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6About The Witness
You wake up, alone, on a strange island full of puzzles that will challenge and surprise you. You don't remember who you are, and you don't remember how you got here, but there's one thing you can do: explore the island in hope of discovering clues, regaining your memory, and somehow finding your way home. The Witness is a single-player game in an open world with dozens of locations to explore and over 500 puzzles. This game respects you as an intelligent player and it treats your time as precious. There's no filler; each of those puzzles brings its own new idea into the mix. So, this is a game full of ideas.
- Genres
- Adventure
- Followers
- 0
Player reviews
To start with, a word of caution -
To start with, a word of caution - If you do not enjoy trying to understand puzzles, you will not enjoy this game. Note I say "understand" instead of "solve", because the distinction is important. Solving a puzzle is rewarding to anyone. It's easy enough to appreciate getting the solution after struggling with a puzzle for a while. Games like Portal make great use of this. Portal is about finding the solution that will let you move on. The Witness is different. The Witness is a game about understanding puzzles. Understanding a puzzle is about more than just finding a solution. It's about knowing how the puzzle works. It's about knowing what makes a solution a solution. You could be shown the answer to many of the puzzles in the game and be immediately and totally stuck on the next puzzle. Why? Because you didn't understand the puzzle. You don't understand why that solution is a solution. Without that knowledge, you cannot move on to the next puzzle. You may even have to go back to a "solved" puzzle in order to try and understand it better. Understanding requires questioning. Understanding requires probing. Understanding requires observing. You will be questioning, probing and observing every panel in the game, and indeed, the island itself, all in an attempt to understand. If you do not enjoy trying to understand puzzles, you will not enjoy this game. If, however, you have a love for discovery and understanding, this game will entertain that love in a beautiful and fulfilling way.
- Graphics4.0
- Gameplay4.5
- Story4.5
- Value4.5
My favorite game in a decade, but it's not for everyone
My favorite game in a decade, but it's not for everyone. It's a no-tutorial kind of game. Each puzzle type is introduced gradually so you can get the hang of it before tackling the complex stuff, but you must thrive in self-teaching to get that far. The puzzles, though, are awesome. They're all based on a simple concept but that concept is twisted around and turned on its head in so many ways you won't believe it each time another variation comes up. Beware of reviews with < 10 hours. You can "beat the game" in probably five hours. The real magic, though, is in a secret that adds 40 hours of gameplay. The trouble is, you have to enjoy the puzzles enough to get to the point where you discover the extra gameplay. Not for everyone
- Graphics4.0
- Gameplay4.5
- Story3.5
- Value4.0
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