The Talos Principle 2 is not particularly clever, but it is brilliant. I will elaborate, but the main reason I make such a distinction is as a comparison to its predecessor. For context, The Talos Principle is one of the toughest puzzle games I've ever played, requiring strong wits to just solve the main puzzles and incredibly outside-the-box thinking to complete all it has to offer. Coupled with its philosophy-laden focused narrative, that game earned its place among my favorite puzzle games ever.
The sequel joins those ranks, but for different reasons. As far as gameplay is concerned, Talos Principle 2 has many puzzles which nearly all amount to simple brain teasers. Generally, there are clear intermediate steps to work towards and a somewhat obvious end state, so the puzzles are not very challenging on their own. However, it introduces many new puzzle elements to play around with, all but one I thought were great additions.
As you explore an unfamiliar territory, the game has you grappling with several of life's big questions. I enjoyed the thought that was provoked from the text and dialogue, especially the titular dilemma of what makes man different from machine. Instead of the first game where nearly all of this was introspective, the second game has the discourse between the humans (robots?) of the future which was a much more interesting way to take things in.
While pondering those stumpers, you can take in perhaps the game's strongest aspect: the environments. The island you travel to has over a dozen unique areas to explore, all of which are rich with beautiful nature scenery and impossibly grand architecture. It's a good thing this game has a photo mode, because I ended up using that a lot.
So yeah, Talos Principle 2 is a romp through spectacular landscapes eating brain candy the whole way. I had a hard time putting it down, and I'd recommend it to anyone due to the puzzles being more accessible.
The sequel joins those ranks, but for different reasons. As far as gameplay is concerned, Talos Principle 2 has many puzzles which nearly all amount to simple brain teasers. Generally, there are clear intermediate steps to work towards and a somewhat obvious end state, so the puzzles are not very challenging on their own. However, it introduces many new puzzle elements to play around with, all but one I thought were great additions.
As you explore an unfamiliar territory, the game has you grappling with several of life's big questions. I enjoyed the thought that was provoked from the text and dialogue, especially the titular dilemma of what makes man different from machine. Instead of the first game where nearly all of this was introspective, the second game has the discourse between the humans (robots?) of the future which was a much more interesting way to take things in.
While pondering those stumpers, you can take in perhaps the game's strongest aspect: the environments. The island you travel to has over a dozen unique areas to explore, all of which are rich with beautiful nature scenery and impossibly grand architecture. It's a good thing this game has a photo mode, because I ended up using that a lot.
So yeah, Talos Principle 2 is a romp through spectacular landscapes eating brain candy the whole way. I had a hard time putting it down, and I'd recommend it to anyone due to the puzzles being more accessible.