The Talos Principle II: Road to Elysium DLC Review

The Talos Principle II: Road to Elysium, by Croteam and Devolver Digital, is a three-part expansion that deepens the lore beyond the base game and delivers a fresh set of brain-bending challenges set against the backdrop of a hauntingly beautiful, ruined Earth. The expansion is made up of three distinct chapters, each of which has its own distinctive look and feel and presents several hours of more of the same brain-twisting puzzles that we loved from the base game and is wrapped in immersive and engaging story.

The story in Road to Elysium picks up after the events of The Talos Principle II, providing a sense of closure for some lingering plot threads. Cutscenes are amazing and well thought out, and the writers cleverly leave certain aspects open to interpretation, prompting you to ponder the game’s themes of consciousness, existence, and the nature of reality long after the credits roll. The story serves as a welcome companion to the core puzzle gameplay, providing context and emotional weight to the challenges players face.

While the core mechanics of manipulating lasers, fans, time fields, and colour-shifting mechanisms remain central to the gameplay, Road to Elysium injects new layers of complexity to keep seasoned puzzle veterans on their toes. The introduction of hacking terminals to alter the environment throws a satisfying curveball. No longer is the solution simply a matter of rearranging physical objects; players must now think critically about the flow of cause and effect, strategically planning their hacks to achieve the desired outcome.

Lush greenery reclaims crumbling structures of a bygone era, creating some amazing visuals of nature’s resilience and humanity’s downfall. The desolate beauty of this ruined Earth environment becomes integrated into the gameplay. It feels like they are all on vacation which is a nice touch to the story. Exploration is highly encouraged, rewarding players with cleverly hidden environmental puzzles, some hilarious conversations by robots as I ran past, and terminals containing lore entries that flesh out the backstory of this shattered world. These terminals offer glimpses into the lives of those who came before, adding an emotional weight to the exploration and further fuelling the player’s desire to unravel the mysteries of this fallen civilisation.

Road to Elysium maintains the same level of difficulty that endeared fans to the base game. Some puzzles will have you meticulously analysing every environmental detail and relentlessly experimenting with different approaches. Some puzzles are so unique that I was stumped on one for over an hour, but I got there in the end. The immense satisfaction of finally cracking a particularly tricky challenge, having meticulously pieced together the solution through logic and experimentation, is a feeling that only puzzle games like The Talos Principle can deliver. The difficulty curve throughout the DLC is well-balanced, offering a steady stream of challenges that cater to both experienced puzzle solvers and newcomers to the series.

I played Road to Elysium on the Meta Quest 3 running virtual desktop which looked great and played well. While in the massive cube at the end I did feel a little woozy at times with all the upside down play, jumping from wall to wall, but this a great expansion. There were a few times where the movements of the NPC robots were a little janky but the puzzles were flawless.

The Talos Principle II: Road to Elysium is an enriching expansion that builds upon the strengths of the base game with more of the same, but better. With its challenging and rewarding puzzles, stunningly beautiful environments steeped in lore, and a narrative that lingers long after the conclusion, Road to Elysium is a must-play for fans of The Talos Principle II.

This review utilised a DLC key provided by Devolver Digital and The Talos Principle II: Road to Elysium is out now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

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