The Talos Principle

It's a fun game to play with your family, especially young kids.

Wow. Just wow. This is one of the best games I have ever played, don’t even read the rest of this review, just do yourself a huge favor and buy it. Every single thing about this game is fantastic, the art style is consistent and nice to look at (even if it isn’t bleeding edge today, play the sequel for that) the gameplay is very refined first person puzzle solving, with great unique mechanics that don’t get old even though the game took me roughly thirty hours to beat, (for a game like this, that’s a massive runtime) they constantly find ways to spice up the puzzles and I never ran into a puzzle that didn’t innovate upon the game’s mechanics in some way. The story is phenomenal, the way you get information slowly drip fed to you over the course of the game is super well done and I genuinely cared to get all the secret stars to get the true ending (which is well worth it, it is awesome). It also plays perfectly on the Steam Deck, just set the graphics options to auto. Overall this is now one of my favorite games of all time, and I recommend it to anyone who is even slightly interested in puzzle games, and who can appreciate games as art. 10/10.

I would say I am a fan of puzzle games. Series like the Room, House of Da Vinci and Gordian Rooms are my cup of tea. I also very much like the Myst series, although I generally find them to have less focus on puzzles and more on the environment and story whereas I prefer more puzzle. The Talos Principle (and it's sequel) focuses very heavily on puzzles, the environment and the story. On top of this, the game is huge. I would have spent at least 30 hours to complete the game and I frequently looked at guides to solve a good number of the harder puzzles.

For a 2014 game, the graphics still hold up. I can see there is a remastered edition coming soon (Talos Principle: Reawakened) which I would recommend holding out for if the improved graphics are worth the extra money to you. The story is fine, but there is so much content to read on the terminals that I became fatigued and just clicked through it. It doesn't affect the gameplay, but the interaction with the terminals is important for several of the achievements.

I must admit that I became fatigued with the puzzles. At the start I was super engaged with the game and each puzzle was a joy and I couldn't stop thinking about the game when I wasn't playing the game. After about 2/3 of the main game I felt I was going through the motions. I probably should have taken a break and come back at this point, but my desire to complete a game got the better of me and I persisted. Generally the puzzles get harder until you reach a milestone and open a new section. The new section will introduce a new puzzle mechanic and the puzzles get fresh again, up to a point. I think many people found the playback puzzle mechanic frustrating, and I was certainly one of them. I won't go into specifics, but they were sometimes tedious and easy to stuff up which made them very time consuming, especially when they required some trial and error to nut out the solution. I was overjoyed when I found a keypress that allowed me to really speed up the playback which also served as a super sprint and made traversing the maps so much faster.

The game has multiple endings and you can finish the game without doing every puzzle the game has on offer. If you've had enough of the puzzles, you can walkaway right there and you would have got excellent value from the game. However, there are a bunch of bonus puzzles that you need to solve in order to fully complete the game, reach all of the endings and unlock all of the achievements. These were the hardest puzzles in the game. From memory, there were 9 of these "Star" puzzles. I solved the first 2, but followed solutions on YouTube for the rest as I just was no longer interested in slogging this game out. Come to think of it, collecting the stars throughout the game is also a challenge and I'm sure I looked up how to find many of them on YouTube. The game could easily take 40 hours if you didn't use any guides.

So, do I like the game or not? I absolutely loved it at the start, but was glad to finish it and walk away at the end. It's a big game best played in doses. You might find the puzzles samey, but they are truly satisfying to solve. So yes, I do recommend this game. It is excellent value for money that could potentially give you many hours of play. If you do not like puzzle games then this is definitely not for you.

NOTE: One final thing to mention is that some of the achievements are missable and to get them all in one playthrough, I highly advise following an achievement guide and referring to that guide very often. Even knowing this, I made a mistake with some of my responses to the dialogue which meant I missed the opportunity for one of the achievements. When I realised this I restarted the game and had to go through about 2/3 of the main puzzle line to correct the mistake.

good story, good puzzles, minimal frustration. definitely worth

Challenging puzzles. Some of the star puzzles were a little too obtuse. The philosophy got a bit tiresome after a while.

Great puzzle game where you gotta think your way through it. It's not as fast paced as something like Portal, but that makes this game more relaxed. So take your time, and combine those beams, to open the gates. And feel the pride and accomplishment, when you finally beat it!

Thought provoking, challenging, sadistic at times - this was a really great game. I dare you to complete it without peeking at solutions on youtube)

It's a game that's fun to play when you're looking for something casual and relaxing, yet engaging at the same time. It leaves you with a story that is vague enough to get you to want to finish the game. I'd definitely recommend!

As someone who struggled at baba is you (i didnt even beat that game), this game was an amazing breath of fresh air. The puzzles all have multiple solutions and are much more about spatial awareness. I consider myself pretty bad at puzzles but this game managed to be entertaining the entire way through. I'm not ashamed of admitting that I did spent an hour or two on some of the puzzles but it never felt irritating. Getting a lot of the optional stats was also a lot of fun.

