226 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
2
3
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 52.9 hrs on record
Posted: 5 May @ 5:05pm
Updated: 5 May @ 6:00pm

More ≠ Better

I think the developers forgot what made the first game so special and instead focused on making a bigger and more ambitious game. This game could have been much better if they had just remembered what made the first game so unique.

I loved The Talos Principle. It was such a gem in many ways. It had clever puzzle and level design, interesting narrative, phenomenal graphics for its year and budget, good soundtrack, and beautiful environmental design. The only issue with it was that it was a little bit too long, thus it began being rather repetitive at the end. Nevertheless, it was a great experience throughout the journey.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3071931987

In The Talos Principle 2, the most flashy improvement that catches the player's eye is the graphics. The game looks absolutely stunning visually, the art design is masterfully done. Especially in some areas, they took it to another level. Graphically, Talos 2 is easily the best-looking puzzle game in the market.

Puzzle-wise, we have well-designed puzzles in Talos 2, just like the first game. But I can easily say that puzzles are way easier in this one. In the first game, I had to look up the solutions for 2-3 puzzles, and the other ones were mostly very challenging too. In Talos 2, I didn't need help in any of them, and I didn't use the in-game puzzle skip mechanic. Thankfully, this game doesn't repeat itself like the first one did. The game introduces new mechanics throughout the journey. The puzzles are fun to solve and engaging, but I still felt the achievement feeling after solving both simple and challenging puzzles. However, the major issue with this game is, why isn't any of the puzzle mechanics connected? The answer is, to not make things difficult for the player. This is a major letdown because that was exceptionally well done in the first game and I expected that to be experimented further here.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3094080194

Exploring the world and secrets with friends is not bad, but the first game's solitude feeling with beautiful music was a whole other feeling. The first game's story was way more interesting than this one, TTP had a better balance, like 90% gameplay, 10% story, now it's like 65%-35%, which slows the tempo down by a lot. Neither the scenario nor the characters were interesting to me. By the way, the music got downgraded with this one, Talos 1's music was so captivating and atmospheric. This has a few decent tracks, but they are not as remarkable as the prequel. I know this is a demanding game, but performance could have been way better, there are some issues here.

To conclude, The Talos Principle 2 doesn't have the magic that The Talos Principe had, so It didn't feel that special for me. Although I am a little bit disappointed with it, It's still a high-quality game and I had fun with it. Definitely recommended.


SILVER MEDAL

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18 Comments
Meldryt 8 Jun @ 2:35pm 
@Lazuul.
Exactly! 20% Puzzles. Rest is grinding.

Perfect Review!
We lost the unique atmosphere, soundtrack and challenging puzzles.
Instead we go endless walking and pointless insignificant repeating dialogues.
BloodMist 22 May @ 8:16am 
Stick to Myst clones.
Bearsonal 18 May @ 5:02am 
Exactly, but it's a good game nevertheless. You can always skip the story bits If you like. Thank you for your comment :dsheart:
shbouwhuis 18 May @ 4:43am 
What a great review!

I felt dumb when I played Talos 1, because quite a few puzzles were really hard. But, most (all?) of them felt fair. The story was total garbage and distracted from the great puzzles. And like you, I thought the game was way too long (it outstayed its welcome).

It's unfortunate to hear that both these things have been made worse for part 2. Easier puzzles (boo!), and more story (booooooooooo!). That's a real shame.
Lazuul 16 May @ 7:44am 
Perhaps my experience was different, but I found the game to be 50% walking, 30% story interactions, and 20% puzzles, which were rather easy.
Walter White 8 May @ 5:47am 
Thank you for another great review Bearsonal :star13: I've played talos 2 such a good game :flamey_happy:
Bearsonal 8 May @ 12:03am 
@wyrgrass Agreed, the subtle storytelling of the first game was way better :cupup:
wrygrass 7 May @ 5:34am 
I read the plot synopsis to this game somewhere, Wikipedia I think, and decided from that alone that this sequel probably wasn't going to be that great. To me the plot seemed long and tangled and silly. :lunar2019deadpanpig:
Prince Vegeta 6 May @ 4:38pm 
:104: :vegeta:
XTRIATOMICX 6 May @ 4:30pm 
:gadget: