The Talos Principle

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 734 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 619 out of 734
  2. Mixed: 64 out of 734
  3. Negative: 51 out of 734

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  1. garadox
    Jan 14, 2015
    9
    If you liked Portal and Portal 2, this game may be for you. I say 'may' because the puzzles are not up to the same level of design as the puzzles from Portal, but are still very enjoyable.

    The game is gorgeous - a very nice set of settings and design of the 'hub' worlds and the individual levels. I would highly recommend this game - played through in about 30 hours or so and enjoyed    If you liked Portal and Portal 2, this game may be for you. I say 'may' because the puzzles are not up to the same level of design as the puzzles from Portal, but are still very enjoyable.

    The game is gorgeous - a very nice set of settings and design of the 'hub' worlds and the individual levels.

    I would highly recommend this game - played through in about 30 hours or so and enjoyed it greatly.    … Expand
  2. Esett
    Dec 13, 2014
    10
    A surprisingly fun puzzler with great graphics and great sound coming from the studio that made Serious Sam? That is a sentence i never thought i would write! It is without a doubt the first FPS puzzler that comes near the perfection of Portal and in some, albeit subjective ways, it surpasses it. The "ways" i am talking about are the technical aspects(graphics and sound) which were alwaysA surprisingly fun puzzler with great graphics and great sound coming from the studio that made Serious Sam? That is a sentence i never thought i would write! It is without a doubt the first FPS puzzler that comes near the perfection of Portal and in some, albeit subjective ways, it surpasses it. The "ways" i am talking about are the technical aspects(graphics and sound) which were always a forte of Croteam and the atmosphere. This game just grabs you from the first second with its amazing puzzle design and great writing. You just have to see what comes next. Overall a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale year filled with over hyped triple A boredom. I wholeheartedly recommend buying it.… Expand
  3. Daedstarr
    Dec 31, 2014
    2
    There is nothing really bad about this game per se, but all it really is is a glorified mobile puzzle game on PC. It's a first person candy crush saga. It's essentially just Portal, without the fun of a portal gun. If you like lame mobile games and easy puzzles and a really boring setting, then this game is for you. If you want real video games, steer far away from this one.
  4. Likan
    Jan 18, 2015
    8
    The Talos Principle manages to stand its ground against the excellent Portal series, and that in itself is saying much.

    Direct comparison is inevitable as, like its venerable ancestor, TTP is a first-person puzzler set in a cryptic and unsettling science-fictional background, where the player has to find a way out of an environment controlled by a seemingly friendly omnipotent figure    The Talos Principle manages to stand its ground against the excellent Portal series, and that in itself is saying much.

    Direct comparison is inevitable as, like its venerable ancestor, TTP is a first-person puzzler set in a cryptic and unsettling science-fictional background, where the player has to find a way out of an environment controlled by a seemingly friendly omnipotent figure but where - of course - nothing is quite as it seems.

    The narrative structure varies, as TTP conveys most of its story through written text and pre-recorded messages. It also places more emphasis on the (well-designed) puzzles themselves as there is quite a lot of them, with a nicely adjusted difficulty, they can be accessed in a non-linear fashion, and completionists will have a blast finding all the secrets.

    The writing is smart and the voice acting is occasionally superb (Alexandra's couple of last time capsules are especially poignant, kuddos to the voice actress), but alas falls short of its predecessor cinematographic brilliance. Half-way through the game, most people will have understood everything there is to understand and will be waiting, as I have been, for a last twist or two that never come. The end of the game, while relatively satisfactory gameplay-wise, becomes more of a road to confirmation rather than a road to enlightenment as the build-up would have you believe, and you're left with the feeling that the philosophical food for thought thrown at you throughout the game, while certainly entertaining and curiosity-arousing, was maybe just a bit too much for the writers to tie-up properly.

