The Switch may be home to a ton of ports of older games, but that doesn't mean people should be shrugging their shoulders in disappointment. Loads of games come out every day and gamers sometimes miss really great ones. Getting those on-the-go and with some extra features is almost too good of a deal.
Not everything is worth seeking out, though. Sometimes games were overlooked because they were simply bad. That's not true of The Talos Principle. An incredibly solid puzzler from developer Croteam (of Serious Sam fame), the announcement of the game coming to Switch last week was almost too perfect. Talos is a methodical, laid back puzzle game that can be played in quick bursts and doesn't require pristine performance or precision. It's practically tailor-made for Nintendo's console. Sadly, some performance issues hold this back from being truly a great fit.
How Puzzling
For those out of the loop, The Talos Principle is a collaborative effort between Croteam and writers Tom Jubert and Jonas Kyratzes. Originally released in 2014, it was acclaimed for its semi-open structure and deeply philosophical plotline. Players inhabit the role of a robot in an artificial world following the voice of God and solving puzzles to acquire eternal life. Along the way, you'll interact with a conscious computer mainframe, discuss topics of humanity and morality, and likely smash your head into the wall as you get stumped.
What makes everything work so well is that the game never has the pretense of being something more. The Talos Principle knows it's a game and while the story is very subversive, Croteam expertly explains everything you'll need to know to solve these puzzles. It can often be compared to Jonathan Blow's The Witness, which came out a few years after, but with more structure. What I mean is you won't be wandering aimlessly, though you can step away from puzzles if they completely stump you. The worlds are also broken up into smaller chunks, allowing for more concrete progression than The Witness.
Still, comparisons to other games are really only superficial. The Talos Principle may not rewrite the rulebook on puzzle games, but it contains a strikingly beautiful environment that begs you to explore every nook and cranny. Hidden among the wastes of this ancient civilization are bonus collectibles, extra puzzles, and some audio logs that fill in the story of a human searching for purpose. It's all an echo of what your main character is going through.
A Surprising Deep Dive
The sheer variety that The Talos Principle has in regaling this story to you is what keeps boredom at bay. A few of the earlier puzzles may be a bit easy (and later ones too tough), but you're constantly interacting with the world in different fashions to learn more about your situation. Is this reality more physical and important than the world outside? Does purpose come from the definition we give it, or something more innate? It's surprising that the creators of Serious Sam were able to deliver such an introspective and deep game that feels so effortlessly pulled off.
That doesn't mean there aren't lulls in the experience. The second world, which takes place in an Egyptian themed locale, can feel a little dull. Progression in The Talos Principle unlocks different items you'll use to solve puzzles, but this middle segment doesn't make the best use of them. It's mostly the same kind of ideas you'll see in the first world, just with a different aesthetic. Even the third world underutilizes its unique gimmick, though the rest of your skills get combined together in a grander fashion.
Even without exploiting its own ideas to the fullest, it's surprising how much mileage The Talos Principle gets out of moving blocks and redirecting lasers. You'd think one room would be all those tools could accomplish, but the game continuously introduces devious puzzles that will have your brain wracked in thought. An in-game hint system alleviates some roadblocks, though unlocking this requires solving even more puzzles.
Needless to say, there's a lot of content here. The base game has roughly 100 puzzles if we're talking about all the "required" ones and bonus areas. The version available on Switch includes the 2015 DLC expansion The Road to Gehenna, which adds another 24 puzzles, and even has a special demo area included. You'll miss out on the Serious Sam themed DLC and the prototype levels, but there's easily 25+ hours' worth of stuff to dig into here.
A Switched Up Experience
Whether or not you should grab this Switch port depends on a few factors. Do you have access to another console or PC that can run the game? If so, the Switch version is not ideal. The game does have a toggle for "Performance" or "Graphics" options, but neither one runs particularly great. Performance smooths things out and works well enough in portable mode, but docked play is a hot mess. The game regularly drops frames and is fairly hard on the eyes regardless of mode.
There's also the fact that the Joy-Con aren't the most precise controllers around. The Talos Principle doesn't have much in the way of time-sensitive puzzles, but trying to line up lasers with distant objects can be annoying. It becomes worse in portable mode where objects are small and barely perceptible.
It's definitely impressive the game is even on this console, but The Talos Principle is not done justice on Switch. Still, if this is the only console you have, it's not like you're getting too compromised of an experience. The wonderful music even sounds pretty good with barely noticeable compression. Some patches might smooth out issues in the future, which is something to keep in mind.
What it mostly comes down to is whether or not you need this game on-the-go. The Talos Principle is great and absolutely worth it for puzzle fans, but the Switch port doesn't present it in the best light. If you can set aside performance issues, however, this is a wonderful game to play portably.
A Switch copy of The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition was provided to TheGamer for this review. The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition