The Talos Principle: Reawakened

I loved The Talos Principle 2, absolutely adored it. It may seem odd that I mention the sequel as the first thing I do in a review of a refined re-release of the first game. But there's a reason for that. I don't intend to downplay the achievements of one puzzle game because it got a fantastic sequel. My point is rather that we are given a remaster of the first game, and this version comes out after we have experienced the even better sequel. I think that perspective still feels somewhere reasonable to start from. Whether it affects the rating as a whole is an impossible equation to make.

With that out of the way, it doesn't mean that The Talos Principle: Reawakened is in any way a worse game at all. But when I play this remake, it's also impossible for me not to see how the series has since evolved and improved in most respects. The whole premise is really the same; you walk around in fancy environments and inside small closed areas is a tricky puzzle. It starts simply with a jammer that knock out electronics. It could be an electric field that prevents your approach or, for example, a floating bomb that explodes if you get too close. You shut down these obstacles with the transmitter and can get to the end of the puzzle to pick up your prize in the form of a Tetris block.

These pieces are then collected to unlock new areas. But they are also used to unlock new items that allow you to complete the game's many puzzles. There is also gossip about a tall tower that a self-proclaimed omnipotent dark voice dictates you should not explore under any circumstances because it will mean your death.

Puzzles aside, The Talos Principle is very much about philosophy and existential questions. The aforementioned dark voice speaks to you like a god, and the various environments are filled with computers that gossip about the disappearance of humanity. Because in The Talos Principle you control a robot, but even if you're a tin can, there's a lot about free will and there's an underlying story here that's not being told. It is, if you wish, yours to discover and immerse yourself in via terminals and scattered memories that can be found among the varied environments.

Despite this, it is, of course, the game's puzzles that are the centre of attention and the shining star to be entertained by. Here, The Talos Principle manages to be just as clever and fantastic as a puzzle lover could wish for. The game takes place in the first person in three dimensions, and you need to be aware of your surroundings, but above all you need to know about the objects you have at your disposal. Each time you enter a new area, it's very much a case of first exploring it to find the tools needed to solve the puzzle, but also to get a grip on how things should be placed. In addition to the jammers I mentioned earlier, there are a few other objects that recur and are frequently used. One of these is a coupler that allows you to link the light from different coloured laser beams. Then, of course, there are puzzles based on the need to direct the sound correctly so that you can open a door or activate something. Other objects around which puzzles are built include a cube that can be used for pressure plates or to get you or other objects to a greater height.

Then we have what in a way becomes perhaps the game's most advanced object; a terminal where you can record what you do. In the beginning, it's quite simple in that you start the recording, perform an action and then when you press 'play', the whole thing is repeated as you did. It's like a visual copy of your robot doing exactly what you just did. As an example, we can imagine that there is a pressure plate to stand on to open a door. You press the record, stand on it and when you play it all back, your copy does what you did before and the gate is open for you to walk through. Thanks to a clever feature, you can also create little pause points so you don't have to rush, and you can resume the actions you just did whenever you want. As with all puzzles, it starts off very simple but quickly becomes much more difficult.

Sometimes puzzles are built around just one object. Sometimes they are all mixed up and often there are several of the same objects in the environments. All to challenge and vary and create new ideas. Because this is how The Talos Principle works. A puzzle introduces you to the mechanics and then more elements are added, or there are few elements but they become increasingly tricky to complete. The right angles have to be found on laser beams, you have to do things in a certain order, figure out how to get an object further to be used in a later stage. And so on. There are a lot of puzzles that are hair-raising, but they are always logical and of course doable - sometimes in several different ways. Above all, it is very clever and very entertaining.

The only thing I have a bit of a problem with are puzzles that contain an object that can be labelled as a deadly threat. The floating bombs I mentioned earlier and there is also a weapon hanging on walls high up that acts a bit like a camera and monitors an area. If you get within its range, you are shot and fail. Thanks to a clever rewind system, you can always start over just before a bomb or machine gun kills you, but the fact that they completely removed these elements in the sequel is a bit of a giveaway that they might not have been entirely happy with the feature. The whole thing works better when you can figure it out in good time without any kind of patrolling guards hindering your progress. Although, of course, these also add a tricky element that you have to figure out how to get past.

Another small minus is that the ability to create your own puzzles, or share others, is not available on console. This is available on the PC version so I mention this in case this is something you personally found a little extra interesting. Even if the ability to create your own puzzles had not been included on the console, it would still have been welcome to be able to import what others have done. But the content should not really be complained about. For Talos Principles: Reawakened also includes the expansion Road to Gehenna but also a brand new addition called In the Beginning which, in addition to really clever puzzles, also adds a lot of background story to the entire world building in the series.

A remaster is in many ways about a game getting a facelift. This borderline between a remaster/remake can often be a difficult judgement, but since the game, apart from a few small aspects, retains exactly the same puzzle and feel, it is probably closer to a remaster, even if the visuals have still been given a very big boost. It is not just a matter of a higher resolution, but it is a solid work that has been carried out. Textures, light sources, details and above all the vegetation in the environments have been given a real boost. This without it feeling like a new game as the environments and architecture are largely the same as in the original. There is also incredibly atmospheric music that frames everything in a superb way.

If you have played the original and remember the many solutions to the game's puzzles, this is perhaps one reason why this does not feel indispensable to acquire. Since all the puzzles are basically the same, the nicely decorated environments may not be something that makes it all worth the money. But as a package, with expansion and new content, it's a very complete one. It's a more concentrated and slightly simpler game than its brilliant second instalment, which really expanded every part and is better in my opinion. But if you scale it all down, it's still the same concept. You're treated to fantastic puzzles and a really nice facelift that makes it definitely worth experiencing. Even if it was then followed by something more grand and even better.