Since the release of Portal 2, people around the world have been begging for another first-person puzzle game, which could match Portal in terms of game design and writing. Previously, attempts have been made with games such as Quantum Conundrum, and Q.U.B.E. however; both these games were not even half as good as the previously mentioned Portal. And this is why I’ve approached The Talos Principle with a tremendous dose of scepticism.
Right from the get go, I knew that The Talos Principle will not replace Portal in any way, shape or form, as its puzzle mechanic is completely different, and even though the main objective of the title is similar to the one of Portal, the way in which it’s achieved, differs substantially. In The Talos Principle, you play as a robot who is in possession of a human-like consciousness, and right from the beginning, your main objective is to complete the trails set by Elohim, an artificial intelligence in control of the facility, and ultimately ascend the tower in order to get the answers to all your questions. However, unlike in Portal, the trials which stand before you, can be completed in any order, so you can divert your attention from a particularly hard puzzle and return to it later, once you get stuck. But if my experience with The Talos Principle is anything to go by, then getting stuck will not be common throughout the 15-20 hours that The Talos Principle has to offer.
Each level in The Talos Principle is based thematically around a specific era, such as the ancient Egypt, and each level holds within itself, a plethora of rooms which are a host to puzzles themselves. As the game progresses, puzzles become more complex as new items put a spin on the in-game mechanic. At the beginning all puzzles will oscillate around jammers which are responsible for, well, jamming of other devices such as barriers, turrets, or exploding balls of doom. But as you make your way through the levels, you’ll unlock boxes, fans, and connectors, which will all add a new layer of complexity to the, at the time, simple gameplay.
Initially I was really impressed by the puzzles which Croteam, the developer, has implemented within The Talos Principle, however, the smartly designed and complex game, at least for me, had quickly turned into a slog, and felt more like a set of tedious chores, rather than labyrinth of challenging puzzles. Instead of pushing the boundaries of complexity and challenge from level to level, The Talos Principle, has simply decided to increase the size of each and every puzzle arena. And this had a huge impact on my perception of the game, as instead of the challenge which I was promised, the game has simply made me repeat the same simple activity numerous times within the same level, over and over again. So by the time I was reaching rooms 4 to 6, the idea of The Talos Principle being a difficult and complex game has become an illusion, which dispersed quickly within the sea of labour which was required to complete some of the puzzles.
I know that most people will see this as a positive and simple, yet repetitive puzzles will be much more desirable to some, as not everyone favours too challenging in-game tasks, but I’m sure that by the halfway point, everyone will be sick of lugging about the connectors and jammers from one side of the puzzle to the other. And the only way in which some will become stuck on one part of the game, or the other, is through disinformation.
At the beginning of the game, The Talos Principle teaches you that in order to interact with objects you need to stand right beside them in order to successfully pick them up. And it does so by making you pick up a jammer from the other side of a locked down force shield. Once you do so, your character makes his way across the force shield, picks up the jammer, and activates the shield by breaking the connection. And at this point I was heavily convinced that standing behind a piece of equipment was the only way to pick it up. However, as I’ve later learnt, equipment can also be picked up from above with equal ease, but I’ve found out about this after spending forty minutes trying to blow a force shield up, because I was heavily convinced that this particular jammer could not be transported across without the interruption of the force shield disintegration.
Even though The Talos Principle is not a perfect game in terms of design and mechanical excellence, it is a game which is entailed in an extremely eye pleasing audio-visual, wrapper. Playing it, is like unwrapping a series of Christmas presents. You’re slowly making your way through the wrapping paper, uncovering more and more about its contents, and once you finally get to its core you’re filled with joy and satisfaction, and have what is necessary to move onto the next. And this is exactly how The Talos Principle plays out. Instead of guiding you through its beautifully designed locations resembling places such as the ancient Greece, it allows you to uncover its secrets at your own pace, and once you get to the core of the final puzzle, you have what it takes to move on, and uncover another, extremely pleasant gift which awaits undercover of another beautiful location, both in terms of visual and audio design.
Conclusively, The Talos Principle, is a game which may bore some to tears, but will serve others with the necessary dose of peace and tranquillity, as the combination of the eerily empty yet beautifully charming locations with the peaceful and calming soundtrack, will surely serve most with exactly what they need when taking a break from the big AAA action games of today.