There’s even a bigoted polemic written in a centuries-old tongue, putting Native Americans on par with children and apes.īut there is a lot of beautiful text, too. There are bits of poetry from 17th century man of letters John Milton. Some are snippets from company-wide emails a company who, to some extent, must be running the show. In addition to that questioning character on the computer, there are dozens of small files to read through. The computer even called me out on my inconsistencies and flip-flopping definitions, and, with a sigh, I had to admit I’d been caught. I’m pretty sure I was losing that debate. We went back and forth on what constitutes humanity, what consciousness consists of. I got into a debate with the typist on the computer. certainly has the capability to mimic human speech mannerisms, especially when it comes to the faulty grammar and poor capitalization skills that run rampant through online communication. The person (?) chatting with you on the computer calls their/its relative human-ness into question rather early. In what’s an otherwise very lonely game, these QR codes were a welcome exchange of communication, even if they lagged. There are several others, each one carving out a different voice during my journey. There’s “Samsara,” who’s simultaneously resigned and ecstatic to be here. There’s “Dog,” the voice of cynicism in the group. There’s “Sheep,” who has a clear grasp of the spiritual, but questions what it all means. The exchanges between these characters unlocks some of the game’s sense of humor, which is welcome during such heavy philosophical musings. The QR codes translate into short, Twitter-length posts from other individuals that either came before you or seemingly coexist with you, though you can’t see them. And they come from, of course, the Man Upstairs, Elohim. They come from transcribed QR codes painted (with white out?) on the walls. They come from holographic audio diaries placed around the stages. They come from the MS-DOS screens of text on the computers. There are many stories running in tandem. It was apparent that heavenly issues of creation and existence were going to come into play, but The Talos Principle gradually takes a skeptical stance towards the many voices informing your journey. He seemingly has no sense of self-awareness that he-he calls himself nothing less than Elohim, the Hebrew name for God in the Bible-starts going off like a scripture-spewing Speak & Spell from time to time. Not to mention the Big Guy in the Sky who starts talking real computer-like from time to time. Why was I doing them? What was the point of collecting these tetromino-shaped “sigils”? Who, exactly, is communicating with me on the other side of these CRT computer screens? And why are there QR codes painted on the walls of these ruins, with messages from both faithful and faithless voices? But, as I got a peek behind the curtain here and there, the purpose of these puzzles was called into question. While not introduced all at once, I learned how to use boxes (which look like Portal companion cubes, minus the heart-shaped branding), portable refractors (crystal-clear 20-sided-dice-looking devices), electronic jammers, and fans in various configurations to overcome obstacles, unlock gates, trip switches, and guide laser beams.Īt first, completing these first-person puzzles was the point. I moved about the puzzle chambers, slowly picking up steam as I learned to use each puzzle-solving piece. But that was just one of many questions I would face during my time with The Talos Principle. Whether I was obeying as a character or as a player, I didn’t know. What else was I supposed to do? The ancient Mediterranean brickworks were lovely, not to mention the lithe olive trees, but I was eager to set about my task. Obediently, I ran into a chamber and started solving puzzles. And, in the middle of this puzzle-laden courtyard, was a circular portal on the ground, with ones and zeros rising up like sparks from a campfire. Over there was a signpost for a Tetris-like piece for me to gather. It benevolently prodded me toward my puzzle-solving task. There was a big, godlike voice in the sky.
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