The Talos Principle 2

this game lets me feel smart 2.

Croteam pushes their puzzle world further with decent endings. I absolutely love how they mixed puzzles, notes, and dialogues, all of it specifically about the world.
The previous part of the game followed you as a pathfinder, with a "you are not the first and not alone" feeling.
The second part is about discovering and exploring new horizons, giving a more massive feeling.
About the core gameplay:
Puzzles are easier than in the first game, but with a beautiful style. You can explore the map while running between them.
You don't need to know ASCII and hex symbols to solve a puzzle for some damn star that's not even necessary.
All the endings in the story are very logical and promising in advance.

The bad side of the game, in my opinion, is the animations.
They look too lazy.
The "city" could have been more interesting with 5–7 side quests.
The endings could have conveyed the essence to you with more variation.
Thinking about to buy dlc and remaster of the first part of the game.

Another wonderful puzzle game by croteam. The puzzles in this one are a bit easier than in the first game, but the story is grander with well written characters.

This is a game is nothing less than brilliant. Graphics, challenge, sound, story,... Everything is created with so much care.
I've had many 'aha!' moments that just kept me going. The challenge are challenging, but always rewarding.
Protect this development team at all cost!

I've really been sucked down the Talos Principle rabbit hole, and this game was truly a worthy sequel in so many ways. It's the epitome of the sequel philosophy of MORE... more puzzle gimmicks, more story content, more environments, more philosophy and difficult questions about the nature of humanity... in so many ways, this is a step up from the first game, though I still think I preferred the first game overall. There's something to be said about the smaller scope of the first game, and the way it tells its story subtly. Not to mention the fact that this game is so much bigger than the first means that a lot of time will be spent wandering around the different worlds looking for stuff, which eventually started to drag.

The puzzles also felt easier, which I don't inherently have an issue with, but I think the reason for this is because every single world introduces a new item or gimmick that is explored for about ten puzzles before being more or less sidelined. There's a lot of weird but cool gimmicks here that just aren't taken nearly as far as the smaller handful in the first game, at least if you don't do the DLC which mostly remedied this problem for me.

Really, though, I'm being harsh because I adored the first game so much. I hate assigning number scores to games, but if TTP1 is like a 9.5/10 or a 10/10, this game is more like an 8 or an 8.5. So, really, it's a damn good game, but temper your expectations if you were as into the first game as I was.

more story line than first game still masterful puzzle gaming and philosophy

Infinitely better than the first one, good story, fun moments, puzzles satisfying, scratches the same itch Portal does. Graphically amazing, included camera mode good for photos of these grand scale levels, even the weird social media thing is a laugh. Mint game

Took part 1 and waaaay expanded on it, really cool puzzle game, absolutely love it, and goddamn it's beautiful!

Good puzzles and story. Reminds me of Portal a little bit.

I can't believe I forgot to write a review for this. An excellent followup to Talos principle. Breathtaking environments, and wonderfully fun new puzzle mechanics. And the voice acting of all the characters in this are absolutely phenomenal. Highly recommend to both new fans of the series, and anybody who liked the first game and is itching for more.

I think this is a worthy successor to the first game. I'm having so much fun with it.

Oh my goodness.
+ Stunning visuals
+ Thought-provoking narrative
+ (base game) interesting puzzles that don't overstay their welcome
+ Epic music
Gonna play the DLC soon :)

Good puzzles and a variety of tools and challenges, similar to the first game in the series. The story is really good, and I enjoy the several different dialogue options that allow you to make your character's personality. Will have to wait for replay to see if the dialogue options change anything about the world or story but still fun.

"Well this has been going on for a bit, hasn't it?"
If you get it, you get it

In all seriousness, this has got to be my favorite game ever. It's a masterpiece, lovely from start to finish. I cannot rate it high enough. Thank you, devs!

For the first half of this game, I truly believed that it was a masterpiece, so it's weird sitting here and writing a negative review.

For a puzzle game, the puzzles in this game are not very good. There are 12 areas in the game with 10 puzzles each, and each of these areas brings with it a new mechanic to play around with. However, mechanics from the previous levels are rarely present in subsequent areas, so none of the puzzles really build on one another. It really feels like there was a huge amount of missed potential here. It's especially disappointing because like half the mechanics introduced are total duds. They could have cut those away and made room for more interesting puzzles.

