The Talos Principle II Review – STUNNING SURPRISES AND HIDDEN MYSTERIES?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the last human created to complete a civilisation of a thousand android beings. Well, that is how The Talos Principle II begins! Taking on the role of 1k, you are thrown into a dispute surrounding the desire of exploration. Many of the inhabitants of the robot city New Jerusalem remain fearful of the world outside, crediting it to the extinction of biological humanity. On the other hand, there are those that fight for the idea of exploring mysterious places to find new technologies that may benefit this android society. 

The intriguing story in The Talos Principle II

This narrative is very intriguing. Not only will you come across some strange and dark secrets that surround this new version of humanity, but also grapple with the concept of humanity itself. As you embark on a journey to discover the depths within a megastructure, The Talos Principle II asks the deep questions regarding freedom, human behaviour and much more. The approach to these concepts is really interesting, and I found myself drawn into reading all the lore and any other details I could find, to learn more. 

This story is a really strong point of The Talos Principle II, however, it is ever so slightly hindered by the voice acting. Many of the voice actors are really good in their roles, however, there are some key voices that just feel a bit hit and miss. Now I understand that we are talking about android voices here, so I can understand that there would be a level of robotic inflections to be expected. However, some of the delivery just sounds a bit too stale, which occasionally threw me off what was being said. But honestly, this was just a minor issue that I encountered every so often.

The Talos Principle II and it’s intriguing puzzles

It is the gameplay where The Talos Principle II really shines! The large variety of puzzles keeps things interesting and requires a lot of ‘outside the box’ thinking. Some solutions can seem very unconventional without having a “well that’s just stupid” method to it. The mechanics are very simple, as you won’t be doing much more than moving different items around. However, the puzzle solving itself is very addictive. There were so many times where I thought that there was no logical solution to a specific problem, only to eventually find it and facepalm myself for not seeing it earlier. 

The Talos Principle II also has a great visual design! It may not provide much more than just aesthetics, it is still worth having a look around as occasionally you might find a bit of lore hidden out in the world. Also, the character models can be a bit hit and miss. It would have been a challenge to create androids that encapsulate human emotions. However, most of the faces are just stagnant with only eye and mouth movements in the dialogue. With the intriguing themes that this game focuses on, I think that having more emotive faces would really have helped! I know that this can be seen as a nitpick, but honestly, it did bother me a little.

Decision

Overall, The Talos Principle II is a really fun puzzle adventure. It’s not for everyone, as much of the game requires a lot of patience and persistence. But, if you are a gamer that enjoys puzzles, I am sure that you will get many hours out of this title. With an intriguing narrative, and great puzzle solving mechanics, this is definitely a title to keep your eye on.

By Samuel Incze – Reviewed on PC

Good

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.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Devolver Digital. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.

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