The Talos Principle

a beautiful mind enigma , akin to a supernatural phenomenon like NHS

Unpopular opinion, but the philosophical fumbling in this game is not saying anything interesting. As a result the game is really pretentious and uninteresting. The puzzles are engaging for a while, but in themselves do not keep me as a player engaged for long enough. I strongly dislike the inclusion of mostly out of context passages framed as musings from real works which all contribute in producing a veneer of profundity which is simply just intellectual posturing. The Talos Principle does not make a sound or coherent philosophical argument in doing so, therefore does not have anything to say on its own merit. This is reflected in the entire aesthetic of the game: a grouping of ruined, empty shells of buildings and structures that no longer indicate their purpose due to being divorced from their original cultural context. A culture that no longer exists and pretends to be available for us the player to uncover. I would take a step further here and state that there was never any purpose to these art assets, they were simply added because they fit the art direction of the game. There is no underlying world to be uncovered or intriguing lore in The Talos Principle. There is no underlying philosophical merit either, just a collection of quotes ripped from their context and meaning in order to fit a feeling or vibe. The idea of man made or artificial sentience has been exhausted in recent time in popular media and the Talos Principle is a tired retreading of the same affirmative claim, which in itself is not even controversial. It is not an interesting question to ask if the answer provided does not lead to any further meaningful argument or metaphysical insight, the Talos Principle simply makes no philosophical or artistic contribution to the subject matter it concerns itself with. The game just claims to affirm its own arguments posed and believes this enough to enrapture a player in wonder about the implications of this affirmation. If you like the puzzles more than me then you will have a fun time I guess.