The Talos Principle 2 is an incredible first-person puzzle game that seamlessly weaves its gameplay with its story and lessons in society, faith, and life. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
The Talos Principle 2 Review Overview
The Talos Principle 2 Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Charming Juxtapositions Between Robots and Humanity Immensely Rewarding Puzzles Jaw-Dropping Audiovisuals Impeccable Worldbuilding |
It Hates HDDs Various Other Issues |
The Talos Principle 2 Overall - 96/100
Superb on all fronts. The Talos Principle 2 is an achievement in creative cohesion. It seamlessly weaves a powerful, thought-provoking narrative with the perfect amount of levity, garnished beautifully with gameplay that's both challenging and rewarding in equal measure, something that even the highest-budget games struggle to do. With its spectacularly-designed world and incredibly immersive audio design, The Talos Principle 2 deserves nothing less than a standing ovation for its near-perfect delivery.
The Talos Principle 2 Story - 9/10
Puzzles are rarely the focal point of any game's story. Often, they simply serve as obstacles for you to overcome. However, The Talos Principle 2, even more so than the original, takes the question "Why?" when asked about their use to the next level. Instead, they provide an entire existential crisis on what qualifies as "humanity" as their answer. What's more, this message is delivered by a wide cast of uniquely charming characters, both through its central and miscellaneous scenarios, at a pace that's easy to swallow and perfectly in sync with however you want the plot to progress.
The Talos Principle 2 Gameplay - 10/10
What makes a good puzzle? It's their ability to make you feel like a complete moron while you're in the midst of figuring out a solution and ultimately concluding with the exaltation that you might be a 500-IQ puzzle master after you solve it. The Talos Principle 2 does this impeccably. Each puzzle is designed so that even areas with the same tools at your disposal must be handled differently. And as you progress through the game, even before the feeling that these gimmicks are starting to overstay their welcome, the game suddenly reinvents itself almost entirely. It keeps you on your toes, constantly trying to wring the creative juices out of your brain. It's utterly brilliant.
The Talos Principle 2 Visuals - 10/10
To properly deliver The Talos Principle's grand, far-reaching philosophy on the meaning of existence and that of humanity, an equally monumental setting must be provided for it to visually strike its audience. Fortunately, on that point, The Talos Principle 2 completely obliterates any and all expectations. Nothing can prepare you for the sights and scenes you'll see in the game. It's stuffed with awe-inspiring megastructures, lush forests, endless skies, and majestic ruins. Moreover, there is no waste in their visual design since every structure and landscape around you has a story to tell of their own.
The Talos Principle 2 Audio - 9/10
The Talos Principle 2's massive landscapes and thoughtful moments were provided with the perfect atmosphere by one of the best soundtracks I've heard in gaming for a long time. It perfectly enhances the mood of every possible scenario at any given moment. On top of that, the voice acting is phenomenal - so much so that it amplifies the charming contrast between each character's appearance and their seemingly humanlike characteristics.
The Talos Principle 2 Value for Money - 10/10
At just a cent short of $30 for a game with such quality and replayability as The Talos Principle 2, it is, quite frankly, criminally undervaluing it. The game has multiple endings to experience, a boatload of hidden areas and puzzles to discover, and a vast number of solutions to even the simplest of puzzles.
The Talos Principle 2 Review: The Greatest Game You're Not Playing
We've all played puzzle sections on other games such as Resident Evil or, god forbid, Eternights. Most of the time, they're merely an unwelcome hindrance to the real meat of the game. They are also, more often than not, designed to be purposefully abstract and may even make no sense at all, given the game's setting.
Like, imagine having to do a half-hour-long treasure hunt just to collect the appropriate orbs to unlock the door to your bedroom. I'll just sleep on the couch, thank you very much.
As a game that's purely about puzzles, The Talos Principle 2 suffers from none of the usual problems with implementing these into its world. Not only is it a part of the game's world-building itself, but it also serves as a prop to deliver its satisfying philosophy on the meaning of society, faith, and life.
