The Talos Principle 2 Review – A Question of Identity

The Talos Principle 2 continues the legacy of the game that came before with challenging puzzles and deep philosophical questions about life, sentience, and the human experience. The Talos Principle 2 is set in a beautiful world of natural regrowth, ancient lost ruins, and science fiction. While some may find the game’s quizzical nature more lasting than others, it is sure to be a memorable experience for those who play it. Prepare to feel smart, really stupid, and then smart again as you tackle the hundreds of puzzles presented in this existential sci-fi experience.

The Talos Principle 2 opens in what appears to be an ancient Egyptian or Mesopotamian ruin. Here, however, the voice of a being who identifies as Elohim assures you that this is just a dream. The following puzzles you solve are trials to surmount before you’re born into a physical body. Considering these puzzles took me just shy of an hour to solve, I don’t think I was one of Elohim’s particularly intelligent chosen children, but I digress.

Many people reading might have various degrees of familiarity with the name Elohim, which is the Hebrew language word for God or Godhood. This isn’t intended to be the literal Biblical God but rather a leftover program hard-coded into the minds of a civilization of artificial intelligence. Which, honestly, might as well make it a god.

The game is jam-packed with religious and mythological symbolism cleverly presented alongside high-sci-fi concepts. Another ancient god-like being will make an appearance in the prologue, as I’ll mention shortly. This mixture of the concepts in such a seamless way makes for a very juicy atmosphere and storytelling device that I absolutely adore.

There are times when you will flip back and forth from believing you are talking to an actual Greek God or simply a highly advanced technological entity programmed with the personality of human beliefs and legends. It’s easy to question if there is truly any difference.

The Talos Principle 2’s story is where the game absolutely shines. The questions of what it means to be human, the longing to explore vs the desire for safety and security, and rekindling humanity’s lost yearning for adventure while being careful not to repeat its mistakes are incredibly interesting topics. You’ll be made to ask philosophical questions without clear answers plenty of times, making for a game that makes you think outside of its puzzles.

The Talos Principle 2 tells the story of a race of artificial intelligence, self-designated as humans, picking up the pieces of their ancestors. They’ve built the city of New Jerusalem where they strive to live in balance with the world around them. They follow the so-called Goal set by their first human, Athena, to create one thousand new humans to live in their utopian city. As a human 1k, your birth signals the completion of the goal.

Things aren’t all they’re made out to be in New Jerusalem, however. A timidness to explore and expand has left the city with a resource shortage, the ugly head of which begins to show as early as your birth. New Jerusalem’s leaders are forced to give up on this turtling policy as a projection calling himself Prometheus appears, urging them to come to his island and find his flame.

The game takes off as you begin exploring Promethus’ island, traversing lush and beautiful forests with the backdrop of great and imposing megastructure ruins. The whole thing feels like the Illiad, exploring the unknown temples of ancient gods as mere mortals, even if you do have wifi built in.

From here the goal of the game is to solve puzzles and uncover lost secrets. The basis for these puzzles is established in the prologue, but as early as the first puzzle you find will have you facing off against new mechanics and concepts. Expect sci-fi concepts like manipulating gravity and lots of RGB lasers in solving these puzzles.

Puzzles can vary wildly back and forth between super easy and stumping, taking anywhere from minutes to an hour to solve. It really depends on who you are and how you look at things. Something this game really teaches you is the value of having multiple viewpoints on a problem, as I found my way out of the hardest puzzles by asking a friend to come in and take a look.

Thankfully, I can’t recall a single puzzle in the game that required quick reflexes or timed platforming. You can do everything at your own pace, which I can imagine eases a lot of the stress of playing. I personally had a review embargo to make but your experience should be far more relaxed.

Prometheus Tokens allow you to skip puzzles that you’re having a hard time with, and entire sections can even be skipped with a resource called a spark. Sparks are rare so you want to use them wisely.

The game’s phenomenal music can make a lot of these longer puzzles much more tolerable to get through. Damjan Mravunac and Chris Christodoulou (names I looked up specifically to credit here) did a phenomenal job with the soundtrack. There wasn’t a moment where I felt tired of what I was hearing, which can be especially important when the puzzles drag on and on

My only issue with The Talos Principle 2 is perhaps the most subjective thing in the world; The game’s length. As interesting as the narrative and philosophical themes may be, and as mentally stimulating as the puzzles, there are easily over a hundred of them to solve, with the game taking upwards of 20 hours to complete. The question becomes how much of it you can handle. It can at times feel like homework trying to get to the next chapter.

It’s a game I suggest you pace yourself with. Play it when you absolutely feel like you want to, and don’t let a completionist urge push you into long sessions you aren’t prepared for. Some people taking this game on will love playing it that way, others will exhaust themselves and make it harder to enjoy the game. Just remember that you don’t have to, and you’re not going to, finish the game in one sitting.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a PC review copy of this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website! The Talos Principle 2 is available on Steam, Epic Games, Xbox, and PlayStation.