The story/lore was absolutely amazing to read and the voice acting was on point as well. Really made you think even though I didn't understand all of it.
Overall just an amazing game and that's coming from someone who isn't used to puzzle games
The dlc is just as good as the main game.

Gonna buy the second game as soon as it goes on a big sale (money's tight)

The Talos Principle has an Incredibly unique story and themes for a video game. It really does capture the essence of the existential sci fi and philosophy I love. The story is given in pieces and obscured so you always feel like there's something more going on and that there's never a complete answer. The method the story is told even ties into it's themes of there not being a perfect answer for the many deep questions it proposes.

The puzzles are also great overall. Some I got stuck on and were frustrating but I never had to look anything up since I could always come back. By the end I was actually really comfortable and could solve puzzles easily. The game's difficulty progression is great. Every tool is used in combination with each other in unique ways.

The game is definitely aging so the environment design and graphics sometimes were a little rough but it still served the game well and didn't break too much immersion. The music is also repetitive but you can turn it off.

Overall a peak video game. One of the numerous shining gems of the puzzle genre.

This game is nothing short of extraordinary. It takes the notion of "puzzle games" up to a new level. With somewhat straightforward mechanics, it is astounding how complex the puzzle solutions can become! While the story is intriguing, and the worlds are stunning, the centrepiece of this game remains the increasing complexity of the puzzles as you progress through the worlds. Strongly recommend both the base game and the Road to Gehenna, the latter of which kicks up the puzzles up several notches. Enjoy!

Not going to lie, I wasn't sure what to think of this game when I got it. I think I got it for a few dollars and was rated highly, so I got it and played it a long while after the purchase.

I just started getting into the 1st person puzzle games, and this game got me very invested in it! This is a must buy for any 1st person puzzle gamers!!!

This is an incredible puzzle game. I originally bought it because I just wanted to have a game to play that made me feel smart, and while there are challenging puzzles here, I became engrossed in the philosophical narrative and it kept me playing until the very end

An absolute masterpiece of creative storytelling. Profoundly honest, urging us to reflect in the face of life’s mysteries. Stunningly beautiful and worth every minute spent. 10/10.

this game made me rethink everything ive ever believed in, gave me a whole new perspective in life. taught me not to be so ignorant. it requires you to be more open minded then any other game on the market, if you thought abt tryin, buy it.

If anyone ever says video games can't be art, show them this game. I'm only about 3 and a half hours into it, but I can confidently say it may be the best puzzle game ever made. And if the quality stays at the level of the first few hours, then this game is even better than portal 1 and 2

If you like puzzles and are at all interested in philosophy, then you NEED to play The Talos Principle

Gorgeous art design, interesting puzzles and challenging extras (stars) that give a real sense of accomplishment when found without looking up help. What an absurdly amazing game

Really impressive first outing for a croatian dev team that mostly makes FPS games. The philosophical/spiritual writing is what grabbed me the most - I think it beats most anything that comes out of Western films nowadays.

That said the engine is a little dated and the 'enemies'/obstacles can be frustrating to navigate in certain sections, and hunting for those elusive stars feels tedious.

Those are minor qualms though. It's a fantastic package overall and I'm looking forward to the DLC and the sequel.

TL;DR:

At it's best, this is a great puzzle game that can be an engaging and fun jumping off point on a journey of wide philosophical exploration.

At it's worst, this game presents a compelling story that (when left unquestioned) justifies a worldview of western domination and idolization of technology.

The experience for most is probably somewhere in between.

Shouts out to the creators, the game is a work of art.

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I have mostly great things to say about this game. The ambient landscape is beautiful, the mystery of the story is compelling from beginning to end, and the puzzles are for the most part engaging and fun to play. Many of the puzzles force you to think outside the box in ways that will make you very frustrated before you figure it out, and very satisfied once you do figure it out.

Players who like a genuine challenge and players who like story rich gaming alike will enjoy this game. If you love Portal, you will love this game and you'll get a head start in figuring it out (many of the mechanics are familiar). The middle of the game felt like a bit of a slog, but that feeling didn't last too long. Overall, I highly recommend this game!

However, I do have some words of caution for the player. This game is best played with an open, and critical, mind. If you are paying attention to the story, and especially if you are engaging with all of the content like the text files in the archive and the audio files scattered throughout the world, you will be confronted with many deep philosophical inquiries. It's an important and beautiful part of the game! Pay close attention to how it unfolds.