    That being said, TTP remains a great experience, with very neat production values, and a satisfyingly smarter-than-average backstory and game mechanics. If you liked Portal for its blend of sci-fi puzzling, you'll feel right at home and will most likely have a blast with TTP as well! Wether or not that's worth 40€ is ultimately up to you, as there's quite a bit more of content out-of-the-box than Portal, but a lot of it is absolutely optional.    … Expand
  5. g4b1bb097
    Jan 11, 2015
    10
    The true heir of Portal II, a phylosophical masterpiece filled with tricky puzzles.
    You will dig deep into your knowledge and logical abilities to find the solutions and some of the star levels require out of the box thinking.
    It reqired me 25 hours to gain access to all three finals
  6. Morpheuss
    Apr 10, 2015
    10
    It has been a very long time since a game has captivated me like the Talos Principle did, the puzzles can be extremely challenging at times, but you can just abandon that particular puzzle and come back to it later, while you go solve another one.
    What I found great about the game was that it didn't force you to be a part of the story, if you just wanted to solve puzzles, then it left you    It has been a very long time since a game has captivated me like the Talos Principle did, the puzzles can be extremely challenging at times, but you can just abandon that particular puzzle and come back to it later, while you go solve another one.
    What I found great about the game was that it didn't force you to be a part of the story, if you just wanted to solve puzzles, then it left you to it, but if you wanted to delve more into the story line then it rewarded your curiousity. Considering there wasn't alot of narrative in the game in terms of videos and other cutscenes I still found myself engaging in the the philosophical questions posed by the terminals. Despite not getting many answers it only drove me to play the game even more just to see what was on the next terminal. I can honestly say that I can't wait for a sequel to this game I'd love to see where the development team might take this IP. In short if you just want to solve puzzles then play this game. If you want an engaging story then play this game. If you want both... Yup you guessed it! Play this game.    … Expand
  7. garyc
    Apr 6, 2015
    10
    The best puzzle game since Portal 2.
    The game gets almost everything right: from puzzles that seem impossible until it suddenly all becomes obvious, the way the story is delivered, the sound and graphics, right up to what must be one of the most impressive option menus I have ever seen.
    The puzzles are clever and logical although occasionally a little too simple, but are laid out in such    The best puzzle game since Portal 2.
    The game gets almost everything right: from puzzles that seem impossible until it suddenly all becomes obvious, the way the story is delivered, the sound and graphics, right up to what must be one of the most impressive option menus I have ever seen.
    The puzzles are clever and logical although occasionally a little too simple, but are laid out in such a way that if you get stuck you can always work on something else for a while, which is almost essential for this type of game.
    I would recommend this in an instant to anybody that enjoyed any of the portal games, you will not be disappointed.    … Expand
  8. MarcosBrazil
    Jan 24, 2015
    9
    A very good game that made me think about technology and humanity; this is certainly a game that makes you think. Great Graphics and mechanics. It's 9/10 because some puzzles are too easy, even near in the end of the game.
  9. empleat
    Jan 15, 2015
    9
    Genial puzzle, and nice idea of completing parts and getting higher up to tower.
    I didn´t bore any second while i played this game.
    Nice textures and good story and multiple endings.
    And also lift stuck troll, which croteam trolled yourselves, because it is easy to evade from it, by developer cheats haha.
    Great game, only - is no multiplayer why ?
    It could be much more fun like portal 2 :/
  10. Snowpiercer
    Mar 2, 2015
    10
    One of the best puzzlers I ever saw. Cleverly done with beautiful graphics. Reminds me of Portal but it's even better. Nice work Croteam! I was a bit sceptic seeing this game coming from masters of mindless FPS Serious Sam, but guys really nailed it.
  11. derek10
    Feb 23, 2015
    10
    If you love Portal and Portal 2, you will love The Talos Principle. Even when the gameplay may seem familiar to Portal, they are really quite different but equally good
  12. Radikal
    May 25, 2015
    10
    What an excellent game! Very well designed with a gorgeous atmosphere, beautiful soundtrack, intriguing and original story and very satisfying puzzles. There are tons of Easter eggs for those that really feel like a hunt. It's nice to see that they got this one so right.

    No need to worry yourselves about input lag or your ping here; just prepare to use your mind for this adventure!    What an excellent game! Very well designed with a gorgeous atmosphere, beautiful soundtrack, intriguing and original story and very satisfying puzzles. There are tons of Easter eggs for those that really feel like a hunt. It's nice to see that they got this one so right.

