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Game Information

Game Title: The Talos Principle 2

Platforms:

• PlayStation 5 (Nov 2, 2023)
• PC (Nov 2, 2023)
• Xbox Series X/S (Nov 2, 2023)

Trailer:

• The Talos Principle 2 | Release Date Trailer | Available November 2
• The Talos Principle 2 | Gameplay Trailer | Coming 2023
• The Talos Principle 2 | Reveal Trailer | Coming 2023

Developer: Croteam

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 88 average - 100% recommended

Metacritic - 86 average based on 16 critic reviews

Written Reviews


Areajugones - Ronald Goncalves - Spanish - 9.5 / 10

The Talos Principle 2 goes far beyond the concepts of video game and art, and pushes a reflecting process that in turn helps its candidacy as one of 2023's top games. It also is a far better product than its predecessor. Croteam has outdone itself with a video game that is amazingly entertaining, but that really shines because of its capacity to make the player ponder about the ideas of beauty, humanity, life and existence.

CGMagazine - David Walters - 8.5 / 10

The Talos Principle II gives you a philosophical deep dive into yourself while offering some challenging puzzles as well. A great entry in the series.

Checkpoint Gaming - Edie W-K - 9 / 10

There wasn't much to improve about the original, but Croteam has succeeded in creating an incredible sequel in The Talos Principle 2. The puzzles are better, the world is larger, and the narrative is even more thought-provoking. Top it off with a breathtaking environment and a moving soundtrack, and this just might be the puzzle game of the year.

Digital Spy - Joe Draper - 5 / 5

The Talos Principle 2 builds on the genius puzzle design of the first game in innovative ways that makes it another masterpiece in the genre. Even with a more story-driven focus, there's nothing else quite like experiencing every mystery its sublime world has to offer.

Digital Trends - Giovanni Colantonio - 4 / 5

The Talos Principle 2 excels at giving players a suite of brain-busting puzzles built around strong eureka moments, even if it can feel as long-winded as a philosophy professor with its wandering existential monologues. Only the most determined genre experts may see the end of its super-sized story, but those who brave its gauntlet of mysterious islands are sure to walk away with newfound confidence in their ability to accomplish the impossible.

Eurogamer - Ruth Cassidy - 4 / 5

The Talos Principle 2 is an ambitious sequel that explores bold, if unambiguous territory in its philosophical robot puzzling.

GameSpot - Phil Hornshaw - 9 / 10

Expanding and improving on the original in every way, The Talos Principle 2 is a brilliant puzzler that's most compelling during conversations with its characters.

Gamepressure - Giancarlo Saldana - 9 / 10

The Talos Principle 2 is a powerful puzzle game that builds on its predecessor and effortlessly takes your mind for a ride.

GamesRadar+ - Joe Donnelly - 4.5 / 5

"This sequel brings Croteam back to the top of that table, where it's more than earned its place."

GamingTrend - Cassie Peterson - 90 / 100

The Talos Principle 2 is a philosophical puzzle adventure game that's also thought-provoking and has a deep narrative. It takes the foundation laid by the first game and expands on it in every way possible.

God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 8 / 10

Whether you played the original or not, The Talos Principle 2 is still a drop dead gorgeous, incredibly challenging puzzle game.

IGN - Will Borger - 8 / 10

Despite crashes and some issues with its difficulty curve, The Talos Principle 2's ability to explore both interesting puzzle design and deep philosophy simultaneously is incredibly impressive.

IGN Italy - Damaso Scibetta - Italian - 9.5 / 10

Quote not yet available

New Game Network - Ben Thomas - 86 / 100

With thought-provoking philosophy and sharply varied puzzles, The Talos Principle 2 is a sublime sequel that seeks the knowledge of the gods but maintains its humanity.

PC Gamer - Dominic Tarason - 89 / 100

Not just a great sequel, but a thoughtful and human narrative adventure wrapped in a satisfying and beautiful puzzle game.

PC Invasion - Alexa BeMent - 9 / 10

Original and imaginative experience for a puzzle game that delivers on what it is.

Shacknews - Larryn Bell - 9 / 10

Navigating the philosophical labyrinth that is The Talos Principle 2 has been captivating, satisfying, and well worth the wait.

TechRaptor - Jason Rodriguez - 8.5 / 10

The Talos Principle 2 has almost everything I could ever want out of a puzzle game. It builds upon the foundations of the original, and is a perfect callback to classics such as Portal and Myst. There’s a brave new world out there for you to explore, numerous sentient robots to meet, and countless puzzles that will make you wrack your brain.

