The Talos Principle 2

• • DEVELOPER: Croteam

• • PUBLISHER: Devolver Digital

• • PLATFORMS: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

• • GENRE: Puzzle adventure

• • RELEASE DATE: November 2, 2023

• • STARTING PRICE: 28.99€

• • REVIEWED VERSION: PC

If you recall the initial game, which has been part of our gaming experience for nearly a decade, you might find yourself questioning, as you embark on The Talos Principle 2, whether it remains the same at its core. The sequel not only amplifies its richness, introducing more captivating content, but it undergoes a transformation from a mere puzzle-solving experience into a genuine adventure interwoven with a compelling narrative. The game raises questions about artificial intelligence, its evolution, and diverse ethical quandaries associated with humanity and overall progress. Croteam really went a step further, taking the production of the game to a higher level, with each character in the game possessing their own emotions, voices, thoughts and perspectives. 

Aside from featuring a variety of characters, the game immerses us in diverse plots, side stories, and the history of the world in which we find ourselves. It unveils the ongoing narrative from the first installment, emphasizing that each of our choices comes with its own cost, influencing the ultimate outcome. Indeed, the game provides three distinct endings, and the culmination hinges on our interactions with other characters and the specific desires of our hearts. The whole course of events is impressively presented, not only with audio recordings, but also with pictures, plenty of text to read and clips that will intrigue your imagination. 

A richer and more detailed world  

The Talos Principle's recognizable feature is also present – a reflective and philosophically oriented story. This game is designed to ask more questions than it provides answers. The enigmatic figure of the sphinx embodies this essence, constantly posing questions, speaking in allegories, and leaving you in awe each time. You will often have to search for the answers yourself, only to be faced with a new set of questions again. On the contrary, the connection with Greek mythology further emphasizes the importance of all that. If you're unfamiliar with the tale of Prometheus, how do you precisely connect this character into the narrative of the game? 

New Jerusalem, the home of thousand androids and a place we will get to know more closely, was constructed by Athena, the protagonist from the first game. In this installment, players assume the role of an android named 1K, the latest creation to inhabit New Jerusalem. The main objective of the society, known as "The Goal", was to create a thousand androids and achieve technological progress. But now that the goal has been achieved, the question arises - what's next? The city's founder departed without explanation, leaving the community in uncertainty. The robots, following her mysterious departure, stumble upon a pyramid-shaped megastructure, sparking their curiosity. Therefore, an expedition group that includes the main character gathers, setting out to explore the megastructure. Upon reaching the destination, the androids are faced with a series of puzzles, the solution of which opens the way to the center of the grand pyramid. 

Before we get down to solving the puzzles, there's an opportunity to immerse ourselves in city exploration. We meet its citizens, participate in political and social conversations, attend meetings, visit museums and discover what happened when the first robot left the simulation a thousand years ago. All this is of course very impressive, you can spend hours just exploring every corner of the city, learn something new and immerse yourself deeply in the whole essence of the game. 

There are a lot of puzzles to solve 

There are really a lot of puzzles and each one is different from the previous one. They are categorized into 12 thematic areas, encompassing eight main sections, two special segments, and one golden tier. Progressing through the golden tier enables the acquisition of Prometheus tokens, offering the potential to bypass more challenging puzzles. In addition, each area introduces some new elements that gradually increase the difficulty of solving the puzzles. In fact, you don't have to solve the puzzles in order, you can always skip one and come back to it later. 

In terms of puzzle solving structure, you are often required to place certain items in the right places, activate elements in a certain order, and combine different mechanics such as teleportation, using anti-gravity surfaces, creating portals, carrying cubes, connecting different elements at the same time, etc. The speed of solving the puzzles ranges between 2 to 3 minutes, and the dynamics of the game generally seem faster compared to the first game. Also, during the journey to the next puzzle, you will be greeted by beautiful scenery and attractive environmental scenes that will inevitably make you stop at least for a moment and marvel at the capabilities of the Unreal Engine. 

All the puzzles are carefully designed, you can't use your ingenuity, but you have to recognize the correct order to complete one. In other words, there is often only one correct solution that you need to discover, without the possibility of inventing your own approaches. I have nothing against this approach, but it might have been more interesting if at least Croteam had allowed us more creativity in solving special puzzles outside of the main ones. 

Other than that, there is a possibility that you will stuck while solving puzzles, not in the sense of completing them, but simply stuck within the puzzle itself because I made the wrong move and the game locked me behind a door. Such situations were rare, you could mostly get out of this or that situation, however, the game lacks recorded positions, that is, you have to reload the checkpoint every time, which can bring you back to the beginning of the puzzle itself, so you are forced to solve everything from the beginning. Also, if by some chance you fall into water or into a bigger hole and die, the game will take you all the way back to the very beginning where you originally were, for example, at the end of a cut scene.  

Flawless graphics 

The Talos Principle 2 is a very beautiful game and captivates with its visual splendor. Each segment of the game invites you to stop, carefully observe the surroundings and admire the landscapes that this game offers. There is a noticeable improvement in the particle effects, the landscapes look more natural and there is no more passing through small vegetation as in the original. Also, the lighting has been significantly improved. In addition, the music fits the game perfectly and creates a melancholic atmosphere that makes you feel like you are in some ancient Greek world. I didn't come across any bugs; the game ran smoothly on my pc, no fps drops or stutters. It mostly maintained 60 fps even on high settings. 

Furthermore, you can interact face-to-face with your expedition team who will contact you regularly, comment on your discoveries, and chat with you after solving puzzles. For me at least, the robots were very creepy, especially when they look at you with those static eyes as if they are trying to read every part of your soul. The game also features four different types of audio tracks that you can find and listen to, social media with the ability to respond to posts, and reading terminals. However, it was either too little or too much, for example, social networks rarely appeared and had significance, and the concept itself seemed very interesting. Of course, most of the narrative-driven content is optional and can be bypassed entirely.  

It's really fascinating how a game like this can be sold for just €28.99, while some much lower quality titles are selling for twice that price. Many may say that this game is not exceptional, that it is not everyone's cup of tea, but it is important to understand that the Croatian industry has never produced a game like this before and that at its core it is much more complex than it might seem at first glance. Some people may criticize a lot of walking and moving around, forgetting that this game is decorated with a rather complex story that somehow needs to be told. If you ever get the chance and don't mind exploring the story that this game brings, The Talos Principle 2 is a game you shouldn't miss. 

Review copy provided by the publisher