The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna Review

The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna on PC

By now, most gamers have heard of Croteam’s departure from the Serious Sam series, the philosophically-minded puzzler The Talos Principle. Today, we’re taking a look at the title’s first full-fledged, story-driven DLC, Road to Gehenna. Picking up where the first story left off, Road to Gehenna follows the continued trials of the Messenger of Elohim, sent to a new area of the enigmatic simulation that serves as the game’s setting. As Uriel, players will find themselves confronted with new puzzles meant to challenge those who’ve climbed the tower and found themselves wanting more.

With an increased focus on the story and terminal-based interactions with the other denizens of the simulation, Road to Gehenna fleshes out much of what sprang from the Messenger’s actions throughout The Talos Principle. While there’s not a lot of entirely new or different content from the first story arc, there’s a ton more to explore through the DLC’s four chapters. The puzzles have also stepped up a notch from the last time around, and even the first chapter of new content is filled with complexity to rival anything players have experienced before.

As with any DLC, it’s tough to review Road to Gehenna purely on its own merits. The story relies on past experience with the previous arc in order to make any coherent sense, and even then — as fans of The Talos Principle can attest — it may not make much. There’s a deeply philosophical bend to the interactions with Gehenna‘s various characters, and questioning the meaning of existence and purpose in life is standard fare on the in-game message boards through which communication unfolds. As before, the choices you make during these interactions may or may not have much bearing on how things truly play out, but add an interesting element to the overall story and experience.

Ultimately, Road to Gehenna serves as a fantastic addition to an already-great game. Fans of The Talos Principle should definitely pick it up, though I’m not sure it works as a reason to throw down the $39.99 for the base game. Of course, I could easily say that The Talos Principle does that well enough on its own, and that the extra $14.99 for Road to Gehenna is easily worth it as well. Both gorgeous, well-written productions that stretch the boundaries of even the most hardened puzzle fans, these beautifully-rendered departures from Croteam’s previous work are a fantastic play, and something that anyone looking for something that discards violence for thought-provoking, brain-bending problem solving should definitely pick up. If you own The Talos Principle, buy this addition. If you don’t? Consider buying it, and then follow the previous instructions.