The Talos Principle: Reawakened

The Talos Principle: Reawakened was provided by Devolver Digital for review. Thank you!

In February and March, it felt like I was reviewing JRPG after JRPG, and this month, I am feeling like puzzle games are going to be my focus. I just reviewed an incredible game called Blue Prince, which I highly recommend, so of course, it means I am able to go directly into another fantastic puzzle game, The Talos Principle. However, instead of playing the original version, I had the pleasure of going through The Talos Principle: Reawakened, the definitive version of one of my favorite puzzle games I've ever played, and it's definitely a worthwhile reason to return to the virtual world.

The Talos Principle was originally released in 2014, and while it still holds up today, this new version of the game improves upon it. The visuals have been completely updated and rebuilt with Unreal Engine 5, a chunk of quality-of-life updates, a new versatile puzzle editor, and brand new content, called In the Beginning, that goes over the origins of the simulation, while still containing the original and Road to Gehenna DLC content. It's a great reason to dive back into one of the best puzzle games out there, and for those looking into diving in for the first time, this will be an experience to remember.

The Talos Principle really stands out thanks to two key factors: its straightforward gameplay and its story. The puzzles in the game are all to the point in their concepts, and what makes them so enjoyable is how you have to utilize the tools given to you. These can range from jammers and laser benders to motion recorders and fans. There aren't any specific gimmicks to the puzzles you encounter. Everything has a purpose and reason for existing; you just have to figure out how to use them.

The puzzles can range from being more on the easy side, very much so in the beginning, to quite difficult. I was able to complete most puzzles without worry, but there were some later on and in the new content that were head-scratchers. However, when I was able to figure these puzzles out, it was so rewarding. Maneuvering jammers to bring down force fields and bend specific colored lasers to reach their corresponding colored locks to get the Tetris-like piece I needed to unlock the next door just felt so good.

While they are on the harder side, the new puzzles added from In the Beginning are fantastic. I had a great time trying to figure out the intricate solutions to these new problems, and even if I had trouble, it still felt so rewarding to complete.

Gameplay-wise, there isn't much else going on. When you finish puzzles, you get those Tetris-like pieces, which are used to unlock doors by combining them into perfect squares or rectangles. It's another little puzzle to complete, but that's what the entire game is about! Luckily, the maps you will be running around to go to the puzzles in are just stunning, and even while the original game's visuals still look great, these new assets, textures, models, and lighting all look incredible.

The other key aspect is the story. I won't go into detail about this, since it's so important, but I love it. The whole idea about the virtual world you are in, and why, and the philosophical questions that revolve around what it means to be human, make it so great. Throughout the original game's story, you will be directed by a mysterious god-like voice called ELOHIM (which means god in Hebrew) to complete puzzles and not go up the large tower in the middle.

The twist at the end got me, and the philosophical undertones feel impactful as we question the world around us and why we are here. The Road to Gehenna DLC rounds out the story nicely as well, offering more insight into the operations of the virtual world and what else is going on inside. Throughout the game, you will find QR codes as well, which offer more insights from others who have been there before you, making it feel more like a lively place, and you are retracing steps from those before you.

I enjoyed the new story introduced with the In the Beginning DLC, which feels different from the rest of the game. This section takes place in the virtual world that is actively being worked on by other humans, so there are different interactions than what is in the main game. Instead of QR codes, you will find bug reports and voice notes from those working on this virtual world, and while there are some really heavy moments, it all comes together and creates a worthwhile prequel to the main campaign.

The new level editor is also quite fantastic. It's easy and intuitive to put puzzles together, and I think it will only be a matter of time before the community grows with its own custom-made puzzles. This will keep the game alive after the campaigns are done. I tried it out a bit, and the only complaint I can think of is there's no gamepad support. This is intentional and makes sense due to how puzzles are built, but I was hoping I would be able to easily make puzzles on my Steam Deck. Otherwise, it's a fantastic editor that streamlines the process of making community maps, and I love it.

The Talos Principle: Reawakened - Steam Deck Performance

The Talos Principle's 2014 release is a joy to play on the Steam Deck, so I was hopeful that Reawakened would be as well. While it is a bit more performance-heavy due to the new technology and improved graphics, it can still be played on the Deck. And while it does have the Playable rating, I was told that the game isn't certified for the Steam Deck. Still, I would consider it a good time to play on the go.

Because of the higher system requirements it needs due to switching to Unreal Engine 5 and improving the visual quality, I can't recommend playing this higher than 30 FPS. The default settings go to the lower end, and I would say this is where it should stay, for the most part. However, there are a couple of changes I recommend making.

I would switch the upscaling method from FSR to XeSS on Quality. I found that XeSS looks significantly better in darker lighting, especially with lasers, and has better visual quality overall. It is especially obvious when running around or in rainy weather that XeSS looks monumentally better. I would also set the View Distance to Medium so there isn't as much pop-in. We will need as much power as possible since there are some more demanding areas. The battery drain still averages around 12W-14W, but it's better to be safe just in case for later parts of the game.

With these settings, we can get a near-stable 30 FPS, with only some sections running fast through the map, going below the 25 FPS range. There are some visual compromises to make when playing on the Deck, especially when it comes to shadows and trees further away, and watching them quickly get more detail as you get closer can be jarring, but it's still looking great and is very playable this way:

Accessibility

There are some great accessibility settings to change when playing the game! You can change your field of view, motion blur strength, preferred view type (first vs third person), view bobbing, the player speed, gameplay rewind animation and time, subtitle size and thickness, toggling crosshair and changing its type, and toggling input and tool hints.

The game does support 16:10 resolutions, and has good controller and cloud save support. The Steam Deck OLED screen does support HDR for this title, and you can enable it in the video settings.

Conclusion

The Talos Principle: Reawakened is the definitive edition of one of the best puzzle games around, and it still holds up today. The simple to learn, hard to master puzzle mechanics and philosophical story still feel fresh and hit just as hard as they did over 10 years ago. Some of the puzzles later on are a bit on the hard side, which can teeter on frustrating, but with fully updated visuals, great new content, and a wonderful puzzle editor, there's no better way to experience this classic!

It may not be certified for the Steam Deck, but it's great to play on the go. Even with the compromises here and there, I would still say this is the way to experience The Talos Principle. Hopefully, the puzzle editor gets updated so we can use it with a gamepad, but even still, I am happy with the results.

Our review is based on the PC version of this game.

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