Following on from Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest 2023 presentation, Devolver Digital put on a small indie showcase and unveiled a plethora of trailers for its upcoming slate of releases. One of the most notable was a short new look at The Talos Principle 2, the long-awaited continuation of one of the greatest puzzle games ever. In this brief “gameplay trailer,” we get very little in the way of any substantial gameplay, but an unseen narrator posits an interesting question to the viewer: “Why puzzles?”
While this question will likely be explored alongside more philosophical quandaries during the game, it does create a sense of self-awareness about The Talos Principle 2. Roughly a decade after its predecessor, why are we, as players, still so interested in solving puzzles? Video games have often relied on puzzles as a core piece of their identity when it comes to gameplay, but why do we keep flocking back to them? The trailer ends with a possible answer: “They can be solved.”
As for new mechanics in this sequel, there seem to be electronic displacement machines for creating bridges or changing the color of lasers. It’s hard to get a real sense of what developer Croteam is going for, but we do know that The Talos Principle 2 will feature puzzles focused on gravity manipulation, redirecting lasers, shutting off barriers, and the always classic moving of boxes. The visuals look absolutely wonderful, and the soundtrack already seems to be shaping up to be another classic bit of music.
This is but a taste of what the final game will offer us, but I’ll take it. The Talos Principle 2 will be launching on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S later this year. Stay tuned for more.