    No need to worry yourselves about input lag or your ping here; just prepare to use your mind for this adventure! This kind of game makes me happy to be a PC gamer; loved the main story and will definitely keep installed to play some Steam workshop mods and wait for an expansion or any DLC that may be down the road hopefully. A job well-done to the developers at Croteam for this gem!    … Expand
  13. Jninja119
    Jun 19, 2015
    10
    The Talos Principle is an interactive allegory of the human condition and poses the idea of what comprises a human being. It is true that puzzles are tedious and repetitive, but you don't truly play it for the 'wildly fun puzzles,' you play it for the layered and brilliantly complex story that makes you question you stance on your existence within the universe. I found myself craving theThe Talos Principle is an interactive allegory of the human condition and poses the idea of what comprises a human being. It is true that puzzles are tedious and repetitive, but you don't truly play it for the 'wildly fun puzzles,' you play it for the layered and brilliantly complex story that makes you question you stance on your existence within the universe. I found myself craving the next, excellently performed audio log. (I have never heard video game voice overs this good.) The story pulls you in, until the very last excruciating second, and makes you feel content in your journey. The game itself is gorgeous (albeit a bit redundant.) It is a perfect example of how some video games are a viable modern art form.… Expand
  14. AndreRLZ
    Jul 25, 2015
    9
    Capolavoro tra i puzzle game. Tecnicamente è veramente ben fatto, soprattutto a livello grafico. Sostanzialmente vieni catapultato in un mondo che non capisci cos'è, tu non sai chi sei e man mano che prosegui nei livelli inizi a capire cosa accade. La storia è molto intrigante e viene raccontata sottoforma di "file" all'interno di alcuni computer sparsi per il mondo di gioco. E' una storiaCapolavoro tra i puzzle game. Tecnicamente è veramente ben fatto, soprattutto a livello grafico. Sostanzialmente vieni catapultato in un mondo che non capisci cos'è, tu non sai chi sei e man mano che prosegui nei livelli inizi a capire cosa accade. La storia è molto intrigante e viene raccontata sottoforma di "file" all'interno di alcuni computer sparsi per il mondo di gioco. E' una storia da ricostruire pezzo per pezzo. Non delude sotto praticamente nessun punto di vista, è veramente un eccellente puzzle game che non annoia mai e che, verso la fine, presenta dei livelli di difficoltà abbastanza elevati (anche se mai "impossibili"). Consigliatissimo a tutti gli amanti di Portal 1 e 2.… Expand
  15. engyne09
    Oct 3, 2015
    10
    Philosophy in its purest state.

    An amazing experience that will make you ask yourself all those questions you've ever had about life and humanity. The game itself goes over very deep topics, this means that the player must be a person who like to stay calm, read and explore all he can get or reach. The story is based in the mystery of not knowing what the hell is happening. Every    Philosophy in its purest state.

    An amazing experience that will make you ask yourself all those questions you've ever had about life and humanity. The game itself goes over very deep topics, this means that the player must be a person who like to stay calm, read and explore all he can get or reach.

    The story is based in the mystery of not knowing what the hell is happening. Every time you get information about who are you, or where you are, a new theory comes across your head. It's magic.

    The Talos Principle remains between reality and fiction in the genre of puzzles. While the gameplay is simple to understand but hard to reproduce, with few mechanics that work together (making the game frustrating some times), the graphics, effects and scenarios are excellent crafted and really beautiful. But clearly what highlights is the wonderful narrative and story.

    It is the first game in which I do not want to play the actual core game, instead find more information, stories and people thoughts in each area.

    The game suggest in a sublime way the future of artificial intelligence and the infinite possibilities of a virtual universe, while questioning our own universe with elaborate theories, really creepy actually Questions about life, death, consciousness and how humans act in front of a machine depending on the level of consciousness it has, instead if that machine is alive or not. Raises impossible questions that will encourage more and more to end as quickly as possible to know how the story end. Keep in mind that The Talos Principle has different endings based in your final choices.    … Expand
  16. TitaniumDragon
    Jan 6, 2016
    9
    Widely praised as the game of the year of 2014, The Talos Principle is a puzzle-platformer which can probably be summarized in the following way:

    The Good: It reminded me of Portal 2 in a good way. The Bad: It was not Portal 2. The Ugly: It kind of wanted to be Portal 2. Its similarities to – and differences from – Portal 2 are instructive. Some of these were solid choices    Widely praised as the game of the year of 2014, The Talos Principle is a puzzle-platformer which can probably be summarized in the following way:

    The Good: It reminded me of Portal 2 in a good way.