As you progress through this game, and particularly towards the end, there is a sense of finality to the philosophical statements being made by the characters. Especially with Alexandra Drennan's audio recordings, the way her character is built up in the canon of the game gives her a feeling of great authority when she speaks on these deep questions. I find it really beautiful the way her audio recordings play out, and I enjoyed going on that journey. I also found issue with many of the philosophical statements she made, noticing that there are a lot of assumptions present that are never approached or unpacked meaningfully.

I appreciated the dialogue with the Serpent (Milton) as a place to have a more choice-based way of exploring the philosophical ideas present, but I quickly realized that my choices weren't affecting the dialogue much and it felt very frustrating. I also felt very limited in those interactions by the dialogue choices I was given, and that made the game less fun in those moments. If you start to be more expansive in your view of consciousness during conversations with Milton, Milton becomes somewhat patronizing, and though Milton acquiesces to what you're saying in the end, Milton does so in a way that makes clear that those ideas are kind of wacky and far-fetched. The more you get in line with Milton's sort of nihilistic materialism, the more legitimate your responses are treated.

At the end of the day, I can't deny that a large part of my experience is that I just don't agree with a lot of the philosophical ideas that are core to this games narrative. But that is the purpose of philosophy - to question fundamental ideas. I think it is very important to realize and remember that the philosophical ideas being presented in this game are specific to certain schools of thought - namely, Western Materialism. Western materialism isn't a neutral philosophy either, let's remember that it formed the basis for the development of theories about race and "social evolution" that justified genocides and hostile takeovers around the world, not to mention the unbridled extraction of natural resources that has put us in the pickle we are in today. This game is a clever and creative way of introducing players to western materialism, and I hope that players can continue their philosophical exploration from there. If you're interested in that, here are some questions you could start with:

Can you identify the central philosophical questions that the game is dealing with? How would you word them?

Based on the aesthetics of the different "worlds" within the garden, what histories/places/cultures are informing the ideas in the game? What histories/places/cultures aren't represented, and what might they have to say about the games central philosophical questions? (hint: east asia, south asia, north america, central america, etc.)

Are there assumptions hidden within the central philosophical questions? Within this game? Within the philosophical traditions they are drawing from?

When Alexandra Drennan says "civilization", what does she mean by that? What kinds of ideas/structures/forms is she referring to? What can you infer from context, and what could that tell you about this characters background and worldview?

What kinds of things have to be present in the world of this game in order to enable something like the Institute of Applied Neomatics to exist? To enable a project of this scope to be undertaken? What kinds of resources? What may that have looked like within the context of the inferred disaster event that supposedly killed off humanity? In what ways could this project have been controversial in the world of the game at that time?

Do you think that the project led by Alexandra Drennen at IAN, within the context of the game, was worthwhile? Why or why not?

I used to think the Portal series was the best FPV puzzle games but I can say that The Talos Principle belongs in the same league as Portal. It's different type of puzzle but still so very good and more challenging.

nice puzzles, great graphics

Its a very good game with a great story. At the end it gets a bit tiring completing the levels because there are too many but overall its a great game to play.

juego de nicho, pero bastante bueno. Si te gustan los juegos de puzzle esta recomendado.

Great puzzles, thought provoking storyline. Too linear (choices barely matter).

Great game. A real brain tease with awesome puzzles that make you think outside the so called box.

Great puzzle game. Great music. Great atmosphere. Teaches philosophy while you have fun playing an awesome game.

This Game and Soma are some of my favorite simply because of the story. Not many games tell a story that cover such an important topic as humanity itself. The puzzles are fun and graphics feel like a 2014 game (in a good way)

would recommend. you should get this

Challenging puzzles and a great story, 10/10.

Great story, great puzzles, beautiful environments, and good performance. I was pleasantly surprised with everything this game has to offer. Especially the puzzles.

If you like collectibles and hidden messages then this game is for you. It's filled with collectibles and many of them are out of bounds. The only trouble is finding the way out.

Despite all that, one of the best reasons to play this game is to prepare yourself for the sequel, which turns everything up a notch. Don't miss out on these unforgettable games.

A great puzzle game that is quite unique, with a sort of sci-fi setting in ways.

Excellent, elegant game design. My only critique is that it doesn't allow you to go back to previous parts of the game once you've completed it (Talos 2 does allow it fortunately).

Very fun game, hard puzzles. Good story. Made my brain hurt

I enjoyed a lot this game, I liked every part of it. It's interesting how this game is the the only I know of that mentions passages of the Bible, both New and Old Testament. Not that those mentions are actually insightful or profound, but I find it rather interesting. I hope I find more of that in other games.

Amazing puzzles that actually make you think combined with philosophical stroy about "what makes a human"

This is a great puzzle game with a great story to go with it, couldn't recommend this more!

A solid puzzle game, would recommend to those that like Portal. It's on sale at the moment and is an incredible bargain.

I enjoyed this game, the ending is a bit meh but it gets resolved right away in the sequel to this game. The puzzles are difficult and feel good to complete. The philosophy is interesting and adds a good pause.

