I have so much time for puzzle games. I love a challenging video game that requires you to grow a frustration bred tumour just to complete it, a game where the fun generates from multiple mind numbing calculations and devilish puzzle solving. As the most popular franchises these days aim to go big on the narrative, puzzle games too have to follow suit, as you can’t simply solve excruciating puzzles simply for fun, that would just be silly. These kind of narrative driven puzzle games generally attract a fairly niche audience, and a smaller percentage of them will actually see the game through to the end; no wonder games with 2 hour campaigns are so popular. The Talos Principle ticks all of the boxes in my mind; it’s an elegant and horrifically challenging puzzle game with an incredibly intriguing narrative that encourages you to see it to the end.
The Talos Principle is a first person puzzle game developed by the squad of Croatians at Croteam, releasing on PC, Mac and PS4. Stepping into the mechanical shoes of a robot with a seemingly human consciousness, players must navigate around trials set by a God-like being called Elohim to collect coloured sigils. Presented to you as simple tasks to test your ability to problem solve, a dastardly and creepy secret lies within the walls of the world’s chambers, and it’s up to you to follow your strict orders or seek independence and defy Elohim. You’ll be constantly reminded to ignore outside influence and to stay away from the great tower, whilst simultaneously you’ll have your conscious tested by the Milton Library Assistant program which will encourage you to ignore Elohim and ascend the tower. Scattered around each world you’ll find QR codes from past subjects who too were struggling to accept the world they live in, will they influence your opinion and aid you in uncovering the truth? Speaking of the truth, in all honesty not a lot actually happens visually in The Talos Principle, however it does provoke a lot of thought on what it is to be human and how you define humanity; I told you these games attract niche audiences. The Deluxe Edition, the version I was lucky enough to receive, features an additional expansion pack “The Road to Gehenna”, which features much more perplexing puzzles and furthers the already compelling narrative of self-discovery. So as well as getting your head around the game’s narrative you’ve got over 150 puzzles to figure out, so is it a genuinely challenging game or is it a walk in an artificial park? Pardon my French but il est solide putain.
The Talos Principle is a perfect example of how a puzzle game should be. It entices you in with simple instructions and easy puzzles to start with, but once you’ve gained confidence and you’re comfortable with what you’ve got to do you’ll be struck down with a gut wrenching sucker punch where immense brain power is the only soothing remedy. Yeah it gets really difficult. Each labyrinth will usually consist of multiple light barriers, explosive patrol drones, locked gates, turrets and a few devices scattered around to help you overcome each obstacle, once you’ve unlocked them anyway. Each sigil will be locked behind doors or guarded by killer obstacles and only by stunning drones, reflecting coloured light-beams doors and using yourself as a pre-recorded clone will you overcome them. As you progress, the puzzles do get very difficult but not enough to make you rage quit and switch the game off in a huff, it’s not that kind of game. Unlike some puzzle games where sheer luck is often the solution, The Talos Principle simply relies on you using your common sense and brain power, which can often make the most seemingly intricate trial reveal it’s surprisingly very easy solution. I of course use the word ‘easy’ very loosely, but what I mean is the answer will usually be a lot simpler than you initially thought and you’ll be laughing to yourself when you eventually solve it, complementing yourself and how much of a beast and genius you are. Particular towards the end you begin to encounter puzzles that feature every gadget you’ve unlocked and the game then can become a little overwhelming, enough to the point where I would automatically leave that trial without attempting it until I really really had to. Despite each trial being unique, The Talos Principle does begin to get a touch repetitive, which is understandable seeing you’ve got 100+puzzles to cram into only a few locations. Every trial instructs you to open doors and avoid drones, and though each puzzle is hugely different, many of them can be considered far too similar much like Portal 2 was. Portal is the perfect title to compare The Talos Principle to; both are incredibly creative, sinister and ingenious puzzle games where the lack of real variation in their levels is the only real criticism. This lack of massive variation doesn’t hinder the playing experience at all, but in a game of nit picking it’s the only criticism that springs to mind.
When playing a game that features over a hundred mind bending chambers, a voiceless protagonist and an omnipotent voice and computer program as your only co-stars, you’ve gotta hope that it’s at least lush to look at with an endearing soundtrack behind it. It’s a good job Croteam were on the same page. Visually The Talos Principle is a gorgeous game and each of its locations and labyrinths are soaked in a vivid display of colour that makes them all an absolute joy to behold, which is fantastic as particular towards the end you’ll be spending at least 30 minutes in each one. Aside from Elohim’s booming voice, a few sci-fi sound effects and diary entries that are scattered around the world, The Talos Principle relies heavily on its soundtrack, which to much relief is simply sublime. Especially in puzzle games, a bad soundtrack on repetition can quickly drive its players insane, however in The Talos Principle the beautiful compositions are enchanting and medicinal to an effect, when your head is pounding from a difficult puzzle, just put the controller down and take in environment around you for some soothing pain relief.
The Talos Principle is a fantastic title with a deep and thought provoking narrative that makes it more than just a puzzle game about collecting shapes from within a maze. Featuring philosophical debate, perplexing puzzles and a mysterious story running underneath, The Talos Principle ticks all the right boxes and is without a doubt an essential purchase for anyone who shares even the smallest amount of interest in the genre. Granted it’s not a game you can play endlessly as though each trial is unique, it can’t help coming across as repetitive and too similar the longer you play. As you progress, some of the trials become far too difficult and somewhat overwhelming which can cause you to quit earlier than expected, however each puzzle follows an exact solution that can be easily overcome through simple calculation and time. With an addition expansion pack included with all new puzzles and narrative that dives deeper into the topics raised in the main game, The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition is a truly magnificent creation and one that I vow to see to the end, even if it fries my brain, but I guess I could deal with that as I’m currently reviewing Call of Duty and that doesn’t require any intellect at all.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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