I've only existed for a short time, but so far, I find it quite delightful.

The sequel to the only piece of sci-fi media in years with anything original to say about the nature of humanity and the meaning of existence is bigger, broader and more personal than ever, and yet again, it's more than worth your time. The secret to these games' success is that they don't preach to you - the characters will, and they won't be subtle about it, but ultimately, the conclusions you draw are your own, and that's more evident in TTP2 than at any point in the first game.

I didn't even realise how much I'd limited my own imagination ... how I talked myself into accepting this incredibly poor future we'd been offered, and we accept it because we're ashamed of ourselves ... of our existence.

I don't see much point in talking about the actual puzzle gameplay. Like the first game, it's satisfying but mostly uncomplicated. No, this game's shining strength and the thing that will stick with me is the way it both challenged and reaffirmed the way I feel about my own existence. At no point will you be questioning whether or not these robot people are 'people' - they are, and the game makes sure you know that in the first half hour. Instead, you'll be drawn in to a story about humanity's place in the world and duty to the universe that keeps on expanding right up until the very final moments.

The sheer number of angles from which it assaults you with its own philosophies is astounding. Should we care about how the way we talk and act affect others? Is growth anathema to sustainability? What is the root of our ability to love? Does it really matter if we have a purpose in the universe? Does beauty objectively exist? If it does, can it be measured? If it doesn't, could it be created? Is it right to question ourselves? Does disagreement breed unnecessary conflict or is it the only way to achieve true progress? Can something be meaningful if nobody ever experiences it? Can knowledge as a concept be given inherent value? Do we deserve a perfect existence? And, perhaps most importantly, does your cat love you?

The game has no answers to any of these questions, and I don't mean that as a criticism. It's just that there aren't really any answers, and by giving you a staggering number of dialogue options to pick from in response to them, the game makes it clear that it expects you to muddle through on equal footing with the ensemble of charismatic NPCs. Just as they might change their minds based on how information unfolds, so are you encouraged to do the same. But it's notable that the game is very aware of the huge difficulty that humanity as a whole has with this.

My only real criticism here is that the story attempts to present itself as though no choice is favourable over another, when it's very clear that there are preferred conclusions to some of the story arcs. It's a relatively minor nitpick though as the ultimate conclusion to the core story is very broad and deliberately unapproachable in terms of the timescale that would be required for a non-robot person to experience it, which fits perfectly in the setting.

It's cool though, right? Existence. Pretty gnarly.

I think my love for this game can be summarised in a conversation I had early on with an NPC about the inevitability of death. Thinking along the lines of how these conversations usually go in speculative fiction, I gave the usual trite answers about the necessity of death as a mechanism for inspiring us to achieve, only to receive a downright angry response. The NPC was upset that I had just assumed that death was a part of life, when it could just as easily be argued that no part of anyone's existence is improved by having to watch people and animals they love fade away and disappear. Who's to say that it even has to be a part of life? If we're looking to give meaning to our existence, why don't we start with helping to take away each other's pain? Who says it needs to be some kind of taboo?

As a flesh and blood human I'm subject to this way of thinking. But the beauty of fiction is that you can create people who aren't. I have to thank this game and its writers for creating it the way they did.

All of this potential enlightenment can be yours for only £25. I hope you'll consider giving it a go.