Braid’s impressionism was softer and inviting but always felt a little shy. It some ways, it feels like a lovingly crafted clay model. The Witness’ island is a dizzying and sublime display. In this case, I was merely caught in the worst kind of brute forcing process. This was similar to another section, but at least there was a discernible method to the madness. As I leapfrogged from node to node, failing at one would mean I needed to head back to the last and redo it. In one egregious example, I found myself facing a series of puzzles leading me up a hill, the logic behind their solutions still unclear to me. Frankly, I think most people will overlook the unfairness because of the game’s hype. The Witness’s environments are themselves part of the island’s many puzzles. Like a giggling child sitting right over your shoulder, The Witness perches itself to watch and judge everything that you do. But then again, this game also does not care for you.Īt certain points, you can almost feel how impressed with itself The Witness is. If you have difficulty with spatial puzzles or have an issue with pattern recognition, this is not going to be your game. If that’s not your thing, this is not going to be your game. It’s not essential but a pad of grid paper helped me out here. I haven’t busted out a pen and a paper for a long time, but The Witness had me tracing dozens and dozens of mazes, mapping out various routes when I could not figure out the right path. What begins as simple maze navigation grows into arcane ritual tracing, each new puzzle feeling like some deeply intricate alchemist’s experiment full of intersecting rules and strict demands. You will go on a streak of puzzle solving before hitting a wall and having to look back to see what new ruleset was introduced halfway down the line. This is a game that is both intuitive and bizarrely esoteric in the solutions you will find. You will find your way from one pathway of a puzzle to the end, sometimes knowing why and other times having no idea. It was too cold, too lonely, and too completely oppressive.īut what the hell is The Witness, really? At its core, designer Jonathan Blow traded in Braid’s alterations on the simple platformer and applied odd affectations to another well known staple of play: the maze. The first night I played this game, I had to stop. You are not worthy of the wonders that it offers. The Witness is so vainglorious and so high on its own considerable intellect that it all but spews contempt at the player. You don’t do something as pedestrian as merely go somewhere in The Witness, you wrestle for the right to further delve into the game space through conquest of its puzzles.Īs a philosophy, this is not a good thing. So much of its wonderful island is gated and walled off by puzzles. The Witness‘s Myst-inspired world is a vibrant place.Įarn is a good word for The Witness’ design ethos. Want to see what is at the top of the hill or at the peak of the mountain? You will have to earn it. Every step forward is barred by a new brainteaser. You are dropped in with nothing and stumble, childlike, into a vibrant and beautiful world.Ĭrumbling castle walls, rolling waves of most amber grain, and deep, wonderful shaded woods all call to you and whisper secrets of a history you barely grasp. I know this doesn’t help clarify anything but neither does the game. The prospect of returning to it and unearthing its further secrets is so deliciously tantalizing that I need to keep reminding myself that this game is the devil.Īn island and puzzles. I have spent hours and hours with this game, testing my wits and dancing to its tune. This game provided some of my favorite moments I’ve ever had during play but if The Witness were a person, I’d punch it right in its smug, self satisfied little jaw. I cannot think of another game that has pulled on both ends so much. It is a title of true mystery, an experience of genuine curiosity, a game of demanding intellect. The Witness is an amazing game that I hope I never have to play again in my life.
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