The Talos Principle

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 11:18 pm

This wasn’t even on my radar but I decided to pick it up after all the early hype. So far it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a first person puzzle game in a very similar vein to portal. You awaken on an island filled with Greek style ruins with a booming voice in your head claiming to be God. All you really know at the start is you are a robot of some sort but you pick up information about what is going on as you progress.

Puzzles are clever and the graphics are surprisingly gorgeous. Also, the writing seems very strong. Apparently it’s the same person who wrote the story for The Swapper and shares some similar musings about the nature of the soul and what it means to be human.

Definitely worth a look if you enjoyed Portal.

Launch Trailer

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 12:50 am

There's a free public test that will give you a feel for the game.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 2:33 pm

Forbidden towers are made for climbing!

I just made it to the second world. This is definitely a game for people who like exploring. There is so much hidden lore and backstory but unlocking it is the real challenge of the game. I think the best moment for me so far was the realization that the individual self-contained “puzzle rooms” can be manipulated to interact with other rooms for special results.

persself · Post by **persself** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:14 pm

Yeah, I just saw this today and it went immediately on my wishlist.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 10:26 am

The steam store has been shoving it in my face, so I finally watched a video for it this morning. I wasn't sure what I saw, but I didn't immediately throw it on the not interested pile, so there's that. You've definitely got my attention with your description. Will keep it in mind.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:06 pm

If you enjoyed Portal, especially Portal 2, you will probably like this. The big difference here is that where Portal did things for laughs, Talos is played straight and has a much more serious philosophical focus. The game is also a quite a bit longer than you would expect from a game like this. I think Portal 2 clocked in at about 6 hours but I’m already at 8 hours in Talos and I estimate only about half done. Your skill with the puzzles will make a lot of differences here, of course, but there is a lot of content.

Some other interesting things. As the game goes on you start to get access to quasi multiplayer elements. Not as in direct interaction, but if you discover paint cans, you can leave cryptic messages for other players. Occasionally you will also see holograms of other players walking around in your world, Dark Soul’s style. These elements don’t change the game in any big way but it definitely adds to the atmosphere of the world.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Wed Dec 24, 2014 12:47 pm

Finished the game last night. I feel pretty satisfied with my experience. The ending, or endings (there are multiple), leave a lot of unanswered questions but in a good way and makes you want to learn more. A couple of the audio logs near the end actually made me feel pretty sad for the characters, which was unexpected.

I spent 20 hours with the game and I know I still missed a lot of hidden content. I highly recommend picking up the game.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Thu Dec 25, 2014 10:04 am

That looks really interesting. Did it feel polished and finished? I am always wary of buying recent releases due to the inevitable parade of patches and bug fixes.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 12:57 am

Seemed fine, definitely a complete game. No bugs to speak of. I had one crash in my 20 hour playtime and I think that was because I had a bunch of other stuff running at the time.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 10:21 pm

i saw this was by CroTeam and it shot up to the top of my list - i will get anything they release, no review needed.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:18 pm

The Talos Principle is on sale on Steam today for 33% off ($27). I highly recommend.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:09 am

How frustrating do the puzzles get?

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:55 am

That will depend on personal skill level but you should be able to complete all the “main puzzles” without too much trouble. The bonus puzzles outside of the main hubs, however, are an entirely different story and will challenge you from the onset. Those unlock additional story bits and one of the alternate endings.

The game also features a fairly open progression system, so if you do get stumped by a mandatory puzzle, you can skip it and come back later. You need to collect a certain number of glyphs to progress and you get a glyph after you complete each puzzle.

DD* · Post by DD* » Sat Apr 04, 2015 1:08 pm

FYI - on sale for 19.99

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:18 pm

Anyone else have a problem with motion sickness playing this game? I can't last more than 15 minutes without getting nauseous. Which is too bad because I am enjoying the game.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 9:05 pm

Moliere wrote:Anyone else have a problem with motion sickness playing this game? I can't last more than 15 minutes without getting nauseous. Which is too bad because I am enjoying the game.

Turn off motion blur, head bob and turn up the FOV. I believe it uses vertical FOV instead of horizontal so make sure you adjust appropriately. There are tons of graphics options you can play with in the menu. Also, consider turning down the brightness/saturation, modern eyes are not accustomed to FPS graphics in colors other than brown black and grey.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 12:01 pm

Bumping to let everyone know that the expansion, Road To Gehenna comes out this Thursday.

The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna follows the narrative of Uriel, Elohim's messenger, as he explores a strange, hidden part of the simulation on a mission of mercy and redemption in an attempt to free the souls of the damned at all costs.

This substantial expansion consists of four episodes that take experienced players through some of the most advanced and challenging puzzles yet. The Talos Principle writers Tom Jubert and Jonas Kyratzes have returned to pen the expansion and show players an entirely different side of Elohim's world through a journey to Gehenna filled with new characters and a new society with its own history and philosophy.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:15 pm

Road to Gehenna - Launch Trailer (vague spoilers)

map · Post by **map** » Mon Dec 28, 2015 9:05 am

I enjoyed the demo but wanted to wait for a sale. It's under $10 steam.
I am really enjoying it now.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 2:30 pm

Mr. Hawk got me this for Christmas. I'm less than two hours in but it's fantastic so far. Definitely scratches the Portal itch.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:31 am

OK, 4+ hours in now. Did I miss the hundreds-of-posts thread here dedicated to espousing this game as a masterwork? Talos might be better at being Portal than either Portal or Portal 2.