    The Bad: It was not Portal 2.

    The Ugly: It kind of wanted to be Portal 2.

    Its similarities to – and differences from – Portal 2 are instructive. Some of these were solid choices which helped to differentiate it, but some of its differences were failures on its part which diminished it as an experience.

    However, perhaps the most salient difference is this: Portal 2 is about 8 hours long. The Talos Principle took me 26 hours to complete.

    Now, you might think that this means that The Talos Principle had massively more content than Portal 2. In a strict sense, this is true; The Talos Principle has about twice as many levels as Portal 2 did, with Portal 2 clocking in at 64 in the single-player campaign and The Talos Principle clocking in at 138, more counting the Easter eggs – little (and sometimes big) things hidden in the various levels.

    However, even with twice the content, that would leave The Talos Principle at only about 18 hours in length. Whence the extra 8 hours?

    The answer to that is, sadly, “running around looking at walls”. And it is actually probably more than that, as the first half of the game is primarily spent on that activity, with far more time spent trying to find hidden puzzles than is spent on solving the actual puzzles themselves.

    And worse still, despite taking nearly three times as long to beat, The Talos Principle doesn’t feel like it has more content than Portal 2 – indeed, in many ways, it feels like it has less, as you don’t interact with the characters as often, nor do the environments feel as varied as they did in Portal 2.

    Through the course of the game, the player travels through a number of different environments themed around ancient civilizations – Greek ruins, Egyptian ruins, ruins of European churches, and even ruins of castles and forts high in snowy mountains. This contrasts sharply with the obviously technological nature of the player and of the various puzzles in the game, revealing a dichotomy between the pseudo-religious nature of Elohim, and the reality of the technological reality you inhabit. All of this contrasts sharply with the overworld hub – a place full of what look like beautiful ancient places from the inside, but which it quickly becomes clear are naught but replicas built in concrete bunkers in a snowy place from the outside. The tower dominates your view in the overworld hub, an enormously tall spire of concrete and steel that towers over all else, containing an elevator with the higher floors locked out – to begin with. Unlike everything else in the game, there is a sort of grubby reality to the tower, which hints at its true nature and purpose.

    The story aspect of the game is quite good, and the whole game does a great job of invoking a feeling of profundity but also underlying desperation. You find messages left behind by various previous people, with version numbers after their names, and, if you pay close attention, you might notice a name or two from your Steam friends list. This is no coincidence – it is possible for you yourself to find paint buckets to leave behind messages to future folks who go through. Interestingly, this also hints at the nature of the world – as well as where you’re going in the end – and as you progress through the game, you unlock more and more messages you can leave behind for your buddies.

    The game also has some meta aspects to it. I have seen some reviews which claim that the whole game is meta-commentary about video games, but it really isn’t. That said, it certainly contains meta-commentary about video games, and there are a lot of in-world meta explanations for the nature of the world and even why names from your Steam friends list are appearing in the world – this is not an artificial contrivance, but an actual part of the world you inhabit, and there’s a reason for it. There are also in-game Easter eggs, some of which are quite brilliant, and as you progress through the game the reason that those Easter eggs exist is again explained in-game as being an organic (if silly) part of the world.

