I can only begin to imagine what manner of construction or mere springboard of potential conundrum didn’t quite make the cut inThe Talos Principle II. That developer Croteam were confident enough with their sequel – to lend their newly-announced expansion,Road to Elysium, a further selection of puzzles that feel anything but filler-fodder and could’ve rightly found themselves slotted amidst one’s ventures some half a year ago now. Consider it a fond reminder that even after a decade wait, Croteam have not lost their touch for impressive puzzle design – a philosophy on meticulously constructed scenarios – that almost always feels perilously one step away from resetting the entire sequence to start over, as the sequel so nervously yet justifiably reveled in. And reveled in to much personal admiration.
Of course, such a revelation isn’t entirely exclusive to this piece of expanded content. But it’s telling that even after getting acclimated one’s self to Croteam’s manner of both puzzle design and indeed writing – the sequel, much like the original, surprising in its maturity with the material and subject it posed –Road to Elysiumhas already succeeded on more than one occasion, in no time at all, to once again put one’s state of mind in that familiarly anxious place one minute to then garner a chuckle the next at some of its secondary writing/world-building.
But the crucial question of all, pertaining to the two likely paths any additional content pack like this can go, is this. Much like any sort of DLC that can be considered both gameplay and narrative-oriented: isRoad to Elysiuma hypothetical “Talos 2.5” or is its placement post-sequel a mere celebration – a reminder of the heights this long-awaited release reached, yet one not without its fair share of originality and building atop an already expanded foundation?
Celebrate Good Times
As the title and perhaps these opening passages might’ve already alluded to,Road to Elysiumsuggests that it’s leaning towards the latter. An odd comparison this may initially sound, playing through the opening parts of the sequel’s expanded offering conjures memories ofPicnic Panic– the 2019 DLC “episode” to developer Sabotage Studio’s brilliant platforming debut,The Messenger. And no, the Caribbean-like, tropical setting isn’t the sole reason for such comparisons.
Similar to how Sabotage crafted their own post-game, post-narrative escapades,Road to Elysiumfeels very much like a victory lap for both the team and as much the players. An island-set “art exhibition,” as the expansion’s second of three episodes titled “Isle of the Blessed” explains in its opening segments. One where the player-character of 1K from the sequel is in fact one of the supporting characters this time round.
Isle of the Blessed is very much a gathering together of all puzzle mechanics found throughoutThe Talos Principle II. For anyone having beaten the game – or at the very least completed the twelve main stand-alone regions of the sequel’s base content – the shake-up and sudden switching out of one mechanic or gimmick for another will be both familiar yet surprising all the same. And while I’m restricted to merely talking about only one section of what is merely a third of the expansion’s total content (call it just under 10% of whatRoad to Elysiumfully has in store), it’s no less impressive just how well Croteam can once again muster those familiar feelings of the sequel. Of dumbstruck confusion mixed with unease that amidst these daisy-chain like connections and networking of tools to utilize, one wrong move – or better/worse yet, having one element accidentally collide with another – could have you land firmly back at square one.
Review: The Talos Principle II
Mechanically and narratively stimulating throughout, The Talos Principle II is an accomplished follow-up that just might eclipse the 2014 original.
Home Comforts
At the very least,Road to Elysiumtakes no time to impress with the kind of puzzle design that makes the complex feel straight-forward…..and the ultimately straight-forward feel far more complex than it actually is. Even from as little as the handful of puzzles one can openly discuss – those with a signatory red-defining number attached to them – I’ve already come across not one but two puzzles that have left me embarrassed by my own presumption of some deeper, more convoluted challenge. But again, it’s another reminder of how well Croteam’s core template for puzzle design works across a broad group of tools and devices one must utilize to succeed. How the mind games of potentially breaking that daisy-chain – figurative or indeed literal in some cases – eventually come into play.
Before you know it, you’re not so much figuring out how to get from A to B to C, but in some cases – as I found myself doing a couple of times – working backwards instead. Knowing that to get device C to a certain point device B would obviously need to precede it, which in turn would come into place once device A acted in a certain way. Even in its early stretches, for those whose ears prick up at the prospect of Talos testing you on both memory recollect and indeed one’s skill with every tool the sequel has touched upon in the base game,Road to Elysiumis an exciting prospect. The more hidden, secretive activities might not hit the same ludicrously-arranged heights found prior so far, but for those in the know, there’s at least some of that same pin-point precision and knowledge on spatial awareness to keep you invested.
Even if the more philosophical conversations are at a more minimal level for the time being, even the novelty of finding characters talking about smaller picture topics and bigger picture prospects alike – even with the added context of the climax, the themes as to what “humanity” should do next – is still just as welcome a sight. Had I been granted more leeway as to what I can disclose, my appreciation for what other areas Croteam have clearly brought over from the base game would no doubt be included here. For the time being, while it would be easy to assessRoad to Elysium’slikely outcome as amounting to little more than comfort food for fans of last year’s sequel, to say this expansion carries forth all the highs of prior is honestly no bad thing.
Especially when you take into consideration that even with the knowledge and experience of the sequel’s expanded tool-set, Croteam still have plenty of tricks up their collective sleeves. Ideas that again dazzle in their ability to stump, startle and at times, land you with a momentary feeling of dread at being so close to completion, but similarly close to ruining one’s good work up to said point. Again, that this sentiment comes from an experience equating to less than 10% of the entire package. For an expansion that promises to be even more challenging and inventive further down the road.The Talos Principle IImay well have reached its coveted destination as a long overdue follow-up having finally materialized, butRoad to Elysiumis a welcome and exciting sign that for Croteam themselves – a studio with an already-proven knack for terrific execution across the board – the journey to craft even more of those same delightful, enclosed puzzles, is far from over.
