I have never actually played the first game, so this will be based purely off of the story and aesthetic.

I love the first game. It's the begining of the series and is a fantastic foundation for the series. The game is just all around a solid experience and I love it so much.

Raz is so sassy in this game and it cracks me up. He's so excited to be the cool new kid, it's so cute. Given the context of the second game, it's really no surprise he has such an atitude. He finally has a chance to be someone outside of his family and the circus and he immediately goes for the coolest, raddest ten year old ever. Also it's really cute how he interacts with the other campers. They are all such great examples of kids that age. Sasha and Milla are fantastic and they should kiss. I love all the Thorney Towers patients, dispite the occasional misguided joke made at their expense. The whole game is just consistently well meaning and I love it a lot.

Basic Braining

Basic Braining is a great tutorial. While doing a great job teaching you how to use the basic mechanics, it also does so much to characterize Coach Oleander. The memory vault? Fantastic, I love how the game immediately shows how tough Coach's mental defenses are. I don't think there has been a proper false memory vault in the games since that one. The constant commentary does get grating, but it's funny enough. I LOVE the atmostphere at the ending. Just silence and a bright white room. The little detail of the bunnies on the trim is so fun. They do a good job of setting him up as the villain, even if it's not a huge surprise. Good level.

Brain Tumbler Experiment

I'm putting the whole Brain Tumbler Experiment in one section. It's pretty cool, nothing crazy. The start is super cool, it's the only peak we get into Raz's mind throughout all the games. The transition into the strange meld of his and Coach's Mind is great. The egg is very good, esspecially considering the Lungfish vault. The atmostphere is *muah* very soggy. Love the vines, the big ole bathtub, (that in retrospect makes me a little sad) and the literal thorny tower. I love the pacing with the other levels, having to return to the experiment every time you get a new ability. Very nice, yes yes yes.

Sasha's Shooting Gallery

Sasha's level is so cool. It's such a great exploration of his character. He talks about how it's important to keep some pressure valves open so you don't snap, but god was he RIGHT on the edge huh. The only censor valve we see is the one at the begining, releasing the bare minimum. He's so tight wound. His vaults are very good too. The first is so tragic, you can really feel the greif of his dad. And his lil baby hands just barely in frame! OUgh... The second one is also sad. It's very precious seeing little Sasha, so curious about his mom. And the vision of her as an angel is so nice! The last one...woof I really don't blame him for leaving. Immediatly tainting the precious few memories he has of his mom can't have felt great. I like the theory that he worked at a factory and that's where he learnt how to regulate his emotions with a pressure valve. I just love the aesthetic. His mind is just a prim and proper cube, full of emotions he pushes beneath the surface.

Milla's Dance Party

I LOVE this level. It introduces the best mechanic in the game, the vibes are on point, the visuals are stunning and it delivers the most gut punching backstory of the game so far. We all know the lev ball is peak, that's just the truth. The way this level lets you play with the physics of it is so fun. The lights and the music is so fun. The different responses of the campers are so cute, I love how sassy they all are. The whole level is so cheery and bright and then you go in the secret room. The build up to the toy chest is great. The pleas from Milla are perfect, still so gentle dispite being scared that Raz will see her demons. The vault is devestating, the scene where you see the voices calling out to her???? The kids she loved and cared for???? SCREAMing for help as they burn alive?!?!?!? Holy shit dude. And in the toy chest it's her Nightmares being literaly held back by bars, spitting words of blame and vitriol. And Milla just goes and plucks Raz out, disregarding how visiting the toy box might make her feel because Raz is in danger and she needs to save him. Ough I love Milla so much.

Lungfishopolis

ALL HAIL GOGGALOR!
Before the actual mental world you get that underwater segment and it's mid so let's skip that. I find this level fun, but mostly inconsequential. It's really funny, I love the rebel guys. They're really funny with their pamphlets. You get to be the big kaiju and destroy the city. Of course, the iconic mental vault. Love the egg brains. The idea that coaches idea of how to mid control a fish is to turn it's mind into a propaganda filled city is hilarious. The boss fight is fun, very goofy. Idk I don't have many thoughts on this one. It's good. Linda is the G.O.A.T., what a magical lady :)

