loboto and Nona, or Hallis and Sasha.
@@seancoleman3850 i believe someone, possibly Hollis, actually says Nick isnt psychic but its never touched on after the reveal. Its implied though that he was somehow able to do all this without any actual "powers" so normal people may be able to do things like this with motivation and training.
@@LazyDogJumper I mean creating a mind palace is something regular people can do in the real world, so it makes sense that he could manage to make some intentional design within his mind even if he isn't psychic. It's possible that during the Psychonaut's screening process whoever hired him didn't look past the surface level of his mind (which he may have constructed a facade over) and didn't see him as a threat since he isn't psychic.
@@futurehistoryarchaeologist4480 this seems the most likely solution and opens up possibilities, lore wise.
I love all of Dan's little noises while he rolls the egg. It makes me feel better that other people make weird noises while playing video games.
It made me feel better about making the same noises while watching him do it lol
17:12 A subtle touch here. Note the ginormous supply of caviar on this slide, then note that every can displayed on the next slide is empty. Even taking into account Gristol's voracious appetite, there's a timeskip here, during which Gristol had no intention of retaking his homeland. But once the caviar runs out, out come the waterworks and the oaths of vengeance.
Psychonauts 2 has been a very needed breath of fresh air from the near constant buggy, hollow, AAA games that get released these days.
I am so greatful for Double Fine and everyone involved.
I do really love this mind.
It is not my favorite but I love the fact that the Public Persona is different to what is going on under the blanket.
And so we discover that the incident that set this game's plot in motion was... a royal brat running out of caviar.
And a circus brat running on lollipops defeats him
Just noticed the egg basket thing next to the loboto robot might be talking about when, in the very first level of the game, loboto was talking about that. Wow my explanation is confusing. Amazing gameplay btw!! Love ur videos!
you put the egg in tha basket, the old egg in the box and the box in the ocean....
On a tangent, you should have called it the Roboto. Or maybe Dr. Roboto?
The sign makes it clear what the "old egg" is at last. ... box, in the ocean. ... whelp, that's going to take the 7th psyconaught to find THAT, in the big water.
The writing is so on point. And the ride kinda mirrors the boat ride in Ford's mind in a way.
Im actually really impressed by how Gristol turned out as a character.
This type of self absorbed almost fanatic character is very hard to write, never the less make them a understandable character.
I can actually find myself *understanding* why Gristol is the way he is.
I can understand his motives and why he does the things any sane person would consider objectively evil.
Thats something I have seen many attempt and only really one or two actually succeed at.
That caviar thing is such a brilliant idea. Such a perfect illustration of how spoiled and entitled Gristol is. And used very effectively in that second slideshow.
Gristol remembering campers like Dogen when first meeting Ford implies that he's only worked for the Psychonauts for a few days. And he managed to become the most loved employee within that short timeframe? That's impressive.
Also, I never noticed the shrinking Raz effect before, that's so cool!
The campers were there several years in a row.... But I think you're right about Dogen, it seemed like his first time at camp.
That's contradicted by Lily remembering her dad not liking Nick. I think those figments are there more as a nod for the fans, but I agree it sends a confusing message regarding the timeline.
@@Xitoshi the Psychonauts timeline is kind of confusing in general. Thorney Towers closed over 55 years ago according to the canon timeline but that would mean the remaining patients are 70 years old at the youngest and also they've been there with no food or consumable water for 55 years. A magazine from Ford's Follicles is dated in the year 1960 and the battle with Maligula took place 20 years ago so that must mean the game takes place in the 1980's right? No, the Campster pages were written in 2003.
My general philosophy is "don't think about it too hard, because it's not very important."
@@Robots2124 So, the Archer approach to when it takes place: "It takes place in whatever time period is most convenient for the story. Don't worry about it."
Just repeat to yourself it's just a show, I should really just relax.
20:57 The backmasked lyrics here are "Grulovia, Grulovia! / You're always right!"
20:50 the best reference to Willy Wonka's tunnel ride. Only missing Gristol singing something wacky with it.
Omg, what if all the Aquatos are gonna stand up against Maligula? That would be so cool!
Water
11:45: I don't know how, exactly, they keep doing those portal effects, but I'm glad they do. Makes these minds seem _so_ much less...physical.
15:05: Also that one, which I wouldn't have noticed without Dan's pro animator eye.
20:15: Nick is terrible at singing, in a way that isn't grating on the ears. It just establishes that he's not good at harmonizing with others. _chef's kiss_
24:20: Technically, neither Raz not Nona knew that until like an hour ago, so she's still _emotionally_ his grandma.
1:20: It's not easy to make platforming feel perilous even through a Let's Play, but this is...that.
7:20: And just to prove Dan's point, Gristol's brain _slowly_ closing a trap around Raz.
16:55: I don't know what he expected would happen.
18:55: Thank you, Dan/Raz.
22:55: Every country is amazing if you get to be in the ruling class.
29:10: Someone who could swim would be an asset right about now.