The Beta Network - Samuel Incze - 7 / 10

The Talos Principle II is a fun, but challenging, puzzle adventure. The narrative is intriguing, even if it is a little slow to get going. However, it is the puzzle solving gameplay that is the highlight of this title. The puzzles feel unique and very creative and will cause you to flex your problem solving muscles.

WayTooManyGames - Kyle Nicol - 9 / 10

The Talos Principle 2 is something of a rarity in the gaming space. An extremely high-quality puzzle game that has a deeper meaning within its story, and interactions that make you think in more ways than one. This is on top of its breathtaking visuals, courtesy of the brand new iteration of the Unreal Engine. I cannot recommend it enough to any fans of puzzle games. The Talos Principle 2 is an absolute must-play.

XboxEra - Genghis Husameddin - 9.4 / 10

The Talos Principle 2 is Croteam’s largest and most realised project yet. It’s in every way a natural step from the first title, a beautifully written and challenging one. This game may very well be one of the best narrative puzzle titles I’ve played in quite a long time.

Video Reviews

 

[Kupfer]

Didn't warm up with TP1 although I wanted to, is this one more like story driven? Maybe even Portal'esque?

 

[DragoonKain]

Preloaded and ready to go. Dropping Alan Wake 2 for this today. Talos 1 is my favorite puzzle game ever, I can't wait to play this. Hope the soundtrack is as good, I have no doubt the game itself will be.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Didn't warm up with TP1 although I wanted to, is this one more like story driven?

The first is also story driven, and it genuinely has an amazing one with quite the moral dilemma for the player. If you're talking about cutscenes and shit like that, yeah this one has those. It's a direct sequel tho and you kinda need to know the first games story, which I guess u can look it up, but the second one just like the first will be puzzle games first and foremost.

Also its 26 bucks.

 

[DragoonKain]

Didn't warm up with TP1 although I wanted to, is this one more like story driven?

You should definitely play 1. It's an amazing game. There's a story accessed through terminals in the world and also a voice that speaks. It's more of a narrative than a plot, if that makes sense. It's not a "story" in the traditional sense like playing a visual novel or playing Spiderman 2 as much as it is going through the world and picking up information as you go.

 

[Punished Miku]

Preloaded and ready to go. Dropping Alan Wake 2 for this today. Talos 1 is my favorite puzzle game ever, I can't wait to play this. Hope the soundtrack is as good, I have no doubt the game itself will be.

I got part 1 recently and haven't tried it yet so this is pretty cool to read.

 

[T-Cake]

It's downloading!

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Loved the first one but couldn't finish it. I can't get myself to look up solutions in games like this and some of the shit later on fried my brain.

 

[64bitmodels]

2023 is the gift that keeps on giving

 

[StueyDuck]

This is gonna be my secret guilty pleasure before bed, loved the first one.

Nice to have a game where you can pop in for 30-50 mins and drop out and feel like you've actually done something

 

[DragoonKain]

I got part 1 recently and haven't tried it yet so this is pretty cool to read.

If you love puzzle games, you'll love it. It was the perfect level of difficulty for me. Very challenging, without being frustrating or cheap. You can kinda Jimmy rig some of the environments to help with puzzles a little bit. But not in a cheating or cheap way. They're constructed to give you some freedom to solve puzzles. There's a specific way to solve them generally, but it's not super strict to where it's like if don't do it this way without wavering, you're screwed. It felt so rewarding solving them, and I didn't look up any solutions, I took my time with it. All while being in a world with an incredible soundtrack. So relaxing.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

A VR version please, like the first !

 

[Dr.brain64]

Downloading live

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

OP has been updated with more written reviews.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Installed and ready to play after I finish CP2077 again and Spider-man 2.

 

[T-Cake]

Zoinks, this optional bit where you can explore the city feels like it could go on for hours. I can't go and start the game proper until I've done this bit now.

 

[StueyDuck]

I purposely ignored the coverage for this game because A it's a puzzle game and B the story of the first was so good.

and holy shit this game has a scope and scale i was not expecting at all. They don't beat around the bush with what occurred in the first game (which while not ambiguous had some beats that could have been interpreted uniquely) This game just comes out and smashes all the lore and introduces all this new and awesome sci-fi lore. it's really awesome

I am finding the Ray Tracing to be having a lot of visuals hiccups, especially when it comes to the Character animations/motion blur and DoF effects. I wouldn't recommend using them unless you really have a beast to not care about the penalty hit to performance

 

[Freeman76]

Kinda blown away by the design in this, its incredible. I feel like paying £25 I've robbed them lol. Really great architecture, atmosphere, and intriguing story. Couldnt wait to get going so I didnt bother exploring the city, hoping I can return there at some point to snoop around.