It might be forgivable, because while it is a puzzle game, TTP2 places way more emphasis on its plot than its predecessor. Unfortunately, the plot isn't very good either. It has basically nothing additional to say about its namesake from the previous game. The entire plot is essentially a battle between conservatism and progressivism and the game merely presents the arguments for both sides rather than actually taking a stance towards either one. There's a lot of moral platitudes and allegories to make the game seem more profound than it actually is, but once you look past its surface, the plot actually doesn't say much of anything. It feels like a complete waste of time to get invested in.

If the puzzles aren't fun and the plot is shallow, what's the point?

Majority of puzzles is easy, TOO easy... the fastest puzzle I cleared took me 9 seconds in total. Even the big, big philosophical theme here is overused, thus feeling "off" and ingenuine.

Amazing writing, fantastic puzzles, beautiful art. Improves upon the original in every way but doesn't lose sight of its origins.

Yes, this game takes everything that made the first game great an cranks it up to 11. If you liked the first game you'll like this one though you technically don't need to play the first one to enjoy this one. I feel like my experience playing the first game AS the first game made for a very enjoyable experience. But, since you can only play a game "the first time" once, I won't blame you for playing this first and treating the first game like the "Prequel" to this game instead. It might make for a subtle different yet equally interesting experience.

The puzzles can get pretty hard sometimes but Prometheus flames abound to allow you to skip puzzles you find too tedious while also allowing you to go back and do the puzzle afterwards to re-claim the flame. Good game design. I don't remember if that's how it worked for the first game.

So many good philosophical topics brushed upon. Such an interesting story that ends on a really good twist (and with a really awesome secret ending). Beautiful sights. Fun/compelling characters. Good DLC's that really add to things in small ways.

You owe it to yourself to play this game, I'm glad I did.

Either I got better at puzzles since the first game or the puzzles were more approachable this time around. I am not saying the puzzles were easy, just that I felt like I was properly rewarded for putting in hard thinking to solve some of the puzzles. Just when I thought they couldn't expand on the puzzles in the game, the next area somehow would, so you had to put work in until the very end. I really thought they did a great job with the puzzles, though I wish they might have trimmed down a little on the exposition and NPCs interactions. It threw me off at first because of the style of the first game, but by the time I got to the end of the game, I realized it didn't bother me quite so much.

But the BEST part of the game was that they allowed you to switch to 3rd person mode if you preferred! I loved the first game but I always found myself feeling sick after a gaming session, and didn't realize it until I finished the game that I was feeling sick because the game was giving me motion sickness, which has never happened before. I went into this game knowing that I would be keeping my sessions short to avoid feeling sick, but having 3rd person meant I could play without getting sick.

Worth playing for the puzzles. Those are better.

Can't say I like the bloated nature of maps and the story in this sequel. The philosophy parts are still great, but it really over-reached with it's attempt at a grand storytelling experience. Stars are shamefully designed, faces barely move, a lot of special effects gone or became more simplistic.

Needed more Love in practice, less in theory
60 / 100

An absolutely fantastic sequel to the best puzzle game ever made, in my opinion. The story and characters are incredibly well made, and the visuals are stunning. If you're a big proponent of the philosophy of The Talos Principle, you will enjoy this game just as much as the first.

TLDR: 4/5. Excellent game, it would be a masterpiece if they didn't drag it for a little too long.

The game is overall extremely polished, with graphics that are astounding and still maintain the original identity from the previous iteration. You don't really need to have played the first game to get on this, but it adds to the weight of the lore at the start, and I highly recommend that you do for a full experience.

Gameplay wise it does a great job of improving on the past game puzzles. Now, if you played Talos 1 you may think the puzzles are a little too easy on this one, but they are actually balanced, getting harder as the game progresses and you get better at it, finally giving you great challenges with the gate puzzles and the DLC content. Talos 2 also continues to add the little secrets and easter eggs, taking them to a whole new level with a semi-open world concept that really gives you a Myst vibe.

The downside is that they make it last a little too long. It's hard to say this, but there are actually too many zones to play. At about 70% the game starts to drag on and feel a little like a grind, specially if you decide to do the "full" ending with the gate puzzles. If it had just a couple less zones, I believe this game would have been on the polishing level of Portal 2. If you can't get enough of the puzzles, however, than that's a bonus for you.

Overall awesome experience, highly recommend.

