–Bob Zanotto
Bob's Bottles is a level in Psychonauts 2. It takes place inside the mental world of Bob Zanotto.
Description[]
Bob's Bottles takes the form of a tiny planet covered in water, that's dotted with small islands. The inner Bob can typically be found on one such island. Many of the others seem to feature memories of other people in his life, but the ocean keeps him separated from them. Some especially painful memories in particular have ended up at the bottom of enormous bottles that wash up on the islands' shores when Razputin starts poking around. These bottles contain entirely separate areas of Bob's mind that Bob has left deserted and dilapidated in an effort not to be reminded of the ruined relationships they represent: one for Bob's mother Tia; one for his nephew Truman; and one for his husband Helmut. However, these areas also contain seeds, which Bob needs for the gardening on his own little island to have any chance of bearing fruit.
Uniquely, when Razputin enters this world, he is seen coming out of a life-size version of the Psycho-Portal. The door remains physically present while Raz is here, and he ends up using it as a raft to cross the little planet's oceans, since he has difficulty crossing water otherwise due to the Hand of Galochio affecting him. The sky takes on different shades as Raz moves around the planet.
Points of interest[]
- Bob's Island: A small, barren island in the middle of the ocean, where the sky is a teal color. When Raz arrives, Bob is trying to garden here, but to no avail. The island's only features are three large plant pots with labels that correspond to the three memory bottles, and a single campfire.
- Lili's Island: An island in the middle of the ocean, near the pink bottle island. Its most notable feature is a mental figure based on memories of pictures Bob has seen of Lili Zanotto.
- Otto's Island: A small island in the middle of the ocean, with some crudely constructed shelter and rocks stacked on top of each other. In its center is a mental figure based on Bob's memories of Otto Mentallis.
- Truman's Island: An island in the middle of the ocean. It's main feature is a mental figure based on Bob's memories of Truman Zanotto.
- Pink Bottle Island/Memory of Tia Zanotto: An island that a large pink bottle, containing painful memories of Bob's mother Tia, washes up on.
- Tia's Kitchen: An area based on memories of Bob's youth, that looks like the house he and his mother lived in. Its fridge leads into a swamp full of dead trees and drowned in alcohol where several Bulb Bobs are found. Eventually, the swamp leads into other, similar kitchens, each considerably more dilapidated, with stacks of dirty dishes and dying plants everywhere.
- Ruined Greenhouse: An area at the very end of the pink bottle's marsh. It's surrounded by statues representing memories of Tia and broken trees that grow panes of stained glass. It's the most overgrown portion of the pink bottle, and has bottles everywhere. At its heart, beyond another neglected kitchen, is a pit that a large number of colorful bottles in the walls pour into, with a drain in its center. The drain finally leads to a flooded chapel that contains Bob's memory of Tia's death.
- Green Bottle Island/Memory of the Psychonauts: An island that a large green bottle, containing painful memories of Bob's time as a Psychonaut, washes up on.
- Ship in a Bottle: An area that looks like a shipwreck inside the green bottle.
- Sunken Motherlobe: A memory of the Motherlobe, accessible through the hatch in the deck of the ship in a bottle. It looks similar to the Motherlobe's Lobby, but overgrown and with various waterfalls flooding it. Where the path to the Nerve Center would be in the real world is an especially overgrown and flooded section, so much so that Raz can only pass by holding up a Bulb Bob, which parts the water. Past a room with broken, loose floor tiles is a memory of Truman's office, where Bob's memory of getting fired from the Psychonauts is contained.
- Blue Bottle Island/Memory of Helmut Fullbear: An island that a large blue bottle, containing painful memories of his wedding with Helmut, washes up on.
- Bog of the Betrothed: A swamp area that contains objects and scenery from Bob's wedding reception.
- Viking Reception: An expansive, mountainous area above the Bog, made entirely of wedding cake and reached by passing through a physically impossible tunnel also made of various kinds of cake. About halfway up is a recreation of Bob and Helmut's wedding reception made up of figments, next to a large viking ship cake topper.
- Cake Summit: The very peak of the area made of wedding cake. It features a cake topper shaped like Bob holding up a wedding ring, and a huge shirtless Helmut cake topper. The Helmut cake topper has a skull underneath its facial features, inside of which the memory of their wedding ceremony is contained.
In Psychonauts 2[]
Razputin meets Bob in his greenhouse, in search of someone who could help him untangle the large vines covering the Astralathe. Bob is irritable, violent, and possibly inebriated when Raz stops by. He shows the boy the door, but one of his own plants ushers Raz back inside and encourages him to enter Bob's mind and help him cope with his trauma.
Inside Bob's mind, Raz steps out of the Psycho-Portal, which, unlike in most minds, is physically present here. He finds himself on a tiny island in the middle of an ocean. Here, Bob gardens endlessly and fruitlessly in three large flowerpots, completely alone and without any seeds to make any plants grow. Raz decides to head out across the ocean to find some seeds for him, using the Psycho-Portal as a raft.
On other islands, Raz can find memories of Truman, Lili, and Otto Mentallis, and each expresses their desire to keep Bob away from them. Most notably, however, Raz can follow a trail of flowers on the ocean to find a large bottle washed up on one of the islands. Three times, Raz uncorks such a bottle, explores the area contained inside, and recovers a seed there before moving on to the next. Each bottle contains memories of different people Bob had lost or pushed away, and is associated with a different trail of flowers blooming on the ocean.
Inside each bottle, washed-up talking bulbs shaped like Bob part the water with their belches, allowing Raz to progress. Meanwhile, a giant moth attempts to hinder Raz, claiming the seeds will cause great pain and flying away with them to the furthest corner of the area. Undeterred, Raz soldiers on, first through a swamp that holds memories of Bob's mother, Tia; then a flooded version of the Motherlobe representing when Bob was fired by Truman; and finally, a bog that leads into a mountain-sized wedding cake for Bob and his lost husband, Helmut.
Each seed Raz recovers and brings to Bob burgeons into a small plant—the first one resembling Tia, the second, Truman, and the last Helmut. However, when all three are united, Bob starts to remember all the painful memories he tried to bury at once. The small plants grow huge and hostile, forming the Truheltia Memonstria. Raz fights the plants from his Psycho-Portal as he navigates the ocean around Bob's Island, which has turned into a tumultuous whirlpool. Bob, meanwhile, is trapped in a cocoon by the moth, who tries to keep him safe. Eventually, the Helmut plant declares that he never really loved Bob, which Bob recognizes as something Helmut would never say. He breaks out of his protective cocoon and restores order to his mind, leaving new flowers blooming across the ocean. At last, Bob is ready to accept human connections once again.
On revisit, everything is the same as it was when Raz last left it. Bob is tending to the plants on his island.
Enemies[]
- Censors
- Regrets
- Doubts
- Enablers(If Cassie's Collection is completed prior)
- Bad Mood
- Truheltia Memonstria
Collectibles[]
Figments[]
There are 165 figments in Bob's Bottles. Many of them are themed around seafaring, the tropics, and alcohol.
Figments of Interest[]
Among Bob's figments, some that are especially noteworthy include:
- Several figments shaped like Bob himself, each carrying a bottle
- A pamphlet for alcoholism rehabilitation with "Get Help Now" across the front
- Tia's Greenhouse
- The Feel Mobile
- A rope, only accessible via dark thoughts, implying that Bob might've contemplated suicide.
- Several figments depicting other Psychonauts getting very drunk, including one that looks like Thad.
- Many symbols of Helmut and Bob's love for each other, such as rings, lockets, framed pictures of Helmut, and carved "H+B"
- An entire set-piece made of figments representing Bob and Helmut's wedding, with waiters and a DJ. A figment of a young Truman is in attendance, as are Cassie, Compton, Ford, and Lucrecia. Otto is noticeably absent, his table instead occupied by a big teddy bear figment. A Bad Mood spawns when Raz enters the wedding: its "cause" (the heart in the cage) appears to be centered on Lucrecia and Ford's table.
Emotional Baggage[]
- Steamer Trunk
- Bag: Located on the island with Bob's memory of Truman Zanotto on top of a wooden platform.