 

[T-Cake]

It’s bloody amazing so far, oozing with atmosphere.

 

[StueyDuck]

Kinda blown away by the design in this, its incredible. I feel like paying £25 I've robbed them lol. Really great architecture, atmosphere, and intriguing story. Couldnt wait to get going so I didnt bother exploring the city, hoping I can return there at some point to snoop around.

i can't say for sure, cause i only played 40 mins or so, but it sounds like you will return.

but there were choices at the city which may play a role later in the game, who knows that's just a guess, you get choices like sign petition or no type stuff

 

[Mitsurugi Reiji]

Preloaded and ready to go. Dropping Alan Wake 2 for this today. Talos 1 is my favorite puzzle game ever, I can't wait to play this. Hope the soundtrack is as good, I have no doubt the game itself will be.

Play both. One during the day. Other during the night.

 

[Mitsurugi Reiji]

Zoinks, this optional bit where you can explore the city feels like it could go on for hours. I can't go and start the game proper until I've done this bit now.

I am in the same situation. Stuck in the museum

 

[FeralEcho]

2023 is the gift that keeps on giving. Added to my list.My wallet is literally flipping the bird to me right now.

 

[Freeman76]

Being colourblind is a bit of a problem, even with the accessibility options. Having to brute force the RGB sections which doesnt bode well

 

[T-Cake]

I am in the same situation. Stuck in the museum

I did all the puzzles incl. the 6 tetrominoes expecting an achievement and got sweet FA! Not amused.

 

[nkarafo]

First Talos is my favorite puzzle game after Portal 2. And i absolutely love Crotem's style and how their games are not like your usual western woke trash.

 

[DragoonKain]

I started it and it's an absolute nostalgia overload. It feels so much like the original. Even similar score. Between this and Metroid Prime Remastered, the most nostalgia year ever for me. Plus Star Ocean 2 remaster and Super Mario RPG coming out soon.

FYI: for those who are interested in this but never played 1, I think it might come with 1 if you buy it. When I went to download it to my PS5 it had Talos 1 listed there. Not sure if that was a pre-order exclusive thing or not.

 

[StueyDuck]

I did all the puzzles incl. the 6 tetrominoes expecting an achievement and got sweet FA! Not amused.

I did the faux recreations behind first before doing the tetromino boards and after I completed them I expected an achievement too and didn't get so I knew going into the panels not to expect much haha.

I will say, Bethesda, take notes. This is how you do dialog... it literally does the very thing I hate and have been very critical of on here, that is the whole zoom into npc with stiff robotic responses (does help these are robots). The difference here however is that every response and every bit of dialog is condensed, precise and to the point.

I liked hearing about Milton's cat because it was a nice quick little snippet of lore and it was all delivered snappy, I still click skip cause I read faster than they speak but nothing ever pushes past more than say 3 or 4 sentences. I never felt like these characters are just droning on an waffling and wasting my time or rather padding the game time.

Really great job all around by croteam here. Way above anything I expected, I thought it was just gonna be more puzzles, maybe in a new simulation wirh a new elohim and that's it

 

[T-Cake]

The soundtrack so far is just brilliant as well. Can't believe they only asked £20 for this.

 

[Mitsurugi Reiji]

I did all the puzzles incl. the 6 tetrominoes expecting an achievement and got sweet FA! Not amused.

Haha. I am stuck again on one of the new puzzles. Really enjoying it so far.

 

[SiahWester]

I am so excited to play through this. The original was phenomenal and this looks like its on another level. Its gonna be a great weekend!

 

[T-Cake]

Well I don't know what's going on now. I'll put it in spoilers.

Spoiler: Grasslands Plain East 1 bridge

How do you reset the tetromino bridge to enter the tower? The first two parts of the bridge, I wasn't sure what I was doing and placed the tetrominos willy nilly but now I'm trying to get to the final part with two pieces left and it looks like you need three or four. I've completed all the puzzles so there are no more tetrominos to get. I wonder if it's a bug in that you should be able to remove the other bridges when you get to the next island bit...

EDIT: Obviously brain is frazzled, I was doing every combination but the correct one. For some reason, I just wasn't seeing it so had to look up and there is was plain as day. Onwards we go!