    What the game is really about is the central question of what it means to be human. The titular Talos Principle is a concept from Greek mythology – Talos being a massive automaton made of bronze, animated by ichor put in his body by Zeus (or Hephestus, depending on the myth) himself to animate him and give him life. In the end, when the ichor is drained from his body, he dies as a human would if they exsanguinated, thus proving him to be “human” in a sense. Much of the game’s philosophical conversations with Milton – and many of the documents in the computer – talk about the question of what it means to be human, and the question of whether or not the AIs they are creating – which you are one of – are “human” in a sense.    … Expand
  17. roraborealis
    Jul 16, 2015
    8
    This is an excellent 3-D puzzle game. The puzzles are challenging, but logical. The setting and plot are intriguing. They keep some measure of mystery and feed you details, but you can choose to dig a bit further yourself. It leaves you, in part, wondering about the nature of sentience and being and the validity of various beliefs about those things. The graphics aren't strong, butThis is an excellent 3-D puzzle game. The puzzles are challenging, but logical. The setting and plot are intriguing. They keep some measure of mystery and feed you details, but you can choose to dig a bit further yourself. It leaves you, in part, wondering about the nature of sentience and being and the validity of various beliefs about those things. The graphics aren't strong, but they're adequate for the game.… Expand
  18. iseeall
    Aug 8, 2015
    10
    10/10
    Pros:
    - interesting, varied puzzles which get hard pretty quick (I even had to look up for the solution on youtube for a few) - about 120 puzzles which took me about 5 days in total to solve - nice music and graphics - the story with much intrigue which kept me interested till the end, they way they chose to tell it (notes, emails, voice recordings) was great - many references    10/10
    Pros:
    - interesting, varied puzzles which get hard pretty quick (I even had to look up for the solution on youtube for a few)
    - about 120 puzzles which took me about 5 days in total to solve
    - nice music and graphics
    - the story with much intrigue which kept me interested till the end, they way they chose to tell it (notes, emails, voice recordings) was great
    - many references to philosophy, citations from their works, pretty educational

    Cons (really minor stuff):
    - some of the conversations contained replies none of which I wanted to pick, but still had to pick something to continue
    - the 2nd ending lacked explanations - I really wanted to know what happened to the world but i guess they didn't bother to think that stuff thru
    - a few very annoying puzzles where precise timing was needed (e.g. "Nerve Wrecker"). It's annoying when you already know how to solve a puzzle but fail to do it over and over because you fail to press a key at the precise needed moment. Thankfully, there were just a few such puzzles.    … Expand
  19. gloriouspotato
    Jul 11, 2015
    8
    A competent and intelligent puzzle game. The philosophy can seem forced and out of place at first, but makes much more sense once more of the story (which is quite good) and context is revealed. Of course, this is something that you'll have to look for and interpret yourself. The Talos Principle is definitely not a game to be rushed.

    The soundtrack is very well done if slightly    A competent and intelligent puzzle game. The philosophy can seem forced and out of place at first, but makes much more sense once more of the story (which is quite good) and context is revealed. Of course, this is something that you'll have to look for and interpret yourself. The Talos Principle is definitely not a game to be rushed.

    The soundtrack is very well done if slightly repetitive, and the visuals are quite decent as well. UI is perfectly functional and compact. There are also a huge plethora of in-game options to tweak to your heart's content. This is a very well optimized game.

    In my opinion, the game would be improved if:
    - there was greater puzzle variation.
    - the game was a little shorter. I felt it overstayed its welcome just a little bit.
    - there was an in-game explanation of how to use different tools and their possible applications. Perhaps if there was a brief and optional tutorial separate from the main game.
    - quicksaving was implemented.
    - the game used additional avenues of storytelling besides audio logs and text documents.

    Overall rating - 8.1/10    … Expand
  20. Kamamura
    Nov 15, 2016
    10
    It was pleasant for me to find out that I have only good things to say about this game. Unlike many modern titles, that are either frustrating, derivative, or unfinished, Talos Principle is a pleasant, focused game, that resembles a quiet, lazy autumn afternoon when you go for a walk alone just to sort through your thoughts, passing people, observing, thinking, enjoying that preciousIt was pleasant for me to find out that I have only good things to say about this game. Unlike many modern titles, that are either frustrating, derivative, or unfinished, Talos Principle is a pleasant, focused game, that resembles a quiet, lazy autumn afternoon when you go for a walk alone just to sort through your thoughts, passing people, observing, thinking, enjoying that precious little moment when there is no task at hand, no time pressure nor a danger that would force an immediate action.

    Everything in the game is "just right" - graphics, although very static, are pleasant to look at, the soundtrack is serene and enjoyable, the puzzles are not too difficult but not trivial either. Many of them feature clever twists, their structure indicating certain direction towards the solution that in facts leads nowhere while thinking out of the box is required. Solving such puzzles provides great satisfaction.

