Review for The Talos Principle 2: Road to Elysium
Back in January, I lauded Croteam’s The Talos Principle 2 for being an unorthodox yet logical puzzle game with breathtaking visuals and a philosophical story driven by the characters’ beliefs and the players’ choices. The new DLC, Road to Elysium, continues from where the original tale left off while introducing new, unique locations and doubling down on the unconventional nature of the puzzles. (This review builds upon the primary observations from The Talos Principle 2. Reading that review first is highly recommended.)
Road to Elysium is a set of three different chapters. In order, they are “Orpheus Ascending,” “Isle of the Blessed,” and “Into the Abyss.” Those who have played the main game should be aware that these DLC chapters have a predetermined ending, so none of your choices from the original story carry over. Though this decision is a disappointment, the omission of prior alternatives doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of each story. Each narrative has a different feel while introducing philosophical elements.
“Orpheus Ascending” is a mission to restore a fellow robot by reassembling her consciousness. It also provides commentaries on love and ego, discussing how the two are connected. “Isle of the Blessed” is a more humorous and wholesome plot, focusing on one of the side characters, Yaqut, as he proves himself by completing puzzles all on his own. There is a bit of philosophy and discussion about the existence of a Creator, but this chapter mostly involves listening to the interactions between characters and everyone’s reactions to the events of The Talos Principle 2. “Into the Abyss” also focuses on another side character, Byron, as he recounts when he was stuck in the megastructure and searching for answers. While not philosophical, this chapter focuses on Byron’s personality and fills in some gaps in the main story that left me scratching my head. Plus, it gives glimpses into the mind of another important character and provides more context to that character’s guilt and sorrow.
Unlike the prior narrative, Road to Elysium doesn’t allow the player to consider choices or philosophies, at least not as often. The DLC gives you its view of the correct choices from The Talos Principle 2. The original story did hint at what the right choice for “humanity” should be, but it allowed the subject to be a discussion where multiple perspectives could potentially be correct, depending on the player’s beliefs. Those who enjoyed such talks may be disappointed by their absence here. Still, seeing where the stories go and the banter between the characters, especially in “Isle of the Blessed,” more than makes up for it.
Gameplay is essentially the same, but the complexity varies. “Orpheus Ascending” is moderately challenging, mainly utilizing crystals and beams. However, there will be times when you must employ more unorthodox methods than the main game presented. Quite a few puzzles have you connect singular crystals to multiple sources, whether to create an intended effect or to get multiple beams out of the way so that a certain beam can hit its intended target. I managed to get through most of the puzzles here without looking up a guide, but I skipped one by applying some Prometheus Flames because I couldn’t figure out the solution.
“Isle of the Blessed,” in comparison, is the most straightforward. It still has complexity, but finding the underlying logic of each puzzle is not too taxing. The final puzzle is the easiest. This makes sense for someone like Yaqut, who has expressed anxiety over puzzle-solving in the main game and now has to overcome it to find that the process is not that bad once you get into it.
“Into the Abyss” presents the most intricate puzzles of the three. While there, the underlying logic of these conundrums becomes much more complicated to discern because it requires the most experimentation. For this DLC, I occasionally relied upon a guide. There are no Prometheus Flames with which to skip puzzles and they usually had the most unorthodox solutions.
You don’t have to solve every puzzle to complete each DLC. For “Orpheus Ascending” and “Into the Abyss,” figuring out the bare minimum can unlock an ending. However, there are secret endings tied to completing all of them. This is not the case for “Isle of the Blessed,” which is fine since the difficulty is less demanding than the other two. Still, if you are a completionist, this will be a significant challenge.
As for the presentation, each DLC has unique biomes. “Orpheus Ascending” puts you back into the Egyptian-inspired simulation that served as the tutorial for the character of 1k in The Talos Principle 2. This time, it is a large, expansive desert with ruins acting as puzzle stages. There are also a couple of secrets to discover if you explore enough. “Isle of the Blessed” is a tropical island, museum, and puzzle theme park. The colors are very pleasing to the eyes and add to the warm feel of the plot. “Into the Abyss” is a mix of all the biomes of the main game, but the landmasses are fractured. All the puzzles live on floating islands, representing the vital character’s mind, where Byron is exploring. The levels are beautifully detailed and help convey each individual story.
As for the characters, most of the voice actors who were part of the original games’ expedition reprise their roles. Two new voices are introduced, one of which portrays the robot whose mind you venture into in “Orpheus Ascending.” All portrayals are well-acted and retain some of the personalities they previously displayed, but also demonstrate the characters’ growth while giving their opinions of the main game’s aftermath. The animations are minimal, but you will see occasional smiles or darting eyes. Mostly, the delivery of the dialogue shows the characters’ emotions and attitudes.
Finally, the soundtrack is well-composed and somewhat differentiates between DLCs. “Into the Abyss’” music stands out the most, having a lower, more somber ambiance while the track that plays after a puzzle’s completion screams, “You are triumphant!” The other chapters are very similar to each other, being calmer and more melodic. All three DLCs highlight the mix of traditional strings, trumpets, vocals, and electronic music, creating some of the most peaceful and harmonious pieces to listen to while solving puzzles.
All in all, Road to Elysium proves to be a substantial expansion to The Talos Principle 2. All three chapters together took me thirty hours to complete, just five minutes short of the time spent playing the main game because certain puzzles are considerably more challenging than the main game’s. There are a couple of disappointments: your choices from the main game don’t matter and you can no longer have an open discussion about the philosophical topics. Still, Croteam should be commended for daring to push the envelope regarding difficulty, as well as experimenting and innovating upon what they have already done. Plus, the stories make up for decreasing player choice by establishing well-told narratives that stand independently.
WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD The Talos Principle 2 - Road to Elysium
The Talos Principle 2 - Road to Elysium is available at:
We get a small commission from any game you buy through these links (except Steam).Our Verdict:
The Talos Principle 2: Road to Elysium successfully expands upon its puzzle elements and provides some of the most challenging puzzles that, for better or worse, push the definition of unorthodox. While the philosophical elements and player agency that made the main game great are mostly missing, the plots and characters make up for the absence of these components. So, if you enjoyed The Talos Principle 2 on launch, you will definitely admire this expansion.
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