The Talos Principle 2

I am struggling to come up with how I feel about this game. I struggle because, ultimately, the first Talos Principle is one of my all time favorite games. I had never experienced anything quite like it, and I was eagerly anticipating this sequel. I do not think it is a bad game, but I'm wondering why all of the reviews are so overwhelmingly positive as well. The game world is simply too large and devoid of any real value other than pretty vistas. You have to run large distances to complete the game, and it gets old really quick. The puzzles are... fine. Some are really difficult, but the main issue I had was that each area introduces a new puzzle mechanic. A lot of really cool new puzzle "toys" were given to the player to play with, but they never really explore the large swath of capabilities that they could be used for. Now, onto the story. I obviously cannot get too in depth without spoiling, so I will be as vague as I can. What I liked were the various characters and their various quirks. I genuinely liked exploring the hub world and seeing this posthuman society. But... as the larger narrative plays out, this is where I started to get frustrated. TTP1 was brilliant because I loved being challenged on every point of every argument I posed via dialogue with Milton. In this game, however, discussions are not nearly as thought-provoking. Often times I felt like the writers were creating an illusion of choice with their flimsy logic. The story as a whole is set up this way. There are choices, but it is clear which ones the writers want you to pick, oftentimes portraying other views as a straw man. This is a fundamental failure, and makes it hard to look at this game with the same deep love that I had for the first. Croteam created a masterpiece with reused assets in 1, but when given a proper budget, they fumbled the bag. This game is high on style, but lower on substance. I don't hate it, but don't love it either. Consider on sale, and taper expectations.

I am going to be succinct and say that its not as good as the first in my opinion. Its beautiful no doubt, the vistas and building architectures are breathtaking but its really superfical. The puzzles are not as creative as the first, some are challenging as you have to change your perspective like all puzzle games but overall a step down. Since the animations are rudamenatry and simple, its easy to naviagate the maps with speed (you're not a human, no stamina). However, the large maps pretty as they are, wore out their welcome for me. I am not going to ding them on the voice acting (some are wooden and just reading from the pages). Not to disparage Crotean, its not a triple AAA game with a compelling story that needs top grade acting talent and mo-cap. I don't regret playing but its one of those, play it once. I played the first one a few times.

This game for me is like TTP 1 but more. The same strengths with more, the same problems but more. Overall this is a good and unique game and that people should play it. It's gorgeous, thoughtful, mysterious, and fun. The things I don't like are numerous but don't outweigh the games good points. The problems: 1. Performance: Really poorly optimised. Compared to TTP1, effort was put into making stunning environments, but its really hard to be wowed by flowers if they don't pop into existence until you are on top of them. The final section was particularly slow to load and really took the wind out of the climactic feeling that bit should elicit. 2. Some puzzles suck: Most puzzles in this game are fun with elegant solutions, but there are many that aren't. Like TTP1, some puzzles require you to place things in pixel-perfect areas that make it seem like you aren't doing it correctly until it ends up working. Some puzzles break rules (Gravity devices being pulled by their own field, or the puzzle where you solve it by having a driller go through its own hole despite being explicitly told that they can't). The star puzzles require you to see items that are so far away that you barely can. Not a clever heat puzzle, just tedious pixel hunting. 3. Design: TTP1 is a simulation, but this one isn't. The same limitations shouldn't apply. Why can't I jump and grab? Or climb? Or any of the ways anyone would solve these puzzles? The fast-travel system is pointless. 4. Writing: The philisophical side of TTP1 served a better purpose. It was about the actualisation of the humanity. In this game it seems pointless because there is a concrete story with concrete answers. There is a moral dilemma at the heart of this game that seems pointless to me (can humans handle absolute power) because the characters presented are all broadly good people. None of the characters in this game demonstrate any intentional cruelty or greed, so there's no real question to ponder for me.

Arise my brothers and sisters, and boldy venture forth into the cosmos. Let us spread life and consciousness for all eternity, for this is our purpose and destiny! Fantastic game. 10/10. Zero complaints. It's got challenging puzzles that make you feel like a super genius when you solve them lickity-spit. It's got a deep and meaningful story with well developed characters that you care about. The voice acting is solid. Very nice visuals, and varied environments. Breathtaking scenery. Thought-provoking philosophical discussions. Inspires awe and wonder, and leaves you with a profound sense of purpose. Good music, but not as iconic as the main theme of Talos Principle 1. Okay 1 complaint. This game could really use a map. The compass is okay, but the huge areas, maze-like paths and the sheer verticality of certain environments makes navigating a bit difficult, especially if you have a bad sense of direction. I really liked Talos Principle 1. The story in that game blew me away. Talos Principle 2 builds upon the first, and takes it to a whole new level. Awesome game!

EN FRANCAIS PLUS BAS: ENG: "I just finished the game. Like the first game, it is incredible. Very good puzzles with a step-by-step progression in difficulty. A very good story that makes you think with all the philosophical elements behind it. I find that games like this are greatly missed. The only flaw I could point out about the game is that it is too long, in my opinion. This is of course subjective, but for a puzzle game, I think it feels excessive. It deserved to be shortened with a more reasonable price. But well, that's really just to find something to criticize because otherwise, the game is just amazing. Go get it! FR: Je viens à l'instant de finir le jeu. Comme pour le premier jeu, il est incroyable. De très bons puzzles avec une progression pas à pas au niveau de la difficulté Une très bonne histoire qui fait réfléchir avec toutes les choses philosophiques derrière. Des jeux comme cela manquent beaucoup, je trouve. Le seul défaut que je pourrais mettre au jeu serait qu'il est trop long, je trouve. Cela reste subjectif bien sûr, mais pour un jeu d'énigme, je trouve que cela fait trop. Il aurait mérité d'être raccourci avec un prix plus contenu. Mais bon, c'est vraiment pour trouver quelque chose à reprocher car sinon je jeu est juste génial. Foncer le prendre