    I have not finished the game yet, but I would gladly play something similar again. Perhaps the best of the recent "puzzle games" I have tried, including Witness, Fish Fillets, etc.

    Fantastic little game, one of the few I will gladly give the perfect score!    … Expand
  21. Eiyuu
    Jul 31, 2015
    10
    This is a challenging puzzler with a very interesting and original idea of story. It's not easy to get all the stars, I spent hours to find certain stars and the experience and the sense of accomplishment that you get are unique. But what kept me the most hooked in this game was the story, very well done. A truly unique game.
  22. Zatharel
    Aug 27, 2015
    10
    Likely one of my all time favorite games. Instead of getting a flat "go through X puzzles to get X thing to do X things", you are given the ability to choose, to think, to form an opinion. A great game with an interesting puzzle set and a thought provoking philosophical story.
  23. buraequete
    Aug 10, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the most captivating games I have ever played... The mechanics are simple, but the whole atmosphere the game presents is similar to an acid trip. Love the philosophy and discussions on the terminals, however limited the answers are. I really felt deep respect for Alexandra Drennan and her in-game work. I just wish there were more content for the afterwards of the events of the game, I do wish an expansion for the events of the real world. Normally, I wouldn't even finish this game, but with this lovely story telling, I even got every achievement on Steam :)… Expand
  24. MysterZork
    Sep 18, 2015
    10
    If you love to solve puzzles, don't even think about it another second, download this puzzle game. It is Fantastic!
    Besides the 120 or so puzzles, there is a story that reveals itself as the game progresses. I wasn't thinking about it much at the beginning but I soon realized that I was getting emotionally caught up in the story as I was solving the puzzles. And the puzzles are    If you love to solve puzzles, don't even think about it another second, download this puzzle game. It is Fantastic!
    Besides the 120 or so puzzles, there is a story that reveals itself as the game progresses. I wasn't thinking about it much at the beginning but I soon realized that I was getting emotionally caught up in the story as I was solving the puzzles. And the puzzles are logical....repeat....The Puzzles Are Logical. None of that off the wall nonsense that you can find in many poorly designed adventure games.
    Also, there are Star Puzzles that are scattered throughout the game that you can also solve (only if you want to) that are much harder.
    The thing that absolutely amazed me was when I finished the last puzzle and the game ended, I felt a kind of loss. Seemed ridiculous but the feeling hung with me for days!
    Thank Goodness there is an expansion that you can download: The Talos Principle: Road To Gehenna which will let you continue on your journey for awhile.
    Also something that I noticed was how fluid this game played on my computer. The motion, reaction time, etc. felt smooth as silk. I found out that it uses the Serious Engine 4 designed by the Croteam who also designed the game.
    I have to tell Ya, I've been playing intellectual video games since I was a kid and The Talos Principle is one that stands high among the best that I have ever played. And I'm in my 60's!
    The only negative thing that I can think of about the main game or the add on is that they finally came to an end.
    It's going to be hard for anyone to top this masterpiece.    … Expand
  25. MadDragon
    Oct 9, 2015
    10
    The game is great! it was 24h of puzzles and thinking about life, consciousness and people! I like gameplay, like the animation, it's great detalized locations and magnificent story line!
  26. RagingPoet
    Dec 11, 2017
    8
    The Talos Principles has very different approach to puzzle games than Portal series. Serious plot with barely any jokes, less casual puzzles and atmosphere of loneliness are main components here. And it works.
  27. sinadoom
    Aug 15, 2015
    8
    This is a truly unique game which the industry needs more of. A serious puzzle game with an intriguing story, some great philosophical elements, lots of mystery and things to be discovered. It is a very immersive experience and quite relaxing. The soundtrack, art style, environments and graphical fidelity make for a somehwat euphoric experience. It's a beautiful game in its design. ThereThis is a truly unique game which the industry needs more of. A serious puzzle game with an intriguing story, some great philosophical elements, lots of mystery and things to be discovered. It is a very immersive experience and quite relaxing. The soundtrack, art style, environments and graphical fidelity make for a somehwat euphoric experience. It's a beautiful game in its design. There are no tutorials in this game - it's all about exploration and experimentation. What I love baout this game is that the puzzles are really intuitive; at least once you know the main mechanics, you'll rarely find yourself being frustrated by a puzzle and resorting to "cheating" (by looking up the solution). There's quite a good diversity in terms of the worlds, so you'll always be immersed and want to continue to progress the story (through interacting with "Command Prompt"-style terminals, listening to audio logs, reading some things etc.) The ambiguity in this game motivates you to progress further - everything feels like it has meaning and purpose. I would compare The Talos Principle to Portal as being a top-notch puzzle game but unlike Portal, The Talos Principle is far deeper and more "serious", with Elohim being a much more intimidating, powerful and "Godly" character than the tongue-in-cheek GLaDOS. Also the game does not rely on a single mechanic or device (although many puzzles will use just one device). Every puzzle feels like a "puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle", and indeed due to the way it's structured, some of them link so to get some of the stars you have to think literally "outside the box" (or rather, "puzzle arena"). It's beautiful, unpredictable, atmospheric and truly original. I would not have expected a game like this from the developers of the (not so serious) Serious Sam series! This is a game that is definitely worth checking out if you want something perplexing - an adventure game without any guns or violence or a linear, cliche plot. The only negative I would give this game is that I wish there was a bit more traditional story-telling to tie things together and less of those obnoxious 'Sigil' shape puzzles.… Expand
  28. Klewer
    Jun 3, 2016
    8
    Any fan of the puzzle style games, similar ish to Portal and after a good challenge will really find something here. Puzzles get progressively difficult and a great narrative and setting make this worth your time.
  29. everin
    Oct 1, 2015
    8
    Tier 2
    + Creative and unique puzzles that keep the player mentally engaged from start to finish
    + Interesting interplay between gameplay and story + Allows the player freedom in their order of progression ? Odd hint system tied to tedious online Tetris piece puzzles ? Particularly challenging collectible system, only for the most die-hard completionists - Aspects of the story feel    Tier 2
    + Creative and unique puzzles that keep the player mentally engaged from start to finish
    + Interesting interplay between gameplay and story
    + Allows the player freedom in their order of progression
    ? Odd hint system tied to tedious online Tetris piece puzzles
    ? Particularly challenging collectible system, only for the most die-hard completionists
    - Aspects of the story feel hamfisted in their message and poorly integrated
    - Some puzzles are enormously tedious not just due to complexity but also in execution
    - Final level of the game is lamely tied to a "rising lava" obstacle that does nothing but frustrate    … Expand
  30. nonchalantgamer
    Feb 4, 2016
    9
    The Talos Principle is a thought provoking game that will make you think hard to discover its puzzles and its plot.

