The Talos Principle really surprised me. I knew a bit about what I was getting into - a stage based 3D puzzle game which I was actually excited to play from the offset, but what really impressed me was the story and philosophical themes. Yes, much of it is told through reading a console, but I kept finding myself drawn in reading the text files from those who came before, the historical, religious, and philosophical references, and of course having deep arguments with the archival system. While the game ends pretty soundly, I feel like I have so many more questions about existence and life itself. As for the gameplay, I actually thought the puzzles were a good balance. Easy to teach the mechanics, then challenging when they needed to be. I forced myself not to use any outside assistance and felt super gratified getting through every puzzle and climbing the tower on my own and I think that is a testament to just how good of a puzzle game this one is solely from that perspective. I understand this one isn't for everyone, but I think I ended up playing this at the perfect time.