This game has an incredibly interesting and intelligent story which is absolutely worth experiencing. In addition, solving its puzzles is very enjoyable and the environments in which you do so are breath-taking.

Incredibly fun puzzle game. Very worth, fun story along the way. I haven't played them yet, but I've never seen a game with DLC that has "overwelming positive" as a rating, so I'm going to give that a try next.

This is exactly the sequel its predecessor deserves. Loved every second I spent in that beautiful world. Bravo Croteam, you created something very special.

A sequel to what was already an outstanding game, yet this is better. It takes the fundamentals and extrapolates on them in a lot of really fun and interesting ways. There are a lot of really great new puzzle additions in this game that are drip fed just enough to make it really interesting and challenging all the way to the end.

The added story and characters provided a good narrative that was yet another carrot on a stick to motivate you through the game, although the puzzles are so strong that they could have even stood on their own, which really attests to the amount of value this game delivers.

As a side note, if you haven't played the first game I would highly recommend doing so before playing this, as I feel like if you play through this and then want to play through the first one after to keep the good puzzle times rolling it will not be as enjoyable.

All in all, super into it and loved as much if not more than the first one. Got all the extras and did pretty much everything I could in the main game until I was sick of it. Excited to dig into the DLC here soon.

"Talos Principle II" is a captivating blend of intricate puzzles and profound philosophical exploration. It expands upon its predecessor, delivering even more challenging puzzles, a compelling narrative, and visually stunning environments. This game is a must-play for those who relish intellectual challenges and thought-provoking storytelling.

Devs used special kind of rocks to trick slab of meat (me) into thinking. Truly devious.

The more tool you can snatch from puzzles, the funnier game gets.

Masterpiece as always, 10/10, maps and architecture truly breathtaking.

Hope third game gonna be decent space sim with loot and progressions.

What a delightful treat this game is!

In a nutshell it plays out like a meditation on humanism. If you want to ponder whether there is any purpose to human endeavors, TTP 2 will allow you do so in a way that is not naive. As you walk around stunning landscapes admiring beautiful architecture you will be solving fun puzzles and interacting with thoughtful commentary on what it means to have the responsibility of self-awareness.

If you ever feel like your worldview could use a boost, this game will provide you with exactly the kind of informed optimism that makes you want to live and help others thrive.

We need more media with this kind of message. Wholeheartedly recommend!

Thoughtful philosophical musings, satisfying puzzles which range from easy to challenging. DLC has more of what's good. Both the 1st and 2nd game are one of those games I'll play again every few years forever.

One of the best puzzle games I played. Such a big improvement from the first one both when it comes to the puzzles and to the lore . Loved every bit of it. Some puzzles that need you to think outside the box and outside the current puzzle you are solving can be challenging but I enjoyed every bit of it. Congrats to everyone involved in making this game and I can't recommend this game enough to people who enjoy puzzle games.

A very overlooked gem of a puzzle game and a worthwhile sequel. If you liked the first one, get this! And buy it full price to support these devs. They deserve it.

game is amazing but gave me existential crisis multiple times

Amazing game, would highly recommend to those that like puzzle games and very thought-provoking stories. Really changed my view about our purpose as humans, I am more positive and hopeful. Make sure to also get the DLC if you like the base game, it expands upon story threads and is equally as good.

PURE THALOS P. Better and bigger than Thalos 1. The environment is greatly expanded. Excellent game in every aspect. And there is a lot of cats, cool.

Very entertaining with lots of good puzzles. I only almost had 1 freakout at a puzzle but that was due to me forgetting that I could put items on boxes and the fans would move both at the same time.

game has a ton of unlikable characters that never go away with constant, constant dialogue. this game does build upon the story of the first decently but man, it was much better as a strange mystery rather than relentless forced exposition.

A phenomenal game! Dare I even say better than the first? This iteration is much more in depth and detailed in just about every way in comparison.

Visually, it is stunning. For a lover of architecture, the level designs are a feast for the eyes, and I spent the whole game in awe of the gorgeous level designs.

The lore goes deeper, more context behind the first game is revealed, and the story feels more profound; it really challenges you to think--not only in terms of the puzzles, but also philosophically. The first explores humanity and sentience; this one explores morality, ethics, and society.

