The Talos Principle Reviews

The Talos Principle is ranked in the 96th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10
Nov 11, 2015

The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition offers a huge amount of quality, intelligent gameplay for sci-fi fans and puzzle goers alike. Although it tries a little too hard at times, the title's narrative is generally rich and compelling – and there's enough side content available to keep even the most curious of androids busy for hours at a time. If you're in the market for a fulfilling, well-paced puzzler on the PS4, look no further than this one.

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90 / 100
Oct 9, 2015

Action junkies will probably come away underwhelmed but if you are looking for a change of pace in your game playing regime this thoughtful, Carl Sagan Cosmos-like experience is a wonderful candidate to consider.

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Justin Celani
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Oct 7, 2015

There are a few performance issues here on console but that aside Talos Principal is an excellent puzzle based game that keeps players engaged and perplexed, a winning combination all around in my book.

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9 / 10
Dec 16, 2019

Croteam, the creators of The Talos Principle, were previously known primarily for their silly (but fun) Serious Sam titles. The Talos Principle shows a remarkable maturity and depth of scope that's perhaps surprising, but in a very good way. It poses interesting questions, allows the player to progress at their own pace - mostly in a non-linear fashion - and is a hugely satisfying piece of game design. Utterly entrancing and highly recommended.

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Dec 16, 2014

The fact that everything plays out so smoothly here suggests that the finished product is extremely close to the designers' original vision for the project, a compliment that certainly can't be levelled at all games. This clarity of creation brings us a game of expert pacing and reward, as well as one that possesses more depth than the vast majority of its genre peers.

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8.3 / 10.0
Nov 2, 2015

The Talos Principle has made an effective jump from PC to PlayStation 4, thanks to the addition of expansion levels and a presentation that really makes use of the hardware at hand. While it's not quite a perfect transition, it remains a very applicable one, as the level design and snowballing level design continue to keep their momentum. Even if you're not entirely a fan of first-person games, Talos is worth a look, if only for the story alone.

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9.5 / 10.0
Dec 17, 2014

The Talos Principles manages to be both a great game and a contemplative piece of art, and the world is a richer place for it.

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Oct 12, 2015

The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition is unlike anything else out there. The expertly crafted puzzles will give any gamer a mental workout, while the humanity-questioning storyline is the type of philosophical tale that has been sorely lacking in the current gaming landscape.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 6, 2015

The Talos Principle on PS4 lives up to the hype of its PC cousin. It's a genre masterpiece that anyone with the slightest interest in puzzles or philosophy should pick up as a matter of priority.

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Unscored
Jan 13, 2015

The Talos Principle is rarely capable of answering the questions for which it makes you want answers. But in leaving enough space to wonder, it lets players name the questions in their own terms, a freedom that only leads back into a cell, dependent on language from long-forgotten generations, like computer code we're no longer conscious of running but can't seem to escape.

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6 / 10
Dec 12, 2014

The real problem is that Talos suffers in comparisons. While Portal was just a series of connected puzzle chambers it always felt that a developer was leading you through it. The Talos Principle feels like boxes within boxes, left by the developer for you to play in.

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5 / 5.0
Nov 18, 2014

The Talos Princple succeeds in many ways, with smooth controls, a gorgeous environment, and an engaging backdrop of thought-provoking story and theme. The puzzles begin simply, and slowly evolve with new elements to test your mettle; since you can tackle any open area in any order, there's a certain freedom that goes well with the thematic overtones.

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7.3 / 10.0
Sep 13, 2018

Varied and effective puzzle game, which ends up being victim of its own ambition. Too long and somewhat presumptuous, it will work for fans of the genre.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 8, 2015

The Talos Principle may be one of the best puzzle games of the year. Sure, it starts out pretty slowly, the first dozen or so of the game's 120+ puzzles are laughably easy, and the controls may be a little awkward, but these are minor flaws in the bigger scheme of things. There's an entertaining and thoughtful story about not just humanity, but what it means to be alive. If you want to flex your brain and start thinking about time in a Echoshift/Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time way, as well as wax philosophical with a computer terminal, The Talos Principle will keep you entertained for quite some time.

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Examiner
Top Critic
Oct 6, 2015

The core gameplay of Talos feels like a distant cousin to the Portal series. While the game is absolutely beautiful and challenging, it will feel like there is a lot to accomplish at first. But once you start progressing through the game, you will pick up on the aspect that it is not as open as you originally perceived. The emotion the game creates is fantastic, but you might not like or understand the story.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 23, 2014

While The Shivah also explores the reconciliation of faith and practicality, its corny climax can't match The Talos Principle's matter-of-fact ending, which argues that our chosen perspective will limit what we discover in one way or another. Thank God the puzzles are worth it.

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7 / 10
Feb 12, 2015

Great puzzle design combined with an ambitious story

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4.5 / 5.0
Oct 6, 2015

The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition is a fantastic package of two great first-person puzzlers.  It's basically identical to the PC version, so if you've got those already there's not much need to double-dip, but otherwise it's a must-own.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 13, 2015

The Talos Principle will make you feel confounded but in that wonderful way that precludes an epiphany. You'll leave each session feeling genuinely smarter - and perhaps a little rebellious to boot.

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Impulsegamer
Shael Millheim
Top Critic
5 / 5.0
Oct 22, 2015

The Talos Principle Deluxe Edition is a must play title on the PlayStation 4

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