Game 9 of 2024 - The Talos Principle

The Talos Principle

Developer: Croteam
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: PC
Genre: Puzzle, First Person, Philosophical

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: 10

Finished: Not yet
Final Rating: 8.1/10

The Talos Principle is one of the best puzzle game I've ever played, and yet I'm not so sure I'm going to finish it. You see, I'm a little on the dumb side and there are only so many puzzles I can take.

The Talos Principle explores philosophical topics such as what is a person, and can a machine become a person if they are indistinguishable from one? The story is the best part and is what kept me going through the puzzles (which range from insultingly easy to stupid hard), of which there are many. You learn about the world you inhabit little by little as you find ancient correspondence from a long gone team of scientists and engineers. Speaking of the world, it's super pretty!

See? Would I lie to you?

A mysterious voice known only as Elohim guides you through the worlds it has created for you, warning you to stay away from the tower as you will only find death, which sounds like a threat to me.

Must be this tower. It's the only one.

I guess my real complaint about The Talos Principle is the number of puzzles. There's a shitload of them, and you need to finish them to collect these little tetromino lookin' things that unlock more abilities and more areas to explore. Despite finding the story engrossing, I got a little tired of the puzzles that have very little to break them up. Also, some of the puzzles are just... not fun. They don't challenge logic and deduction so much as spatial awareness (not my strong suit) which I found pretty frustrating.

There's a lot here for a puzzle lover to enjoy, and I think most gamers will really enjoy the story and themes attached to the game.