The Talos Principle, PS4

Not all that long ago, Croteam was synonymous with knowingly silly shooter Serious Sam and teasing game pirates with invincible pink scorpions. So this chin-stroking first-person puzzler was a surprise when it hit PC late last year, especially when it turned out to be bloody clever. And bringing the game to PS4? That’s even smarter.

No mere Portal clone, you awaken in the gardens of self-proclaimed god Elohim, who sets before you a series of challenges and one commandment: do not ascend his tower. Over 100 increasingly taxing puzzle chambers await, and you’ll work your way up from manipulating humble boxes to time itself in order to plunder the colour-coded Tetris pieces within. If you’re obedient, you’ll use these to then unlock the doors between worlds the Romanesque gardens, an Egyptian pyramid complex and a medieval fort and to obtain new gadgets. Rebels, however, can spend red pieces to climb Elohim’s spire towards the truth.

“This chin-stroking puzzler was a surprise when it hit pc...”

Incoming DLC, Road To Gehenna, also furthers the mystery. It follows one of Elohim’s devout messengers, Uriel, spreading his will to a new part of the world; one with its own culture and a sacrifice to make. And praise be, it’s due to launch alongside the main game when it hits PS4 later this year.

Sacred wits
Three tools you’ll need to master in Elohim’s world

Ah, companion cubes. Er, we mean boxes. The most conventional entry in Talos’ toybox finds new uses in herding lethal landmine-like drones.

Slightly trickier to control, these refractors allow you to direct the path of laser beams to open doors and power objects. Be careful.

When planted, a jammer can hold enemies in place, disarm turrets and block force field doors open. They’re often used in pairs.