Of course, to properly convey the vastness of human thought, The Talos Principle 2's puzzles aren't the kind that could be solved in just one way, either. The game heavily encourages finding your own unique solutions to every puzzle. More often than not, it even coaxes you to completely break its own mechanics, forcing you to think a mile outside of the box just to accomplish your goals. For example, certain puzzles could be solved without using certain tools provided to you. It embraces freedom of thought and expression, qualities endorsed by the same philosophical quandaries that it presents.
Even without mentioning the game's incredible landscapes and characters, The Talos Principle 2's gameplay and story already present enough appeal to be replayed repeatedly. And since the game allows you to modify your entire experience based on how you respond to those around you (although I would suggest not starting a playthrough as a rude nincompoop), no two runs ever feel the same unless you copy every single choice from a previous playthrough. This freedom can manifest irresistible urges to see every ending and to explore every solution to every puzzle, blinding you from everything else.
And at the end of the day, isn't that what makes a game truly great?
Pros of The Talos Principle 2
| Things The Talos Principle 2 Got Right |
|---|
|
Charming Juxtapositions Between Robots and Humanity Immensely Rewarding Puzzles Breathtaking Audiovisuals Impeccable Worldbuilding |
Charming Juxtapositions Between Robots and Humanity
Set in a world where all organic human lifeform has gone extinct, what's left are (almost) precisely one thousand robots that have developed artificial intelligence that allows them to think and act like humans. They are, however, entirely aware of the failures of their bygone predecessors and embrace their new forms wholeheartedly.
The combination of their respect for the past and acknowledgment of their new present creates a very entertaining detachment from their own identities. More often than not, it manifests as comedic instances of their own confusion in using the garbled, floral mess that is the human language and their hilarious behavior in copying social media norms.
This can easily be seen in their preferences when choosing their profile pictures. Their picks ooze with the personality of their robotic counterparts, which, from our point of view as flesh-and-blood humans, may seem utterly absurd. For example, Alcatraz, a robot that values the constants in life, uses a picturesque image of the setting sun as his profile picture (something you may find more at home as a default Windows XP wallpaper, really). Meanwhile, Byron, a robot brimming with optimism for the future, has a profile picture of himself, arms raised into the air at the edge of a cliff, appearing as if he's celebrating the moment when he has conquered the world.
In fact, their imitation of human behavior has gone past the uncanny valley, leaving behind nothing but the charm of watching such a disconnect between their appearances and conduct.
Immensely Rewarding Puzzles
As mentioned previously, the best puzzles are those that can make you feel like a complete moron. At the same time, it also allows you to feel like an utter genius upon clearing them. Difficulty-wise, they vary wildly between puzzles, even if they’re located in the same area. This makes for an overall better experience for anybody as compared to simply making gradually more difficult puzzles to solve.
The Talos Principle 2 has managed to tread the fine line between difficulty and ease by designing puzzles that can be solved in various ways. For example, a puzzle area may sometimes have unassuming, elevated platforms that may look useless at a glance. However, those with keen eyes and a massive brain could figure out that it would allow them to bypass certain obstacles.
In fact, there is a thriving community of puzzle enthusiasts who aim to solve the puzzles in the original The Talos Principle using the least amount of tools and movements possible.
The game presents all of those opportunities for everybody equally. In fact, it's so dedicated to providing you with puzzles that it has taken the option of performing them as a puzzle to solve itself. This is due to how certain puzzles can actually be entirely skipped, either through game design or by simply breaking the game. And it's obvious that these are all developer-intended features, as specific instances of these look like they were blatantly designed to be skippable for the attentive gamer. In a way, it's not wrong to say that it's a built-in way to allow you to feel as if you've outsmarted even the game itself.
There are also other ways to utterly "break" the game, but those will be up to you to discover.
Breathtaking Audiovisuals
The scope of The Talos Principle 2's narrative is massive. Thus, a need to design a world that can do justice to its narrative is a must. And for that, the developers created a landscape filled with stylistic monuments, massive megastructures, and overgrown ruins for you to explore.