There are really only one and a half issues with the game. The half issue is that it is incredibly long, totaling around 169 (!!) puzzles. This also makes the game a great value. Normally, this would be great with no downsides, but it becomes a bit of a problem because of the main issue: the game can feel repetitive and even tedious at times because each section of the island is conceptually identical to the others. Each quarter of the island is subdivided into three regions, and each region has 8 main puzzles, two "lost" puzzles, a lab, a few terminals to find, and two stars to collect.

Others have mentioned their disdain for the dialogue, which is a valid opinion, but personally, I enjoyed it. Yes, sometimes I would wish the person I was talking to would talk faster, and there certainly was a lot of it, but it felt far more natural than "typing" back and forth with Milton in the first game.

If you're on the fence, I say take the risk. Besides, Yaqut alone will make it worth playing the game!

Thought provoking and a beautifully written story, just don't let Netflix make the film. The puzzles are a bit easier than TP1 but more varied and they've even included "skips" if you find a puzzle too hard, though you'll have to track them down. I much prefer the presentation and the world Croteam have built this time around.

An engaging, sprawling puzzle game that really makes you think. Hmmmmm.

Serious Sam even makes an appearance in an Easter egg.

Very visually stunning game. Unfortunately that's the only positive comment I have. Pick it up on discount when you can.

To echo some of the other negative reviews, the minimum system requirements aren't accurate. I had to upgrade my system to properly play it.

Regarding the gameplay, the story is slow as molasses and hindered by the massive open world feel. While they are satisfying to complete, the puzzles are insultingly simple.

One of the things I loved about the philosphy presented in the first game is that it made me think and question my understanding of the world. In part two, half the time I feel like I'm scrolling through r/im14andthisisdeep and the other half it feels like the devs are just throwing quotes at you.

One of the best and most versatile puzzle games I've ever played!
It outshines Talos Principle 1 massively in size, scope, and tools making it full of new fun mechanics to learn.
Some of them, specifically the lasers could be explained a little bit better and it can be easy to get a little lost here and there with how expansive the areas are(especially because there are hidden secrets around every corner to look out for).
Overall it's a 10/10 puzzle game filled with fun and philosophy.

A masterpiece.
Compared to the first : huge maps, monumentally detailed architecture, breathtaking landscapes, more developped characters, a city to visit, hours of dialogues, impeccable voice acting, somewhat even better built puzzles, a slew of easter eggs.
Should be played after finishing the first one.

Please OPTIMIZE!
I played part 1 and it ran great on my PC.

This part is barely playable even with bare minimum settings.
And even if it were playable, the ugliness of the picture and weird movement animation on low settings is unbearable and hurts your eyes.
(Surprisingly, the worst part are the story-videos, where I'd have like 0.3 FPS)

I believe it looks amazing on a fast PC, but come on, 77 GB for a puzzle game, that's a bit of an overkill.
PLEASE MAKE PLAYABLE AND BEARABLE FOR THE MODEST PC's OUT THERE (like the 1st part was)

Great combination of puzzles and philosophy. Simply great just like the first game.

Poorly optimized game. Runs at 15 fps with occasional stutters and its a not very good looking game for that.

I really enjoyed The Talos Principle 2 as much as the first one! The puzzles can be mind bending and engaging. The best thing about this game for me is not having to perform too many fast finger moves, weird jumping around and such. Thank you !

A game that became my comfort in bad mental moments. Story is very existentialst and puzzles actually make you think and very rewarding.

The game is a faithful expansion and continuation of the universe of the first Talos Principle, while bringing about an exciting new direction for the narrative of the universe. I am only just getting into this game and have more to do to delve into the exploration of the island.

The puzzles are challenging and fun with only a few required being quite tricky. The story is quite good though an obvious option for choice is not present.

Everything good from the Talos Principle 1, but greatly improved and expanded on. The first felt a bit rough around the edges, had that early PC game vibe for lack of better terms, while this one feels very well polished. The puzzles in the main game feel to be on the easier side compared to the first game especially compared to some of the very difficult TP1 star puzzles, but all enjoyable with some stumping me for a good while (and the DLC has more difficult puzzles to work through overall). It also looks stunning especially if you have a newer GPU that can run it well on high+ settings. This might be an issue for older systems that struggle with other Unreal Engine 5 games (still runs a lot better than some UE5 games I've played). Really hoping Croteam finds a way to add a level editor/creator with workshops support like they're doing for the reawakening remake of the first game, or at least another DLC.