It's phenomenal. Without giving away too much (one should enter this game knowing as little as possible), the atmosphere, writing, level/puzzle design, and music are fantastic.

I loved the Serious Sam games, but frankly I'm astonished that Croteam was able to pivot and pull off such a different game so well.

Play this.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 1:43 pm

Zaxxon wrote: Play this.

Yes, Boss.

I'm an hour or so in. I'm hoping my friend, who was once a Rabbi, texts me and asks what I'm up to. I'd love to be able to answer, "I'm in the garden, seeking the sigils of Elohim." It would be fun watching him come to all the wrong conclusions!

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 1:57 pm

Zaxxon wrote:
It's phenomenal. Without giving away too much (one should enter this game knowing as little as possible), the atmosphere, writing, level/puzzle design, and music are fantastic.

I’m glad someone is finally giving the game the attention it deserves. It mostly fell on deaf ears when I was trying to discuss and get people interested in the game.

If you loved Serious Sam, keep your eyes open for secrets. The game is packed full of hidden things, some of which are direct callbacks to SS. One of them actually startled me when I discovered it.

Also, make sure to check out the expansion when you finish the main game. I didn’t think it quite reached the highs of the original, but it still had many great moments and the puzzles were top-notch.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:20 pm

Give me a very general hint about how they hide these things. Are we talking subtle inclusions in wall art, objects sitting behind a bush, non-solid secret walls?

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:47 pm

All of the above! Some you really have to look for and others you may just stumble upon by accident. Most are pretty minor things, art/character models, but there are some really cool interactive things as well.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:54 pm

I'm loving it. Unfortunately, after only a couple of hours I've had one crash and one hard lockup of my system. I hope that doesn't continue.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 3:10 pm

Blackhawk wrote:I'm loving it. Unfortunately, after only a couple of hours I've had one crash and one hard lockup of my system. I hope that doesn't continue.

Yay, and then curses! I've had no stability issues. I've been choosing to run it 64-bit; not sure if that matters.

Cool on the Sam secrets. I haven't found any yet but I haven't yet been looking too closely behind the scenes.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 3:15 pm

How is this not the name of an episode / game of Star Trek?

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:30 pm

El Guapo wrote:How is this not the name of an episode / game of Star Trek?

<super-trekker>
Talos IV is the name of the planet that Captain Pike is abducted on during the pilot episode of Star Trek (TOS) "The Cage" (also during "The Menagerie" when the show has a 2 episode long flashback)
meeeeeeep
</super-trekker>

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:45 pm

And the circle is complete.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 6:00 pm

In the second world. Have seen many messages from some guy named 'Zaxxon.' He claims to have entered the tower. I remain skeptical.

Also:

Spoiler:

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 6:27 pm

Blackhawk wrote:In the second world. Have seen many messages from some guy named 'Zaxxon.' He claims to have entered the tower. I remain skeptical.

Don’t believe him! Elohim is always watching.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:33 pm

I'm still having a blast 15+ hours in.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:35 pm

Zaxxon wrote:I'm still having a blast 15+ hours in.

So am I, although I don't really care for the sigil puzzles. As far as I've been able to figure out, there isn't much strategy to them, just trial and error. The larger ones are just headachey.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:37 pm

I love finding the Walls of OO. I'll find a JetFred inscription next to an Effidian inscription, then stick mine on the wall between them, wondering which OOer will come along next, and if the wall will grow.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 6:32 pm

I can usually do 2 puzzles in a row before I need a break to recover from the motion sickness.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:57 pm

I think I'm done looking for stars and easter eggs. They hid some of them a little too well.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 9:27 pm

Moliere wrote:I can usually do 2 puzzles in a row before I need a break to recover from the motion sickness.

Have you tried adjusting the settings? The options menu lets you adjust pretty much everything. Remove head bob, increase FOV(it’s vertical FOV by the way, not horizontal) turn off motion blur and decrease the brightness and see if that fixes your problem.

Blackhawk wrote:I think I'm done looking for stars and easter eggs. They hid some of them a little too well.

I would suggest not looking for stars until you finish the game. Many of the stars require advanced techniques you learn later in the game, and at-least one secret requires something you don't have access to yet.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:44 pm

In C now. Found all the messengers. Geeze, those islands killed my performance!

Lordnine wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:I think I'm done looking for stars and easter eggs. They hid some of them a little too well.
I would suggest not looking for stars until you finish the game. Many of the stars require advanced techniques you learn later in the game, and at-least one secret requires something you don't have access to yet.

I found some in world A. There was one I couldn't find regardless of what I did, so I looked it up. The one in the circle of columns. You had to, as I recall

Spoiler:

That's some pretty big assumptions, not one of which was true for me. I don't know the first thing about code. If that is how they hide things, I'll have to solve half of the 'bonus' stuff by just following a walkthrough, which isn't much fun. I mean, that's the kind of thing Valve would hide in a Steam sale to keep Reddit busy.

So I would rather just enjoy the core of the game without the frustration of that level of obfuscation. The rest of the game is absolutely fantastic.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:57 pm

Wow, cool on that spoiler. I've completed the non-star puzzles in A and B, plus maybe half a dozen stars and 25% of C. Been up through level 4 of the tower.

Boy, those time capsules and emails are getting real...