The Milkman Conspiracy

Ah, the milkman. His milk is delicious. This level is so damn cool. The g-men everywhere, the cameras and antenae sticking out from everywhere, the CCTV camera angles???? It's so cool. Even the layout perfectly represents Boyd's paranoia. The neighbourhood is literaly twisted, bending over itself. Of course, it also introduces a very fun ability. Clairvoyance is so fun. I know it doesn't do much in the rest of the game, but it's still fun seeing how everybody sees Raz. All the little drawing are so cute. Also, back to the g-men, they are hilarious. I love their voice lines, all monotone and stupid, and how gulible they are. The Rainbow Squirts are funny, little freaks. Getting into the den is annoying. It's hard to figure out, but pobodies nerfect. Love that the Den Mother's secret tunnel is behind the wall-mounted ironing board. The fight is cool, one of the few times you actually have to use clairvoyance. I like that the milkman is just in the middle of the arena as you beat this woman up lol. I am glad the second game delved into consequences for Raz's action because he did not help out Boyd. He fully unlocked a sleeper arsonist and kept going like that's fine?? No?? Anyways I hope Boyd is doing okay after being fucking exorcised by the end of the game.

Gloria's theater

I like Gloria's theater. Bonita Soleil is my wife. It is a shame that they did that voice gag, but I love how the fandom has embraced it. I do think it's funny that she listens to a crying tape to help her focus on her acting, queen behavior. This level is really cool character wise. The idea that Gloria spends all day reliving the most traumatic moments of her life is genuinely heartbreaking. Her zest for life and performance is literaly hiding backstage. The part of her brain in charge of her emotions desperatly trying to direct them and every thing is going wrong. Jasper is done very well. It's so sad that he's the only audience member in the whole theater. I love the voice acting for the stage actors. It's such exagerated bad acting and it's so fun. The actual level is fine. The mechanics are kinda wack, having to find the scripts and change the scenery. It's not the worst or anything, it's just kinda okay. :/ not much else to say.

Waterloo World

I LOVE this level conceptualy. It's such a strange concept for a platformer but they make it work so well. The whole board game, having to change your size to work on more and more detailed things. This level has some of my favourite voice lines (he just told me some of his best friends are...the people!). All the peasents being so ready to die, the snails, go get me my special musket. It's seems like such a great level, but Fred as a character is kind of boring. It feels like they really wanted to play with the whole "guy thinks he's Bonaparte" trope and didn't think much furthur. Like, Fred is fine, he's great, but compared to the other thorny towers residents, he's kinda bland? I want to know about where his learned helplessness comes from instead of focusing in on "this guy things he's Bonaparte hee hee hoo hoo". Levels great, Fred's fine.

Black Velvetopia

This level is goddamn gorgeous. UGH it looks so cool. I love the mix of the vibrant velvet paintings and Dogs Playing Poker. All the npc's are so cute, I love the lil dogs. Actually navigating is a bit messy since the alleys are so thin. I like the paintings, I think that's a cool mechanic. The luchador aesthetic on the mini bosses is so fun, they look so cute. I love the whole delusion about the bull fighting and the reveal in the sewers. His backstory might not be the saddest, but the way the level is you do end up feeling for Edgar anyways. It's very clear that it affected him severely. Also, very sweet that the luchadors aren't killed, they just retire to the garden. They are still in his head, like Jasper the critic in Gloria's mind, but they are calmer and helping with upkeep. That's so cute.

Meat Circus

What can one say about Meat Circus. Again I've never actually played the game, but I have heard about Meat Circus. The horrrible escort mission, the crazy platforming, the projectiles. Even with the updates they've done, it's still pretty awful to play. But I don't care. I love this level. The set dressing is so fun I love it. The meatmen, the pillbugs, the tents. I love meaty, gory art, and I love clowns and this level is the perfect intersection. The winding platforms climbing the tent is so cool. I think about that one ladder slide all the time. Litte Oly is so cute, poor boy, even if his cries get really annoying. I think it's so sweet that Raz's Dad comes to help his son fight off the scewed version of himself in Raz's mind. Giving him everything he's got. Proving that their relationship can and will get better. And the reveal that Augustus is also psychic is so good. I love it. The ending to this game is wonderful. The new found confidence Augustus has in Raz, letting him go off dispite how he knows Donatella will react. I do think the coach should've probably gotten more of a punishment? Even like a temporary demotion or something. Either way, I like the ending. I love this game.