 

[DragoonKain]

Did anyone do everything in the museum in the city? Curious if you get a trophy for it or not.

Ah, answered I missed it, but did them all myself nonetheless.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

I still need to play the first game, glad the second one is getting great reviews. Will hopefully be cheap by he time I get around to 1 in my backlog.

 

[DragoonKain]

Encountered a bug where one of the machines doesn’t talk to me and just walks into a wall and keeps walking. Will see tomorrow if quitting and reloading fixed it.

 

[Zuzu]

This year keeps on delivering great games

 

[Freeman76]

Has anyone got any tips for the RGB puzzles please? I'm colourblind, can make out the red and blue beams, think the other is green or yellow? Problem is when you have to combine them its guesswork, and i reached a puzzle with 3 beams, 2 rgb units, and they need to be combine somehow. Because I dont know the colour combos I always end up with a dotted line produced lol. Understand this isnt an easy concept to explain to someone who cant see it properly, I have the colourblind option maxed but that only helps to tell the colours apart, not what they are and how to mix them correctly.

 

[Mitsurugi Reiji]

Has anyone got any tips for the RGB puzzles please? I'm colourblind, can make out the red and blue beams, think the other is green or yellow? Problem is when you have to combine them its guesswork, and i reached a puzzle with 3 beams, 2 rgb units, and they need to be combine somehow. Because I dont know the colour combos I always end up with a dotted line produced lol. Understand this isnt an easy concept to explain to someone who cant see it properly, I have the colourblind option maxed but that only helps to tell the colours apart, not what they are and how to mix them correctly.

Yes the third color is green. There are total three colors. Any two different colored beams lead to the third color. Same colors will cancel each other out. When there are two RGB units, most likely you have to create colors multiple times (usually due to positions conflicting each other). Try using an output from one rgb units with one of the color beams that you input in the rgb unit.

Hope this helps! Do let me know if you have any question.

 

[Freeman76]

Yes the third color is green. There are total three colors. Any two different colored beams lead to the third color. Same colors will cancel each other out. When there are two RGB units, most likely you have to create colors multiple times (usually due to positions conflicting each other). Try using an output from one rgb units with one of the color beams that you input in the rgb unit.

Hope this helps! Do let me know if you have any question.

Thank you that helped me with the one i was stuck on, appreciate it mate

 

[Big Baller]

Tried the first but its not for me.

 

[T-Cake]

Second zone done, it's exceeding my expectations. But it does feel easy-ish, nothing taxing so far; not even the stars.

 

[Flabagast]

Is it better to play the first game before this one ?

 

[Aguero9320]

Was the first one the game that had the incessant narration? I wanted to put my head through the screen at that...

 

[Negotiator101]

Second zone done, it's exceeding my expectations. But it does feel easy-ish, nothing taxing so far; not even the stars.

Are you really good at puzzles though?

 

[T-Cake]

Are you really good at puzzles though?

The first game I did all right until it came to the save/replay machine thing. Then it all went to pot. I don't think I would have got any of the stars either, they were so obtuse. But armed with knowledge from TP1, that might help with this second game. 30 puzzles down and no hints/solutions needed yet.

 

[Freeman76]

Are you really good at puzzles though?

He must be, in the first proper zone there were 2 that had me stumped for a while. I did figure them out but had to think hard about them.

I would consider Portal 2 as fairly easy, and had no issues completing that game, and already there have been a couple of puzzles that I would say are as tricky as stuff near the end of Portal 2.

 

[DragoonKain]

I spent a ton of time exploring the city, it's quite big, so I didn't get far puzzles-wise yet. I'm still in the first main area. One puzzle right before I went to bed had me stumped a bit, but I was too tired to think about it, so I'll get back to it today. It was called self efficiency or something.

 

[DragoonKain]

Anyone know how to unlock the golden doors in area one? I’m guessing by doing a collection of puzzles and returning?

 

[StueyDuck]

Managed to put more time in, cleared the first east zone pretty quick, but my nitpick comparing to the first one is that I do prefer the compact design of the first game, not cause it hurts the second one but Rather just my incessant need to comb every inch of the map.

Croteam have always been good at rewarding the player with exploration, whether it's silly Easter eggs or bits of lore etc so I spent probably a whole 30 mins jumping around every cm of that map .

Also... while UE5 makes the environment stunning, I'm definitely getting those classic UE5 hiccups that the engine is known for which is a little bit of a bummer

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Just reinstalled the 1st on the series X ready for the second, that frame rate makes me itch mind you.

I forgot how good that music was.