    The puzzle game which The Talos Principle sets up is nice, and the design of a lot of the puzzle areas is well done and makes you think and observe your environment in order to advance. The way in which the game gives you a new mechanic to work with and then softly    The Talos Principle is a thought provoking game that will make you think hard to discover its puzzles and its plot.

    The puzzle game which The Talos Principle sets up is nice, and the design of a lot of the puzzle areas is well done and makes you think and observe your environment in order to advance. The way in which the game gives you a new mechanic to work with and then softly introduces you to that mechanic by way of self learning is clever and rewarding. The only thing that you will notice however is that there are some puzzles that tend to be too similar to others

    The story is what shines in this game, as the philosophical themes are strewn about, which make you think hard between dialogue, and under those themes is a story which you must piece together with audio logs, and the final ending is a bittersweet conclusion.

    The visuals are nice in this game, nothing groundbreaking but pleasant to look at, and the change of scenery between each world from Egypt, to Greece, and the middle ages is a nice switch. The Talos Principle is a smart, thoughtful, and challenging puzzler that poses intriguing thoughts, and a sad story underneath a well designed puzzler.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PC Game of 2014
43
#43 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. Impulsegamer
    Aug 24, 2015
    88
    Come for the puzzles stay for the philosophy.
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  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Jul 28, 2015
    90
    The world, puzzles, narrative and music are all served to the player in small helpings, never overwhelming and allowing you to soak in and become one with the world. By the end of the game, it has challenged your mind in multiple ways.
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  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 18, 2015
    91
    Satisfying puzzles, philosophically engaging storyline and exquisite presentation combine to make The Talos Principle one of the best of its genre. [Feb 2015]
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