When comparing Firewatch vs The Talos Principle, the Slant community recommends The Talos Principle for most people. In the question“What are the best singleplayer games on Steam?” The Talos Principle is ranked 7th while Firewatch is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose The Talos Principle is:
The puzzles in the game are great, but they're tied together with a thought provoking story line filled with mystery and intrigue. A story about a robot with human consciousness who is being guided by a disembodied voice, are they to be trusted? As the story progresses the player is drip fed clues which can lead them closer to the truth.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Adds interaction to the "walking simulator" genre
Unlike many walking simulator game the player is allowed to interact more with the environment than expected. User can repel down ropes, collect caches of items and even adopt a pet.
Pro Beautiful graphics
The game impresses with stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted world, overlaid with a neat canvas effect.
Pro Fantastic voice acting
There are two leads with each being voice acted in a believable way in how they interact. The relationship presented in the story is given credence due to how well it is acted.
Pro Great atmosphere
You get lost in the world playing as Henry, it even ends up getting a little spooky. It never shows how it's spooky but there's always that creepy vibe in the background.
Pro Based on exploration and storytelling
Firewatch is basically a exploration game with a very strong focus on the main story. No need to kill enemies or compete with other games online.
Pro Excellent story
Firewatch is an exploration game with a strong focus on its main story which makes you ask "what comes next?" like a good book or enthralling movie.
Pro Great storyline
The puzzles in the game are great, but they're tied together with a thought provoking story line filled with mystery and intrigue. A story about a robot with human consciousness who is being guided by a disembodied voice, are they to be trusted? As the story progresses the player is drip fed clues which can lead them closer to the truth.
Pro Lots of side content
Many Easter eggs and more difficult puzzles as well as an ending in many parts of the game, as well as hidden lore.
Pro Difficulty ramp-up
Starts out easy enough, but gets to some truly difficult puzzles by the end. If you get stuck on a puzzle you can skip it and come back to it later.
Pro Rewards exploration and out-of-the-box thinking
It's hard to explain this without spoiling anything, but there are lots of "aha!" moments you will encounter on the areas if you get invested into the story, making the game deeper.
Pro Great original soundtrack
The soundtrack is very pleasant to listen to and fits perfectly with all the areas and themes present in the game. It varies from calm music, for those heavenly areas where you are solving puzzles, to more misterious and epic pieces for moments when things get... real. It's good to have some nice music playing while your brain is melting from solving the puzzles, or just appreciating the scenery.
Cons
Con Tremendous build up in story, only to have a lackluster finale
Once the player progresses far enough into the game there are plot thread wrap-ups that seem a bit too convenient and overly rushed.
Con Short game
It maxes out at 5 hours of play, which is a bit short, though it is priced fairly for the time one gets.
Con In some parts the game locks you from entering areas
It might sound obvious but sometimes the invisible walls don't feel right, they are put in places you should be able to walk.
Con Heavy swearing
Extremely frequent use of swear words.
Con Working with the level editor is difficult (no documentation)
There is not much documentation for the level editor in the game, as the creators primarily use it for themselves. There are of course many hotkeys you could accidentally press as well.
Con Obtuse puzzles, especially with optional content
Mediocre game design all around. Many puzzles are ordered badly or redundant and could have been combined or removed to smoothen the experience, as well as occasionally not exercising the bounds of certain elements (like ranged pickup). The game's optional content is even more worrisome as it often leads you to play hidden object games to look in hundreds of corners instead of using more difficult puzzles. One particularly egregious example is when you have to interpret a message in a very specific way after using a decryption algorithm you may not know about into another questionable input system.