The Talos Principle: Gold Edition

I just finished the game and got all 3 endings, so this review is fresh out of the oven. If you've played Portal, then you already know what the gameplay has to offer. Switches, lasers, hazards, giant floor buttons, emotional support cubes, and more. The only thing that's missing is the portal gun, which means there is A LOT of running around... And there are more than 100 of these puzzles. In short, the game overstays its welcome. The game starts of very strong, but quickly drops into a repetitive slog. I'd say 4/5 puzzles are super easy, but they can still be time-consuming which makes them feel more like a chore. I felt like I was only completing them for sake of progressing the game, not because they were engaging. Of the remaining 1/5 puzzles, it's a mixed bag of good puzzles, and obtuse, confusing, and frustrating puzzles. You will probably need to look up a guide for several of them. I actually got frustrated enough in the latter fourth of the game I stopped caring about trying to solve the puzzles myself and using the guide so I could finish the game and simply be done with it. And this is coming from a guy who completed the original Riven without a guide. I won't spoil the story, but I will say it was nice to see real philosophy at the center of the story instead of shallow and hyperbolic moral conundrums. The story is provided in a very slow drip of text and audio logs. The sense of mystery is interesting, until it isn't. I would say the slow drip harmed my sense of progress more than it encouraged me to push forward. Fortunately, it does pick up towards the end, but not enough to make me want to buy The Talos Principle 2. If you choose play The Talos Principle, I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

This is possibly the best puzzle game I've ever played. You have a variety of puzzles where you have to use equipment in a particular way. You have to discover how the quipment works, and then how to use it effectively. Good Points are that you don't have to complete every challenge to make progress. You aren't given any real hints, but you can always try nsomewhere else and come back to the problem area later. Thje scenery and 3D effect is brilliant and attractive. There are bonus stars to be earned. I'm loving it!

Definitely the best puzzle game I have ever played. The sheer amount of quality puzzles here is fascinating. The fact that they managed to make these many levels with 5-6 core mechanics is simply amazing.

The Talos Principle is an amazing game, but it has one serious drawback. I sit down to play for maybe a half hour to kill some time, and the next thing I know, it's 3 hours later. 😁

WOW YOU'RE THE BEEEEEST! WOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! TETRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS! Great post apocalyptic puzzle game where you're an AI trapped in AI hell. Using your robotic wits, you must solve many different puzzles, that give you tetris pieces once solved, which unlock other areas, as well as puzzle solving tools. The ultimate goal is to get all the tetrises, climb the forbidden tower, solve it's shenanigans, and escape AI hell. Some of the puzzle elements are influenced by Portal 1 and 2, minus the portals, although anything Portal-y has been modified to be more of it's own thing. There's also the tetris puzzles, where you must play inventory tetris- I mean, a puzzle block game to correctly fit all the tetris pieces in to unlock whatever door or acquire whichever tool. You also converse with another AI on a funny looking 80s computer every now and then, and explore Serious Sam-esque open area hubs to take a break from the puzzles. Has some similarities to Soma. Both games will mindf*** you. I would rate this game 5 stars, but the game really does faf around towards the end, and there's some visual/inconsistencies with the puzzles, and some other nitpicks. Still a solid 4 out of 5.