Going into the game after playing the Demo earlier I was full of skepticism. The game felt a typical linear adventure story with very basic characters and dialogue along with some puzzles. But that could not be further from the truth. After completing the Talos Principle 2 I would rather call the demo version a tech demo that shows off what the game can do (except the full version is much better). The main game is much more than that.

Comparing the sequel to the previous istallment there have been various improvements in terms of gameplay, but the core remains the same. There are a number of new mechanics as well as some QoL features like the compass (this option may be toggled off if you enjoy walking through the levels and stumbling upon secrets). There are a lot less stars on each level, but at least you don't have to look for them in every nook and cranny and solve hex code riddles like in the first game. I personally like this change, makes the game less frustrating to complete, but I can see some hardcore puzzle fans being disappointed with it. The removal of replay kiosk is also a welcome change imo.

Looking at the story, the main conflict is simple yet hard to solve, very relevant to our current times though. Having different people around you is a very different experience, compared to the first game, but although the humans around you present their own views on it and are interesting to listen to, the conversations themselves are not very lengthy and the options you are presented with are, I wouldn't say few, but there were certainly times when I wish I had another option. Nevertheless, I found the story to be very interesting. All of the opinions that peaople around you share really make you consider every point of the argument. I'm not a phylosophical kind of person, but the ideas presented here definetly made me think, and I'd like to believe that I left being a little more grown up.

The Graphics are out of this world. I played on 1080p with High Global Illumination (anything above medium uses ray-tracing) and with 6700xt I was getting around 50-60 fps. The geometry of enviroment, the colours, the lazers: it all comes together to create an image that is worthy of being in a 2023 title. I see a lot of games come out nowadays with worse perfomance and visuals so I won't take this for granted. I have never used photo mode in any of the games I've played, but this time I did, and I don't regret it. There are some inconsistensies with how the lighting is supposed to be in real life but I wouldn't even call them minor, they're tiny. I do wish Anti-Aliasing settings were a bit less confusing but I might be nitpicking at that point.

The puzzle aspect of the game is good, but a bit worse than the previous title. I've replayed the first game a couple of months before playing this one and I can say that the puzzles there were harder. If I were to be a new player to the franchise I'm sure I'd struggle a bit more. I do hope that there will be a DLC of some sort with some terribly difficult levels though.

Overall the game is really good. The conversations with Milton about whether frogs are people or not cannot be topped and the devs recognize it, so the game tackles another difficult question and they've done a fantastic job yet again. The Talos Principle 2 looks good, has an awesome story with colourful characters, has very few tiny bugs and a bunch of satisfying puzzles.

P.S. If you've never played the first installment of the game and are wondering, whether you need to start from that, the answer is you don't. Having the knowledge of the first game is appreciated by the second one, but you won't make any story defining decisions based on that information.

P.P.S. I'd like to drink some margaritas on a tropical beach with my frog-bro

Going into the game after playing the Demo earlier I was full of skepticism. The game felt a typical linear adventure story with very basic characters and dialogue along with some puzzles. But that could not be further from the truth. After completing the Talos Principle 2 I would rather call the demo version a tech demo that shows off what the game can do (except the full version is much better). The main game is much more than that. Comparing the sequel to the previous istallment there have been various improvements in terms of gameplay, but the core remains the same. There are a number of new mechanics as well as some QoL features like the compass (this option may be toggled off if you enjoy walking through the levels and stumbling upon secrets). There are a lot less stars on each level, but at least you don't have to look for them in every nook and cranny and solve hex code riddles like in the first game. I personally like this change, makes the game less frustrating to complete, but I can see some hardcore puzzle fans being disappointed with it. The removal of replay kiosk is also a welcome change imo. Looking at the story, the main conflict is simple yet hard to solve, very relevant to our current times though. Having different people around you is a very different experience, compared to the first game, but although the humans around you present their own views on it and are interesting to listen to, the conversations themselves are not very lengthy and the options you are presented with are, I wouldn't say few, but there were certainly times when I wish I had another option. Nevertheless, I found the story to be very interesting. All of the opinions that peaople around you share really make you consider every point of the argument. I'm not a phylosophical kind of person, but the ideas presented here definetly made me think, and I'd like to believe that I left being a little more grown up. The Graphics are out of this world. I played on 1080p with High Global Illumination (anything above medium uses ray-tracing) and with 6700xt I was getting around 50-60 fps. The geometry of enviroment, the colours, the lazers: it all comes together to create an image that is worthy of being in a 2023 title. I see a lot of games come out nowadays with worse perfomance and visuals so I won't take this for granted. I have never used photo mode in any of the games I've played, but this time I did, and I don't regret it. There are some inconsistensies with how the lighting is supposed to be in real life but I wouldn't even call them minor, they're tiny. I do wish Anti-Aliasing settings were a bit less confusing but I might be nitpicking at that point. The puzzle aspect of the game is good, but a bit worse than the previous title. I've replayed the first game a couple of months before playing this one and I can say that the puzzles there were harder. If I were to be a new player to the franchise I'm sure I'd struggle a bit more. I do hope that there will be a DLC of some sort with some terribly difficult levels though. Overall the game is really good. The conversations with Milton about whether frogs are people or not cannot be topped and the devs recognize it, so the game tackles another difficult question and they've done a fantastic job yet again. The Talos Principle 2 looks good, has an awesome story with colourful characters, has very few tiny bugs and a bunch of satisfying puzzles. P.S. If you've never played the first installment of the game and are wondering, whether you need to start from that, the answer is you don't. Having the knowledge of the first game is appreciated by the second one, but you won't make any story defining decisions based on that information. P.P.S. I'd like to drink some margaritas on a tropical beach with my frog-bro