The Witness

This game has some great puzzles that would, by themselves, be 5 stars. However, the lack of any story to pull me through really sucked a lot of the fun out of solving puzzles like these. So much of the game is about observing and looking around that I wanted to uncover a world, a story, at the same time. But it's puzzles or nothing. This seems intentional, but that does not make it a good game in my books. So this along with some design that seemed to be there simply to waste my time knocked of a star. The second star gone is because of just how pretentious the game is. Seeming to say that not only is there no story, but also that this game is so great your an idiot for wanting a story. Well I did want one. The description of the game is a bit misleading and seems to imply a story. And I looked into the game a little bit, but I didn't want to get spoiled on anything before I played. So zero stars for myself being a dummy. Overall an average game that's worth playing if you enjoy solving these kinds of puzzles.

Jonathan Blow's take on the Myst likes is, I think, a not very satisfying game. His way to design puzzles is "repeat this puzzle a lot of times, in increasing difficulty", instead of showing variety. More than the 7th Guest, more than in Professor Layton games, and much more than in Myst games and clones, you feel like you are doing crosswords. There are definitely some good Myst like touches in here, and aesthetically is something lovely, but as a game it relies so much on repetition that I cannot say I recommend it.

The Witness has pretty scenery but is strictly for hardcore puzzle loving Myst addicts. Playing it feels way too much like work. There is crap you can unlock which presents you with various half-baked philosophy ideas but they won't challenge you much. You'll either simply agree or simply disagree. But the Talos Principle is much better in this area: it actually tries to get you to really engage with the ideas it presents rather than having them float past you as a passive observer. I think this comment I made on Reddit pretty much sums up my thoughts on this game: "The Witness is not made for instant gratification. Neither were 19th century novels. The difference is that when you get to the end of a 19th century novel, you've got something intellectually substantive and thought provoking you've completed, while when you get to the end of The Witness, you've done several hundred trivial puzzles involving lines and dots."

The colorful world of The Witness is a joy to explore. The areas are distinct not only in visuals, but in the puzzle mechanics within. The different areas are also connected in meaningful ways, making the small island feel more like a real place and not just a series of separate levels. The island features many secrets of which I feel like I have only discovered a small portion in a single playthrough. The map is completely open for exploration, the only thing standing in your way is your level of knowledge of the puzzle mechanics. The map also places the end goal of the game right in the middle of the map, keeping it in view and in mind at all times. It is amazing how much the developers were able to accomplish with such a simple core idea for the puzzles. Every separate puzzle mechanic gets explored in a variety of challenges within the map areas. Solving puzzles feels very satisfying. Being able to solve a set of puzzles might not give one any advantage in the next set. The difficulty works well, with the areas near the starting point being easier and some of the others being noticeably harder. A few of puzzles felt like bashing my head against a wall, with no way of getting hints or skipping puzzles. Luckily one can always wonder off and return to difficult areas later. Using pen and paper may help as well. Towards the end the game combines puzzle mechanics, giving one a true test of knowledge. The most difficult challenges are optional. The story of the game is almost completely told through subtext and is left up to the player to figure out. In that way the game resembles something like abstract art. Nothing is explained directly and it is up to the player to make their own interpretation of it. The game features a simple but very colorful art style and very ambient sound design. This combined with the setting creates a welcoming and bright but a bit uneasy feeling. The feeling of the game occasionally reminds me of the Portal games.

Well what can I say about the Witness, other than once you've been through it and come out the other side, it will be entirely incomparable to any other adventure game franchise you've ever experienced. It was inspired by Myst, however the Witness certainly holds it own in the same way that Quern, undying thoughts also does. There are some stark similarities between the gameplay of The Witness to those seen in Myst, Riven or indeed Myst 3. The puzzles are unique to their environment and all point towards an end goal. The visuals are gorgeous and colourful, but also relevant to their own environment. Top Tip: Jump in the boat! It's a game changer. If the endless and occasionally tiresome bout of panel drawing becomes too much, then the boat rides adds to in-game entertainment. Plus it aids orientating what feels to be an initially very large island but it soon transpires it is not all that large and intimidating at all. However there is one major flaw in the gameplay. Each and every puzzle must be solved by connecting lines in panel. Each area contains it's own unique rules on connecting lines and dots, for example, symmetry, maze, Tetris etc. Whilst this may be a thrilling concept for some puzzle lovers, it also relies heavily on being astute in all areas of skillset. I particularly enjoyed the puzzles around symmetry and the environmentals, but the others I found almost impossible and had to use a guide for help!! Despite this, there is something strangely addictive about it. It hooks you in. At first you think to yourself, what on earth is this, but after a few days of playing it you can't keep yourself away from it! It is also a strange and eerie place to be. The human statues add to the eeriness of the environment. It is a very difficult game, but well worth the ride!