The Talos Principle (PC)

I don't need a new game. I don't need a new distraction at all. I am sitting in a new apartment surrounded by boxes and instead of unpacking them and setting up furniture I find myself eyeing this weekend's Steam sale : The Talos Principle.

(screenshot from the Demo)

I've had it on my Steam wishlist so long I can't even remember what it's about and the trailer wasn't really that much of a turn on, but after reading about it I knew why I had put it on my wishlist.

Without extensive reading I was already bumping into quotes like : "a game that is every bit as smart as it purports to be" - "thought provoking narrative that delves with class into profound philosophical questions" -  "a soul-searching experience" - "it changed me" .... apparently this is the real deal....

I wish I had more time to play games and really delve into their worlds and get lost. If I am going to spend my time on them then I would love if it was something entertaining and thought provoking and if it 'changes' me in the meantime....

(screenshot from the demo - where can i get this as a screensaver?!)

The point is that often I find myself frustrated chasing highscores and playing though the same RPG stories or climbing up and down some online competitive FPS ladders....sometime's I crave meat, not just potato chips.

So, I downloaded the demo - thanks guys by the way since my computer is failing to run Alien: Isolation properly I was glad to have a demo to test first before I bought the game to find out that it also doesn't work - it turns out the demo, the writing, the mystery got me hooked and I had to get it.

I downloaded it over my excruciatingly slow internet connection (thanks Deutsche Telekom!) and it only took 6 and a half hours! So I didn't get to take a look until tonight.

(screenshot from the full game)

The game is made by Croteam - from Zagreb, Croatia (you know, "the mecca of video games" *wink*) You might know them from the series Serious Sam, they've been around since 1993 yet somehow still managed to stay indie and not get bought by EA or crushed by Activision.

This game is published by Devolver Digital (as it seems that almost everything is that I am playing or want to play is these days) and the story was written by Tom Jubert of 'The Swapper' and 'FTL' and Jonas Kyratzes of 'The Sea Will Claim Everything.' Not too shabby. 

The story and the gameplay is unfolding slowly but leading to some interesting comparisons to games like Portal, the Stanley Parable and even Myst. I have even read mention of a Animus comparison from the Assassins Creed games. If you like any one of those then you should take a look at The Talos Principle.