At its base, it's a solid puzzle game that presents a steady set of brainteasers and challenges. Each builds upon the next, slowly teaching you more depth with a very limited set of elements. It's very well made, it has a lovely ambient soundtrack, gorgeous environments, and a story that is woven through quite elegantly.
The second part is that the game encourages you to think outside the box. Without spoiling too much: each area has stars sprinkled around, each of which seems impossible to reach at first. Getting the stars requires you to be creative, to question what you've assumed, and sometimes, to play in a way that feels like cheating, but was, of course, actually entirely intentional. It's great. There is an entire set of optional puzzles which you have to work to even see.
The third part is that this is a very philosophical and accessible game, which uses religious motifs, monumental architecture and allegory to do its thing... but it was actually made by the people who made Serious Sam, a first person brainless monster shooter which is the exact opposite. Talos is what you get when people who understand the medium incredibly well decide to do something entirely different, while winking and nodding at the player the entire time, and yet, without detracting from the core premise. It wears its FPS heritage proudly on its sleeve through its many, many easter eggs. Some of its best puzzles also invoke hints of speedrunning, of exploits, of going out of bounds.
Once you finish the main game there is a DLC for those who can't get enough, including a final area of puzzles that feel like they were left on the cutting room floor because they were just too devious or mean, but which still manage to surprise you.
Hand this to any smarty pants teen, and if they engage with it, they will come out humbled, more independent, and more humanist. And possibly a few IQ points higher.
At its base, it's a solid puzzle game that presents a steady set of brainteasers and challenges. Each builds upon the next, slowly teaching you more depth with a very limited set of elements. It's very well made, it has a lovely ambient soundtrack, gorgeous environments, and a story that is woven through quite elegantly.
The second part is that the game encourages you to think outside the box. Without spoiling too much: each area has stars sprinkled around, each of which seems impossible to reach at first. Getting the stars requires you to be creative, to question what you've assumed, and sometimes, to play in a way that feels like cheating, but was, of course, actually entirely intentional. It's great. There is an entire set of optional puzzles which you have to work to even see.
The third part is that this is a very philosophical and accessible game, which uses religious motifs, monumental architecture and allegory to do its thing... but it was actually made by the people who made Serious Sam, a first person brainless monster shooter which is the exact opposite. Talos is what you get when people who understand the medium incredibly well decide to do something entirely different, while winking and nodding at the player the entire time, and yet, without detracting from the core premise. It wears its FPS heritage proudly on its sleeve through its many, many easter eggs. Some of its best puzzles also invoke hints of speedrunning, of exploits, of going out of bounds.
Once you finish the main game there is a DLC for those who can't get enough, including a final area of puzzles that feel like they were left on the cutting room floor because they were just too devious or mean, but which still manage to surprise you.
Hand this to any smarty pants teen, and if they engage with it, they will come out humbled, more independent, and more humanist. And possibly a few IQ points higher.