Whether it’s time spent solving puzzles – overshadowed by some grand mega-structure you’re attempting to get inside – or the sheer scope the sequel has broadened its canvas to accommodate, Croteam want to make it abundantly clear that their philosophical, existentially-tinged release inThe Talos Principlenearly a decade ago wasn’t merely some self-contained, done-and-dusted tale. In many ways, the original was simply a taster for what would follow. Indeed, that the very opening segment to this year’s sequel is a clear call-back to the setting of the first game – a sequence intentionally imitating in nature, but one that’s relevant given the events unfolding – seems to suggest that what you may have perceived in scale and stature prior pales in comparison to what will soon follow.
Naturally I was prepared for The Talos Principle II to be physically grander; prior hands-off glimpses aside, it’s only natural that a game with lofty, philosophical themes and sights set on more than simply moving objects around an enclosed space would deem it fit to increase in size from a mere environmental and general world design basis. What I wasn’t prepared for – after spending around nine hours with what presumably is the opening quarter-or-so (to reiterate: presumably) – is that those ambitions of grander size weren’t simply that of how much more ground there is to cover. That The Talos Principle II so quickly, but effortlessly, morphs from that of a puzzle game to that of a RPG…and then back again. The biggest conundrum, far removed from any of the puzzle rooms you encounter along the way: is the sequel a puzzle game masquerading as an RPG or an RPG masquerading as a puzzle game?
I say “masquerade,” but not in the sense that Croteam are in some way making a pale imitation of the latter or perhaps maliciously misleading their playerbase. That the sequel finds your player-character in a much more story-critical, story-shaping role than before is a better way to explain where the sequel stands in so much as how it wants to present its subject matter and themes this time round. Those themes of course being the hypothetical conundrum of what follows when AI has achieved a sense of conscience and what some may describe as “humanity.” What does an entire society of this new form of humanity look like and most importantly: what happens next? In little more than the opening hour, that scenario is posed. And posed with one critical detail. Taking on the role of 1K, as your name so clearly implies, you are exactly the one thousandth lifeform to emerge into being in what is the newly-established settlement of New Jerusalem. But not only are you the one thousandth citizen, you are also to be its last.
As it’s revealed, the powers that be have decided that to avoid a similar disaster/decline to that of the now-extinct human race, New Jersualem’s populous will be contained permanently to that of exactly a thousand citizens. Immortal, artificial and sentient citizens sure, but whose numbers will grow no more. From the off, The Talos Principle II presents but one of its many dilemmas for you to ponder over – aided/hindered by a cast of characters all representing and fielding their own unique viewpoints on how to proceed. Some favoring tradition and conserved action in one camp, others leaning more towards adventure and radical ideas. Added to on top by a journey to an island housing indescribable technology and architectural remains, hence where the main bulk of puzzle-solving comes into play, it’s easy to feel like the sequel is getting ahead of itself. Even for a team having proven they can handle such themes prior, that the sequel so giddily rushes into such things so quickly.
Maybe it’s the interjection of comic relief and even some visual gags to lighten the mood during a hefty segment of party dialogue, but one thing Croteam seem to be getting right here is the need for levity. That a game of this thematic size will only succeed if everything isn’t simply thrown at the player not just in one go, but done so in as serious a tone as one can muster. More importantly, that this is posed more as a journey one needn’t actively engage with at all times. Instead, one the player should offer voluntary curiosity in delving into. Whether that’s the social media feed you can access in your inventory at any time – reading up on posts members of New Jersualem make now and again and providing your own input by way of a multiple choice response system – the ancient labs you uncover with ample logs to download and read. Or generally learning more of New Jersualem as a populous in-between your adventures, interacting with those with new details to share.
To have said so little on the sequel’s puzzles themselves by this point is emblematic of this aforementioned broadening of the sequel’s scope, but it’s also a remarking on the fact that the shifting priorities haven’t in anyway been to the detriment of the mystery at the narrative’s center. But to spend some deserved time on the main bulk of gameplay, even from the early periods, The Talos Principle II looks to be serving up another brilliant curation of head-scratchers. Puzzles that don’t necessarily follow an incline of difficulty necessarily, more so that the game does a good job of shifting between growing complexity and at times, simply testing a player’s understanding of the elements at play. That even the starting regions ushered up puzzles that had me stumped for periods of time is both exciting and nervy as to where latter-period puzzles may go.
Regardless of how much (or little) there is to grapple with, the nature of multiple steps is once more a central part to how puzzles are structured in the sequel. Scenarios that require you utilizing the tools at your disposal to create a kind of daisy chain of interactions that eventually opens the way. A beam of light that connects to a transceiver which in turn activates a switch. But not only do these puzzles evolve so far as the number of steps one must take, but in some parts, requiring players to take a leap of faith in a manner of speaking to get the desired outcome. A leap of faith that is hardly ever without that nagging dread that if one were to commit to the wrong move, one might find themselves back where they started.
Sure, the nature of puzzle-solving can at times feel unforgiving in The Talos Principle II. Requiring players to be bolder and more deductive in their involvement than simply brute-forcing and hoping the system can be tricked into thinking you’ve cracked it. But understandably, that added sense of anxiety on knowing one false move can be costly makes finally figuring it all out all that more satisfying. Not least when the trick or method to a given puzzle is solved, but knowing full well that one is not completely out of danger. Enjoyable enough already that Croteam have fleshed out mechanics present in the original in some delightfully-varied ways, that the sequel makes a lot of these puzzles feel more tense than they actually are is something in hindsight is hard not to commend.
And all this just from the beginning. Even outside an acknowledgment of one’s personal affinity for the genre, fans of the original game should take comfort in the knowledge that Croteam’s grander vision hasn’t prevented another potentially-great puzzle game from receding into the shadows. Even with the greater emphasis on story and themes that weave back into the unfolding narrative, that The Talos Principle II still finds time to architect a game that is as challenging, as testing and wonderfully-constructed as this, should lend that notion of grander scale to deservedly more positive reading.
Regardless of how involved or engaged you find yourself in coming to some form of understanding/conclusion on the themes of the sequel, that The Talos Principle II still manages to deliver on its most crucial of components, namely its self-contained puzzle rooms, makes the full release on November 2 all that more exciting. We’ve had to wait for it, but Croteam may well have mustered up a fittingly-bolder sequel. In a year that can lay claim to the likes ofTears of the Kingdom,Remnant IIand the soon-to-come Alan Wake follow-up to name a few, that the The Talos Principle II isn’t pulling any of its punches – that it’s showcasing a few new moves on top – already shows great promise for what could be another contender for this year’s best sequel.