No place in The Talos Principle 2 won't attract your attention. Whether you're looking at a monument up close or a massive tower from afar, they all stand out yet never intrude on each others' visual individuality. There is almost always something to see in any direction you look.
This extends even underground, forcing you to keep your eyes peeled for any access points that may lead to a secret chamber below. Far more than visual appeal, these places tell great stories by themselves and often contain even more lore materials to immerse yourself in.
Of course, the game's soundtrack is nothing to sneeze at, either. It perfectly enhances every experience you encounter, especially during the more meditative moments of reflection that the game affords you between expositions. In a way, it's just as essential to the impression of grandeur that the game proudly showcases as its scenes of colossal architecture and art.
Impeccable World-building
Everything in The Talos Principle 2 has a purpose. Its contents are masterfully created to weave an all-encompassing lore of the world, particularly its past and possible future.
Using a wide variety of means, such as hidden documents, social media interactions between your fellow robots, and even the game's puzzles and architecture, the world is painted with colors both dark and vibrant.
While a significant amount of these are directly interpreted by your intrepid companions throughout your journey, a lot of other details are left to your own imagination. It further fulfills the game's philosophy of free thought and expression.
You could use this knowledge to influence how you interact with the game's world, influencing the path you take and the knowledge you gain in exchange.
Cons of The Talos Principle 2
| Things That The Talos Principle 2 Can Improve |
|---|
|
It Hates HDDs Various Other Issues |
It Hates HDDs
Have you ever experienced what it was like gaming online using dial-up internet? I sure hope not. But for those of you who did, if you had The Talos Principle 2 installed on a relatively slow HDD, then you'll surely feel quite nostalgic about the proceding experience of playing the game.
Due to the game's relatively massive maps and equally colossal features, you will likely encounter huge frame drops from time to time as you explore. This is especially true if you're the type of person who likes to run from one place to another.
The Talos Principle 2's use of the Unreal Engine, a very demanding platform, doesn't help, either.
Various Other Issues
Perhaps owing to hardware issues or simple coding errors, the game does crash infrequently. While the game does have a very reliable auto-save feature, that doesn't stop the fact that having to repeat multiple loading cycles can get annoying after some time.
The game's impressively massive maps also somewhat kill the experience since the developers can only stuff so much content into any area. This results in noticeable dead sections, particularly in New Jerusalem, where the robot civilization resides.
This also means the NPCs you meet while hanging out in the city have little to say to you in passing. After a while, I actually thought that I was walking through a street in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion instead of New Jerusalem, simply because I've started hearing the same passive greetings from NPCs so often.
Is The Talos Principle 2 Worth It?
By The Name of Prometheus, Buy It Now
Honestly speaking, it's a crime to charge players so little money for such a good game. The Talos Principle 2 is a masterpiece that seamlessly integrates its gameplay with the philosophies it aims to put in the spotlight. Its gameplay is designed such that you can go about almost every puzzle the way you see fit, with the game even encouraging you to break it whenever necessary.
The Talos Principle 2 offers its players everything amazing a game can have. And all it asks for in return is to be installed on an SSD. Oh, and a bit of your hard-earned money.
The Talos Principle 2 Overview & Premise
The Talos Principle 2 is a direct sequel to the first game and its DLC, Road to Gehenna. The player finds himself in the real world, which is in the midst of being repopulated by his fellow androids after the extinction of the human race. They are tasked with investigating a mysterious structure that bears images of humanity while facing questions on the nature of the cosmos, existence, and faith.
The Talos Principle 2 FAQ
What Engine does The Talos Principle 2 use?
The Talos Principle 2 uses Unreal Engine 5. While this makes the game's visuals extremely pretty to look at, it does present a challenge for low to mid-ranged PCs to run.
Does The Talos Principle 2 Have a Demo?
The Talos Principle 2 had a demo you could play before it was released. It was made available to the public before the previous Steam Next Fest in October 2023.
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The Talos Principle 2 Product Information
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| Title | THE TALOS PRINCIPLE 2 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | November 2, 2023 |
| Developer | Croteam |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Supported Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Puzzle |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone |
| Official Website | The Talos Principle 2 Website |
