Croteam's philosophical puzzler The Talos Principle is now available in VR
Nietzsche appeal.
Croteam's excellent philosophical sci-fi puzzler The Talos Principle has just launched in a brand-new VR guise for Oculus and Vive.
The Talos Principle VR is a standalone version of the critically acclaimed first-person puzzler, which originally launched back in 2014, and includes the four-episode Road to Gehenna expansion. This new version has been completely redesigned "from the ground up" to best accommodate virtual reality bonnets and hand-sticks, and features room-scale VR support, multiple movement modes, and fully customisable VR controls. It does not, however, support standard gamepad controls, which might be a concern if you're without wand.
The Talos Principle VR is priced at £29.99 on Steam, and owners of the original game will receive an automatic 25% discount on their purchase. Additionally, Croteam has implemented a means of importing existing saves into the new version,.
In a lengthy post over on Steam, Croteam's Alen Ladavac took some time to reiterate why the studio has elected to release a full-price standalone version of The Talos Principle on VR, rather than a free update, or DLC. In short, getting the game to work in VR is a time-consuming, and expensive, process, "we didn't spend several man-years on this just because we had nothing better to do. But because it was necessary to make it even playable."
"In order for VR to work," he explained, "it has to pay off to developers", and that can be difficult in such a small market. "So the main point is - is this VR version of the game worth to you the price we ask for it? If yes, please buy it and enjoy it. We will make sure to support it, like we always do. If [no], then don't buy. If not enough people choose that it does, then we won't be doing VR in the future - no hard feelings."
The Talos Principle's deft blend of serene first-person environmental puzzling and philosophical pondering is well worth investigating. As Eurogamer contributor Stace Harman said of the original version in his review, it's "a game of challenges and conundrums and philosophical wonderings, filled with logic puzzles and cerebral mysteries."
"It exudes personality and charm, its mechanical precision complementing its aesthetic qualities. For an experience bereft of human contact it boasts a very big heart indeed."