While still waiting for new games to grace the start of this new year, we went back a few weeks and checked out The Talos Principle (TTP), a late-2014 release. Its portal-ish type of gameplay really piqued our interest, and we came away charmed and thoroughly seduced by it. The game, developed by Croteam (who are credited with the development of the Serious Sam series), is a totally different first-person puzzle adventure that puts on display the tremendous amount of creativity in the team.

TTP is perhaps the most rewarding game we have played since Braid in 2010, and it fills you with an incredible sense of accomplishment every time you solve a puzzle piece, which only get more complex every time. However, it is not the complexity of the puzzles or the narrative alone that makes TTP a remarkable experience.

The game begins without any cutscene or a backdrop story to lead us in, and in doing so leaves us with questions from the moment the game begins. A divine voice, which claims to belong to ‘Elohim’, is heard; the word means ‘God’ in ancient Hebrew, and the voice assures you that you are his creation and encourages you to seek him by solving the puzzles, to find tetris-like pieces, which are referred to as sigils; these pieces unlock other doors to the realm you are in. The voice later tells you that the world you are in has been created solely for you and you may do whatever you please but that you are not to find your way to the tower, as it is not made for you and nor will that do you any good. This statement is later contradicted by another source, which we may refer to as ‘the deceiver’, and it encourages us to get to the tower and uncover the truth that is hidden from us; sound familiar?

The game becomes more complicated when you find a computer after unlocking the first door and just as you lay your hands on the keyboard, you discover that your hands are not made of flesh and bone and that you are, in fact, an android, powered by artificial intelligence.

Story

While TTP is predominantly a puzzle-solving game, it is the story that the game is built upon that elevates it to the next level, above all the other releases of 2014; and yes, we mean every other major title that gave us about a dozen hours of satisfactory gameplay that we will vaguely remember in the coming years. In TTP, we play as an android with no specific purpose programmed in to us; thus we are free to discover and learn the truth ourselves, by solving each puzzle, which steadily builds into a progression. Besides the complex puzzles, the game is layered with an excellent narrative backed by logs and certain pieces of history lessons; and as you slowly connect the dots, you find the truth, or more specifically, your truth. The path you choose to take and the answers you give lead to one of various endings the game is destined to deliver, each promising to fulfil you—as it is the ending you yourself unconsciously created.

The game is filled with hours of just reading logs and other library content, which act as the primary source of building the narrative, and which add sophistication to the game.  They question our reality, life and beliefs, which will all seem as complex as the puzzles themselves.

TTP does much, much more than satisfy you every time you solve a puzzle; but it also leaves you with questions that you might not asked yourself in real life. The game deals with the themes of reality, faith and decisions and is undoubtedly the most thought-provoking game we have played in a very long time.

Graphics

The setting of the game complements the story and creates the perfect immersive atmosphere. Every level is vast, with the horizon in the background giving you the feeling of how alone you are. The visuals can be made as crisp or as pixelated, in accordance with your system specs, but regardless, the atmosphere intended by the creators remains intact. The essence of the game, in this case and as it should be in any other game, does not lie in the graphics alone, and even when the skies and the oceans do not feel real, the game doesn’t lose that touch of reality.

Sound

Like everything else in the game, the score too is perfection itself. Composed by Damjan Mravunac, the sound in this game adds soul to the atmosphere, and no matter how long you ponder over the story and puzzles of the game, the score will provide you pleasant company and soothe your mind. The immense level design and the desolation of the playable character complement the audio and vice-versa. The score is so impeccable that we just had to mention the name of the composer.

Gameplay

Predominantly a puzzle-solver, TTP remains true to its nature by infusing more complexity into each puzzle in succession. The game is about how things react to each other and with the environment, with a steady learning curve that might seem too steep oftentimes. The fact that there does not seem to be any correlation of the puzzles with the story, like we had seen in Portal 2, might just be what the game needed, in our opinion. The puzzles are merely there to test the development of the subject, which is us, and test our understanding and learning potential with each passing level. Regardless, the puzzles are exceedingly hard, and thus it is all that much rewarding when you complete it and gain a feeling of accomplishment. TTP is thus a breath of fresh air from those games that will prompt you to “press X to jump” when you would have eventually reached that conclusion yourself; thus we really applaud the freedom granted to the players. Even if you do reach a point of frustration (which you will almost every time), there is a hint-system as well, which does not give away more than is necessary; so kudos for that as well.

Verdict

TTP is the best game we have played in a long time, and it not only gives you an immense sense of achievement but also teaches you much about many things. However, it is not a game for everyone, as the layers of complex puzzles and the even more complex storyline will scare casual gamers away, although that very complexity may also be what attracts more committed gamers. It is a spiritual successor to Portal 2, and we are delighted that it did not fly past our radar.

A perfect score of 10/10