- Tag: Located on the third and final island of this mind's story, the island with the blue bottle, near a rock formation.
- Suitcase
- Bag: Located in the Viking Reception, near a table next to the stage during the reception.
- Tag: Located in the Viking Reception, after platforming to the reception area, turn around to see another cake and glide over to collect the tag.
- Hatbox
- Bag: Located on the island with Bob's memory of Lili Zanotto.
- Tag: Located on the island with Bob's memory of Lili Zanotto.
- Dufflebag
- Bag: Located after the first indoors Tia's Kitchen level segment, do the first platforming section until you reach a lime. The Dufflebag is on a wooden platform after the Flytrap platform.
- Tag: Located after the first indoors Tia's Kitchen level segment, do the first platforming section until you reach a lime. Continue this platforming segment until you reach a straw. Climb up the straw and jump to the nearby rock formation, then to the platform with the sole kitchen cabinet. The tag is behind the cabinet.
- Purse
- Bag: Located after the second indoors section of Tia's Kitchen where stained glass begins to appear jetting up out of the water. Continue this platforming segment until you reach a trapeze. Swing the trapeze and jump at its highest point to grab the vines across the way and get up to the platform with the bag.
- Tag: Located after the second indoors section of Tia's Kitchen where stained glass begins to appear jetting up out of the water. Continue this platforming segment until you reach two consecutive cocktail sticks. The purse tag is on the right, obtainable by jumping off of some water lilies.
Memory Vaults[]
- Cutting the Roots- Located in Bob's memory of the Motherlobe behind a locked door that requires the Projection ability to open.
- Tia's Greenhouse - Located in the Bog of the Betrothed, go to the right across the water lilies and follow a straw rail up to a secret area. Follow the long banquet table; the vault will be in a room at the end.
Half-A-Minds[]
- Located on the island with Bob's memory of Otto Mentallis, behind some rocks.
- Located in the Viking Reception, use your Levitation ability or follow the Dark Thoughts to climb onto the oars of the viking ship. Follow the oars to a rope wall, then climb the wall to get onto the ship and find the Half-A-Mind.
Nuggets of Wisdom[]
The Nuggets of Wisdom in this mind are shaped like watering cans.
- Located after the first indoors Tia's Kitchen level segment, do the first platforming section until you reach a lime. Continue this platforming segment until you reach a straw. Climb up the straw and jump to the nearby rock formation. Go left around this rock to find three straws. Follow the straws onto the box of wine to find the first Nugget.
- Located in the Bog of the Betrothed, go to the right across the water lilies. The second Nugget will be on a platform past the straw rail.
Trivia[]
- One of Double Fine's development videos that featured some early footage of this level had some text on-screen identifying the large green bottle as "Truman's Bottle", leading some fans to speculate that the section was a part of Truman's mind prior to release.
- Raz meets a version of Lili in this mental world that's based on pictures Bob has seen of her. This memory-Lili has a completely different voice, since Bob hasn't met the real Lili in person and hasn't ever heard her voice. She also isn't particularly interested in plants.
- When returning in the post-game, talking to Bob renders the quote, "Inch by inch, row by row..." This is a reference to the children's song "the Garden Song", written by David Mallett and popularized by the likes of John Denver and many other contemporary folk artists.
- One of the quotes of Bob's Bulbs, "Up in the air, Junior [burp] men!" Is a reference to the Junior Birdmen, an organization similar to the Boy Scouts of America, but intended for young men who wanted to be Pilots. The song, Up In The Air, Junior Birdmen was generally used to mock pilots and Birdmen alike.
- The flowers leading to each of Bob's bottles hold meaning related to that specific person. Tia's flowers are pink carnations, which symbolize motherly love and a desire to return home. Truman's flowers are black dahlias, symbolizing betrayal, as Bob feels betrayed by Truman for firing him from the Psychonauts. Lastly, Helmut's flowers are marigolds, which can symbolize both joy and grief, and are commonly associated with mourning and honoring the dead.
- Using the "plucky" pin in Bob's Bottles has Raz pick up a rock from the ground. The rock is the same as those used in certain other mental worlds, and most of the real world.
References/Notes[]
TBA