This is easily one of the most fun, fulfilling puzzle games that I've played - rivaling the Portal series in both quality and scale. The entire experience is incredibly polished, and the universe it takes place in is hauntingly beautiful (akin to the Myst series; alone in a gorgeous but eerily-empty world.) The core game has about a hundred separate puzzles across dozens of levels, each of which has its own unique flair, and the story involves just enough player choice to give it replayability (something lacking in most puzzle-adventure games.) The game mechanics are relatively simple, but each puzzle mixes the various tools you gain access to in new and interesting ways. Some of the puzzles can be a bit nerve-wracking and involve split-second timing, but the vast majority are pretty relaxed and allow the player to solve them at their own pace. You can go through each puzzle in order, or jump around a bit provided that you've made enough progress to unlock the more difficult levels. Overall, the difficulty of the puzzles was reasonable - not so easy as to be boring, but not so brain-twistingly hard that it keeps you up at night.

On top of the well-balanced gameplay, the story was surprisingly deep for a puzzle game; I was reminded a bit of The Turing Test, another puzzle game, in its examination of what it means to be human vs. a machine, as well as some of the pseudo-religious elements of BioShock Infinite. The game opens with a lot of questions, which you begin to find answers to as you progress through the various levels. I found the story to be almost as rewarding as the gameplay itself, which is a rare quality in the puzzle-adventure genre. It's hard for me to find anything to complain about in The Talos Principle; even at its normal $40 price point, I'd consider it a good purchase. On sale, it's a must-buy. 9/10

This is easily one of the most fun, fulfilling puzzle games that I've played - rivaling the Portal series in both quality and scale. The entire experience is incredibly polished, and the universe it takes place in is hauntingly beautiful (akin to the Myst series; alone in a gorgeous but eerily-empty world.) The core game has about a hundred separate puzzles across dozens of levels, each of which has its own unique flair, and the story involves just enough player choice to give it replayability (something lacking in most puzzle-adventure games.) The game mechanics are relatively simple, but each puzzle mixes the various tools you gain access to in new and interesting ways. Some of the puzzles can be a bit nerve-wracking and involve split-second timing, but the vast majority are pretty relaxed and allow the player to solve them at their own pace. You can go through each puzzle in order, or jump around a bit provided that you've made enough progress to unlock the more difficult levels. Overall, the difficulty of the puzzles was reasonable - not so easy as to be boring, but not so brain-twistingly hard that it keeps you up at night. On top of the well-balanced gameplay, the story was surprisingly deep for a puzzle game; I was reminded a bit of The Turing Test, another puzzle game, in its examination of what it means to be human vs. a machine, as well as some of the pseudo-religious elements of BioShock Infinite. The game opens with a lot of questions, which you begin to find answers to as you progress through the various levels. I found the story to be almost as rewarding as the gameplay itself, which is a rare quality in the puzzle-adventure genre. It's hard for me to find anything to complain about in The Talos Principle; even at its normal $40 price point, I'd consider it a good purchase. On sale, it's a must-buy. 9/10