The Talos Principle 2

The Talos Principle 1 is my favorite puzzle game. Needless to say, I had very, very high expectations for its sequel.
I was sure it would be the ultimate puzzle game masterpiece, keeping everything that made Talos 1 so perfect while being harder and far more ambitious.

But no, The Talos Principle 2 is unfortunately disappointing and inferior to its predecessor puzzle-wise.

Talos 2 has 12 worlds that each contains 10 puzzles and a new mechanic. All those new mechanics certainly keep things fresh and they are all very interesting, adding layers of complexity to the core mechanics.
You might think it’s a good thing but… it’s definitely not. It would’ve been good if the puzzles also had a star in them, locked behind a harder optional path (like Talos 1 did) but it’s not the case. The stars are the other major downgrade unfortunately.
So each world basically feels like a giant tutorial for its new mechanic, resulting in not only the game being constantly far too easy, but also the gigantic potential of these mechanics going to waste.
There are 12 lategame puzzles that you unlock once you’ve solved everything else and, while they are generally harder and better, it’s insufficient.
At least, challenging puzzles have not disappeared completely I guess.

The stars were the best part of Talos 1, and they also are the main reason why it’s my favorite puzzle game. The game was broken, and it wanted you to break it even more. Finding how to bring items out of the puzzles, strange broken parkour, interconnected puzzles, well-hidden secrets…
Puzzle games are all about being smart, Talos 1 was all about being ingenious and truly thinking out of the box. No other puzzle game I’ve played was as satisfying, it was unique.
But Talos 2 just destroyed that… the stars are now either an easy location you have to find, a particle cloud you have to follow or a laser you have to redirect.
None of them are really interesting apart from 2-3 laser stars that actually felt like Talos 1.

Making a sequel for a game like Talos 1 is hard, but I really can’t understand the choices made as far as the puzzles and secrets are concerned.
Talos is a puzzle game series and the puzzles are its core, people mainly play for them. Talos 2 also targets people who played Talos 1 and its DLC.
So why would you make a sequel this easy and devoid of the best aspect of the first game?
I know I’m being very negative about it but that’s just because Talos means a lot to me. Criticism has to be made, and too few people bother to do it because the rest of the game is pretty much perfect.

Anyway enough about the puzzles, let’s talk about these other aspects of the game.

Talos 2 is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. There are lots of walking sections between puzzles and the worlds are big, probably even too big. But the landscapes and structures were so incredible that it didn’t bother me at all.
Just turn off the compass in the options and follow the paths while enjoying those stunning environments.

The story is, as expected, very good. You don’t have twists every 5 seconds but the way it’s told through characters, the mystery and the scope of things will inevitably get you hooked.
Seeing the Talos universe expanding and becoming something big, advanced and complex is very satisfying.

Philosophy is handled differently. In Talos 1, Milton challenged your answers and made you think with counter-arguments. This was an extremely effective way to make you think, as it directly attacks what you think is right.
The Sphinx has a similar neutral role in Talos 2, albeit less important. You still have lots of philosophical texts to read and audios to listen to of course, but most of the thinking comes from the interactions with the various, rich characters (who have very good dubbing by the way).
Not all their dialogues are interesting but they are more than just ways to convey thinking, they are actually likeable.

The music is excellent as always. Combined with the graphics and environments, you pretty much have the perfect atmosphere.

So even though The Talos Principle 2 is clearly not the ultimate puzzle masterpiece I expected, it’s still an incredible game made with a lot of care and in which I had tons of fun.
I can only very highly recommend it, just don’t expect any challenge from the puzzles.

I really, really hope for a very good, harder DLC like Gehenna (which I got hehe) and, more importantly, that workshop support will be a thing. Talos 1 custom campaigns are peak puzzle, I can’t imagine how amazing it would be for Talos 2 with all those new mechanics.

---

Developer: Croteam
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platforms: Steam – Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, GeForce Now
Release Date: November 2, 2023