Recent reviews by Technoxtic

Don't listen to the manufactured hate campaign, this is a great competitive FPS that is only getting better.
Can't wait to see where the team can push this game.

MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW

The Talos Principle is an indie puzzle game developed by Croteam, surprisingly the same team who developed the Serious Sam series. It also has the honor of being one of my favourite games of all time. I find it incredible that a team most well known for their development of a humorous, testosterone heavy FPS would be able to develop such a smart and stimulating philosophical journey.

You play as a robot(?) who has awoken in a mysterious world with seemingly no answers to what your purpose is or why it is that you even exist in the first place. All that accompanys you is that of the disembodied voice of a man known as Elohim and he tasks you with collecting various sigils in order to achieve 'enlightenment.' However, your journey comes with one condition; you must not climb the Great Tower, for if you do you will surely die. Should you believe this mysterious god-like force known as Elohim? Or should you forge your own path and find the truth for yourself? That is for you to decide. The plot of the game is a personal highlight as you are presented with terminals scattered across your journal filled with philosophical tellings and strange diary entries from those who came before you detailing a seemingly disastrous event. As you proceed through the game's events I HIGHLY recommend you read all the terminals, QR codes and any other little tidbits you come across. They all provide you with a greater understanding of what you're goal is and upon the games completion, you'll have a much better apreciation for the experince. That said, I do believe some of the philosophical stories that were presented were a little 'heavy-handed' and had little to do with the narrative by it's conclusion. These entries were few and far between but their removal would not do the game any real disservice. What I did notice is that the less of the plot and story you know going in, the better the epxerience you will have. Aim to go in blind and you certainly will be in for a ride.

The Talos Principle is a first person puzzler, much in the same vein as Portal, but the similarities end there. Each puzzle is designed in such a way that upon its conlusion you are rewarded with s sigil. These sigils are used to open up more levels in the game and allow for the progression of the narrative. Alongside these sigils are also elusive 'star sigils'. These sigils require the player to use the elements of certain puzzle in order to gain access to the 'star sigils' locale. Rather than the use of a portal creation device as you do in the Portal games, the player must use the various items at their disposal in the Talos Principle. From lazer redirectors and cubes, to fans and even time manipulation devices, The Talos Principle uses numerous gameplay employments as a means to ensure the plaer is constantly entertained. And boy do you remian enterained. You're never bored as you traverse the 100+ puzzle rooms due to the large number of different scenarios placed in fornt of you. Croteam has done an impeccable job in their puzzle design as well. I never felt as though I was getting frustrated or that the solution to a puzzle was a cheap game mechanic. Instead, I felt the game had a very nice pace to it's puzzles and that each room's answer was just a matter of thinking outside the box and using what I'd learnt in the puzzles prior to my advantage. Overall, each puzzle is sprinkiled with just enough difficulty to allow for many satisfying 'OF COURSE!' moments.

Another fantastic aspect of the Talos Principle is its graphics and performance. The game looks gorgeous on max settings, though has enough options to allow for even the lower specced PCs to do the job. The enviornments are varied and truly convey a feeling of loneliness to the player. Furthermore, the game runs fantastically as well, I was able to maintain a consisitent 60FPS through my whole experience in the game. Croteam have done a truly marvelous job here.

Upon the conclusion of the Talos Principle, I am a changed man. Through the games beautiful surroundings, challenging puzzles and mindblowing philosophical developments, I have a newfound appreciation for the world around me. Do yourself a favour and give the Talos Principle a go. You surely won't regret it.