This was way better than I expected. The comparison with Portal in inevitable, it's just as good, and in some ways an even more satisfying game. Great puzzle design, just hard enough but never frustrating, and tons of interesting lore and story, if you're into that.

I enjoyed the game.

What is it about? Mostly solving puzzles and some of them are a real brain turner and others, even in the later stages, remain super easy. The game makes it quite satisfying solving a puzzle except the star puzzles, I never liked those and when I figured after an amount of stars were collected one has to get grey sigils (more puzzles to solve) I gave it up.

Yes, that game has also a story and it is quite philosophical but I wouldn't call that a game changer, it is solid but nothing more.

There is only one ending which I like. There is no need to play through the whole game to see about the endings, load a previous save and enjoy.

I played the native Linux version and did run like a charm.
Sound is good. Soundtrack is solid. Graphics also nice to look at.

I've only just discovered this game and almost finished the first section "A". So, ten years old, but I think this is a very worthy game to try, especially if you want something to "think" about aside from the puzzles which make up the main game action. By themselves the puzzles are a nice challenge, solvable with some trial and error, so no need to look up cheats. This game will keep me going for many hours to come. No need to rush, no ticking clock. I can play at a fairly casual pace when I need a break from my other games.

BUT as I progress I've become more engaged in the somewhat vague storyline --- bits of info found in emails, memos and text files.stored on the computer terminals located in each section. It's clever, a mystery. and I'm now quite curious to know more. Am I human? Is this a matrix? Is technology dangerous? Lots to think about as you play. I hope they dared to go deep!

One of my favorite games of 2015. I played it again thanks to The Talos Principle 2, which made me start over from the first one. It hasn't aged badly at all.
Truly a master's peace

Fantastic puzzle game, it really gets you thinking. Very well made and addicting, I keep telling myself just one more puzzle and then a few hours and several more puzzles later...and I'm still playing.

Clearly plenty of people find this a satisfying puzzle game and there are indeed many puzzles of increasing complexity. However, somehow this game didn't quite "click" with me despite being a puzzle lover and each of the world themes appealing to my own specific interests.

I think ultimately I just found the puzzles a bit too repetitive and the overall story not as engaging as, for example, Portal. The story telling is subtle, which I actually also usually enjoy but although the topics were compelling, somehow it didn't really keep my attention as much here. I found the final "puzzle" or series of puzzles right before the ending to be the most interesting because it felt the most different despite using the same mechanics.

Maybe to avoid the same feeling it would be a good idea to spread it out over weeks or months instead of trying to continuously play and complete it if you think you might be interested but might have the same reaction.

What I can say is, this game did engage my brain, I enjoyed the puzzles most periodically when they felt fresh, and the ending was great.

I did also find I enjoyed Road to Gehenna much more, though the puzzles still felt repetitive since I played it right after the main game (well, within days)

I tried to give this a go and at first I was able to figure out the puzzles pretty easily but the harder they became, the more I dreaded playing and would spend hours trying to solve it. I don't mind a challenge, but this started to feel repetitive after a while.

Also, I don't know why, but I felt like I got motion sickness from playing this, felt this weird feeling in my stomach whenever I moved in this game. So I never finished it sadly,

should you play this game? Absolutely. It’s like Portal but with 10x the existential crisis and no cake. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (probably at a puzzle), and you’ll ponder your very existence while Elohim scolds you like a disappointed dad.

10/10 Would Climb the Tower Again

By far the absolute best puzzle game I've ever played. Whatever you do, don't look up spoilers it's worth resisting the temptation and figuring it out yourself.

Лучшие качели для оценки качества собственного мозга от "ебать я бездарь"/"звуки мартышки"" до "нихуя я раскрутил"/"элохим сосать" (пожалуйста только не геена)

Bought this game and a couple others. Was much more excited for the others I got but decided I'd try this one first, but only for a little while.
This game absolutely stole the show. Haven't even touched the other games yet. Gonna play the second one and get the main DLC for this too. Seriously ended up loving this.
If you like philosophy and don't mind some reading, this is great.

the puzzles are unique and the games atmosphere is beautiful. i recommend using headphones.

too much wisdom for a video game.. this game can scoop you up and help you find your path in case you're lost...in life.

I came looking for games similar to Portal and left looking for games similar to the Talos Principle. Sure, it's a puzzle game, but something about the atmosphere just kept me hooked right from the beginning. The choir music when you first enter the menu, the paintings on the walls in the background, followed by the voice of Elohim when you wake up in the garden... I think the devs did a fantastic job when constructing the world around their puzzles. There is something epic and mysterious about the setting you find yourself in. This was actually the first game where I really wanted to grind for the 100% to find out everything about me and the world around me. If you liked Portal, I'm sure you'll enjoy the Talos Principle too.