The Talos Principle 2 review

What is it? Portal-esque spatial puzzling wrapped in a grand philosophical sci-fi narrative
Release date November 2, 2023
Expect to pay $30/£25
Developer Croteam
Publisher Devolver Digital
Reviewed on Windows 11, Nvidia RTX 4090, Intel i9 13900K, 64GB RAM
Steam Deck Playable
Link Official site

A good puzzle game is a compelling collection of brainteasers, but a great puzzle game provides compelling context to drive the player forward. The original Talos Principle balanced its Portal-esque first-person puzzles with philosophical introspection, examining what defines humanity, and quizzing the player on what they think, too. Its sequel confidently builds on its puzzle mechanics, but turns its narrative outwards, asking both the player and its own world: «What is a civilization?» The answer, I think, is «something beautiful».

For those skipping the first Talos Principle (still a great game, especially in VR), humanity is donezo, wiped out by a deadly virus. Before the curtains fell on us, scientists created a simulation to cultivate a new, synthetic human race through philosophical and puzzle-based testing. Think Portal, but with less malevolent AI, and more multi-choice quizzes on fundamental humanity. The first game ended as you emerged from this simulation as the first Human 2.0. In this sequel, you're the thousandth, beginning with your 'birth' into the real world.

While the first game was primarily focused on puzzle-solving and used its multi-choice philosophical quizzing as framing, Talos 2 hits around an even split, bringing the narrative to the forefront. The first game would strain to support that, being a lonely, solipsistic adventure, but here it works as there's a whole civilization of robo-people wandering around to