Finding the meaning of life

I love a good brain teaser in video games, some of my most satisfying moments have come after finally figure out that last piece of some diabolical puzzle. I love that feeling of just being successful with something and luckily the Talos Principle 2 offers tons of opportunities for that feeling, as you see this game isn’t just one puzzle; no, it is a game of riddles, puzzles, and more.

MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99

Developer Croteam is probably best known for the Serious Sam franchise, one that is known for balls to the wall action, over the top violence and a dash of humor. But the Talos Principle 2 couldn’t be more different, it’s a slower, story-driven, puzzle game that mixes in a healthy dose of Greek philosophy and a great sense of humor. I hadn’t played the original game but I was extremely taken aback by how drop dead gorgeous this game is. Talos 2 is broken up into twelve zones that is split into various climates. Each area is beautiful from the more forested areas to the mountaintops and each is open to be freely roamed through by the player.

In Talos 2 players are put in the shoes of the 1000th android to come rolling off the line, the significance of which is quite large as the mysterious Founder decreed that life would stop at one thousand. Why, well I guess that’s what we have to find out, the old question “what is the meaning of life” …literally. The game begins when some of your android kin find a new land mass off the coast of the home town of New Jerusalem and of course what they find is puzzles, all sorts of puzzles that mercifully, gradually increases in difficulty. One of the things I loved was how some of the early tools to get past various puzzles will come back in later puzzles. For instance, there are lots of puzzles that involve using lasers to unlock the way forward, well in later levels players will need to use a drill to make a hole for the beam to shine through. Some of the later puzzles can truly seem mind-bending but I can assure you there is a key for every lock.

I was expecting this to be a lonely experience much like games such as Myst, where players are moving around an environment alone. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case and in fact there are lots of quirky, cat-loving androids around to shoot the breeze with. It was a stark contrast to games like Myst where the landscapes and various machines held hidden meaning for the player to understand. Here, having conversations with the various cast of characters plainly lays out the narrative and even has quite a few side stories to tell.

For a game that is all about puzzles it was a pleasant surprise to find so much of it set against a philosophical backdrop. Various conversations with Elohim (which is the Hebrew name for God) and characters from Greek mythology led to some genuinely thought-provoking questions. But for as much as this game made me think with its questions and musings about life, death and everything in between it was the puzzles that really pushed me. Players will come across quite a few difficult puzzles throughout their time in Talos Principle 2 but I can assure you that the hit of dopamine that you will get from your brain for the reward is well worth it.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.