The Talos Principle II is the sequel to 2014’s The Talos Principle, by developer Croteam and publisher Devolver Digital. Those familiar with the first game know it primarily centered around interesting puzzles and sci-fi storylines. Though its sequel is, for the most part, one-in-the-same as far as overall general content, The Talos Principle II does attempt a fresh new feel to keep players thinking outside the box.
When first starting out, players may be shocked to find that it feels strangely identical to The Talos Principle, but soon that reality will be ripped away to reveal the brand-new idea for The Talos Principle II. This unique opener does its job of effectively creating an immediate comparison that promises its audience that they’re in store for something entirely different in The Talos Principle II.
Authentic & New
The Talos Principle II is filled with mind-bending puzzles and the same familiar sci-fi feel of its predecessor, but it does manage to create an air of newness while remaining faithful to what made the first game so enjoyable. Rather than working through complicated puzzle simulations to beat a system intent on winning, players are instead dropped into a world that is actively working to develop a new human society and are present to help finally complete that goal.
As for the The Talos Principle II puzzles themselves in comparison to the original, there are definitely variations in difficulty, even early on. Whereas the first puzzle may be complex, the second is easy, followed by another complex one. Though it may seem scattered and inconsistent, it actually aids in not creating the feeling of being overwhelmed. When beginning the game, players will receive a rundown of everything that occurred in the original game, so while there is content to be missed in skipping the first title, it doesn’t appear to be necessary to play it to enjoy its sequel.
Reaching For The Stars
In addition to the interesting new story, there are plenty of fun things to discover and enjoy. While exploring the new human utopia of New Jerusalem, players may discover a monument dedicated to the Progenitor’s love of cats where there are several real cats featured, including one affectionately named Stanley Biscuits. Additionally, another new feature is the presence of an in-game social media tab, where players may come across a chat room stating simply that the “Are Frogs Humans?” debate is banned.
Though it may not be something vital to the game, it adds a little bit more realness to a futuristic sci-fi plot line that at times can feel alienating. Though the overall “new human society” sci-fi idea is interesting and provoking, it can be hard not to feel as though the dialogue and concepts are trying a bit too hard. Many of the conversations felt as though they were intentionally trying to provoke reactions by discussing concepts such as the idea of whether mortality gives life its meaning and having the characters argue in response depending on the answer they receive. Though these deep conversations are certainly thought-provoking, they at times also felt a bit forced and pretentious.
Potential With The Proper Polishing
The visual aspects of The Talos Principle II are quite impressive. However, when it comes to actual performance, there is quite a bit of polishing necessary to be done before the actual full release. As it stands, certain textures feel unfinished, as during several portions of the demo the player character was able to phase right through objects that were clearly meant to be obstacles.
Additionally, when it comes to completing the puzzles in The Talos Principle II, there may be some refinement needed since the problem of soft-locking occurred during some of the beginning puzzles of the demo. Furthermore, several of the puzzles specifically feature different barrier types, some that may be passed through and others that are solid. Unfortunately for the player, these barriers are very similar in color and if not paying close attention, can be annoying to differentiate between. Though aesthetically, the color choices for the barriers are pleasing and faithful to the original, when it comes to actual gameplay it feels as though they should’ve been made more distinctive from one another.
Finally, some of the interesting features in The Talos Principle II can feel pointless at times. One example is QR codes that are scattered around that players may view and scan with their actual phones. Upon doing so, the notes app on the phone will open and display a specific quote. For a game that focuses on the future and technology, this is a fun use of some real-life modern technology and another way of making the game immersive that seemed like a great idea.
However, upon inspection of the QR code, the player character simply needs to look directly at the code to have the same quote appear at the bottom of the screen in a subtitle. Though it is likely this way to make the quote accessible to those who may not have the opportunity to scan it, it felt as though it kind of defeated the purpose of being there in the first place since there really is no need to scan it at all, even if able, since the game just hands it to you anyway.
Final Thoughts
The Talos Principle II seems to be promising players more in both its content and puzzles than The Talos Principle did. However, there are still several aspects that could use more polishing before this game could truly be considered complete. Additionally, those who don’t enjoy the idea of being confronted with big ideas in addition to complicated puzzles may have a hard time working through the actual story content of this game. Overall, this demo shows that The Talos Principle II holds a lot of potential and may be worth checking out upon full release, though it does feel somewhat niche in its build currently thanks to its unique blend of philosophical discussion and puzzle construction.
The Talos Principle II releases November 2nd, 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Screen Rant was provided with an early-access demo code for the purpose of this preview.