Wow, this is the second game I have seen with time travel ending up with a big Waterspout and the total erasure of a world... I mean I have complete confidence in your saving them all.
i mean, there's no time travel here
@@anitaheartkey6315 Helmut's Time Bubble
Ohhh there's a reference to Stacking in the platform with the steamer trunk! How cool is that!
Huh?
@@timothymclean Stacking is another of Double Fine's games, the one with Russian stacking dolls as characters. And one of them is next to the trunk :)
Where is that mermaid tail when you really need it...
"You guys said I was crazy for wearing that around the Motherlobe! Well, look at us now!"
"Oleander, if you tried to wear that out here you'd still be flopping on the doorstep."
"Exactly!"
I get why it happened, but I wish that Sacha and Milla and Coach Oleander got to be more involved in this game, instead of sitting in the background for most of it.
To Dan. Verb. To seek with intent to collect all of a thing.
"You put the egg in the basket, and the old egg in the box, and the box in the ocean."
The actually are three record players, the first one is pretty obvious.
Fun fact: You can stop the music in Gristol Malik's mind.
There are hidden rooms with music players, and you can get an achievement for finding all of them.
You nailed it on your guess their, Dan.
A personal favorite touch is that Raz's codename is Eggbeater and Gristol is obsessed with eggs.
Thank you for breaking the record player, I mean you let the other two play but I will take what I can get
🎼🎶Little old lady from Gulovia go granny go granny go go go 🎵
Don't know if Dan is being coy at 14:03 however I suppose the answer lies in episode 2 around 8:40 for those that want to find it
It's amazing how many of this game's problems could have been solved if Norma wasn't there.
Glad Lili has gotten some much needed screen time.
"You put the egg in the basket
and the old egg in the box
and the box in the ocean"
Let them eat caviar...
More like, "Actually, just give all the caviar to me. Who cares if peasants have anything to eat?"
The “egg, basket, box” mystery is a pretty interesting, it’s a shame the game resolved it off screen
Ok, so I'm trying to sleep and all I can hear is the grulovia song, like seriously, I want to sleep, please release me from captivity
I was brave,
and did my best,
but the music got stuck in my head.
Grulovia, Grulovia
Sing with us in-stead!
Grulovia! Grulovia!
Our song is inside you!
Grulovia! Grulovia!
The worm shall now consume.
Heck yea baby! Binge watched these over the course of a week. Had to wait 3 days for ep 26 so that was annoying but its back!
"It didn't work out." yeah....yeah you could say that.....
I love how they intentionally made Elijah Wood sing off key - I’m sure he could have nailed the tune but I have no doubt they just made him totally mess it up, heh
there is a gramophone in each of those sections that you can destroy, and you get an achievement for doing so
I just had a realization: it was well established that Loboto was insane, much more than Coach. From the info in this episode we know that Loboto was in contact with Gristol this whole time. Was the old memory vault from the first game,"The World Shall Taste My Eggs", Lobotos interpretation of Gristol's plan?
Yeah, I think Tim Shaeffer had the idea for Psychonauts 2 when he was doing the 1st one, he just never got the chance to make it (until now) because of the poor sales of Psychnauts 1.
I had a feeling that Nick from the mailroom was the mole, in part from the clues you mentioned last episode, and in part from the fact that "Nick Johnsmith" just sounds like a fake name someone would come up with trying to sound extremely normal and unassuming. Also, thank you for your understanding regarding the music in the main ride sections of this level. I'm glad that you're enjoying it, but listening for it for too long makes me want to claw my own ears off. Also, Gristol's obsession with eggs makes me think back to the weird memory vault from Psychonauts 1 that was in Raz's-and-kinda-Oleander's mind called, "The World Shall Suck My Eggs!" Didn't that memory vault have someone's brain crossing a large body of water for some reason? I might be overthinking it.
Oh the music 😊❤
"The egg is mine, Sam!"
13:04 I did the exact same thing. Something must be wrong with the placement of that spinner...
If ou look closely in the gift shoppe you can see THE DUMB FACT THAT GRISTOL HAS FUNKO POPS OF RAZ AND LILI
How much time passes between theses minds and the outside would
15:40 - It was at this exact moment that I lost my patience with the singing.
How long did you last, ladies, gentlemen and the rest of you?
Honestly? I got kinda creeped out the moment after that maddening music suddenly stopped when Dan smashed the record-player. It was as if something was missing.
Loboto does not have a good protected mind but he is not crazy with panic attacks why is everyone have major panic attacks
iirc, we only see panic attacks in Helmutt's mind, potentially the Psychometers (depends on when you do them), Nona's, and Bob's(?) and now in Gristol's brain. Helmutt's panic attacks are obvious, the psychometers probably picked them up from other people's minds, Nona's panic attack was right next to the near-collapsed damn holding Maligula back, and Gristol's panic attack shows up in his memory of the invading force Maligula stopped before she was used against the protestors and snapped. Not sure Bob had panic attacks, and if he did I'm not sure why, either.
@@treyslider6954 thanks for explaining
Nick from the mail room
18:45 An illusory wall? What is this, Dark Souls??
Yay early again can’t wait to watch
i love thiis game but I also want to save some of it for when I play but I also wanNa see that finaleeeee
Yoo i'm early again. Love the series by the way