The Talos Principle

This is game review number 99, and last months Joystick Junkies game selection - The Talos Principle. I always thought that this game was a JRPG, but apparently it's a puzzle platformer, and one that was well enough received to spawn two sequels. I have a fondness for puzzle games so I was initially excited, but ultimately I was left somewhat disappointed. From the beginning it is clear that you are playing as an artificial being, and the game takes that fact and proceeds to philosophically question that ideas that define humanity such as consciousnes and "the soul". You interact with much of the story through terminals you will find throughout the game, which is organized into a series of numbered puzzle rooms with a subset of different mechanics. While the philosophical inquiry can be throught provoking, I found that many of the ideas were somewhat tired, especially after five or more years of AI discourse. The puzzles themselves were adequate, but unfortunately rest completely in the shadow of a game that is clearly used for inspiration - Portal. You are presented with several mechanics for solving puzzles with beams, boxes, and buttons. There are also additional puzzles that lay outside the bounds of the normal puzzle rooms, and which offer a greater challenge - often requiring different tasks to be completed throughout multiple adjoining puzzles. These challenges are a highlight and offer some of the better brain-teasers, but otherwise I can best describe the puzzling as Portal before you get the portal gun, and for ten hours. The soundtrack exists, but is quite forgettable and highly ambient. All considered, The Talos Principle is an acceptable puzzle platformer with an adequate narrative, but it fails to separate or define itself.

Play it for the:

• Philosophical narrative
• Simple and rewarding puzzles
• Challenging bonus collectibles

Reviewed on 2026-06-05

Despite being central to the gameplay, the platforming is kinda mediocre.