The Witness
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:23 am
I already posted about this game before it came out, trailer is in that thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9154&start=999999
I downloaded The Witness last night and ended up playing it for 6 hours straight. It is easily one of the best puzzle games I have ever played, Portal 2 being the only close contender. Portal is definitely better at the action sequences and witty humour, whereas The Witness is far more philosophical, mysterious, ambient and serene. The emotions brought forth by the sheer astonishment of your surroundings are something very few games have managed to successfully elicit.
The Witness has some of the most incredible graphics I've ever seen. "Best graphics" is obviously a highly opinionated thing, but nobody in their right mind would argue that level of detail suffers in The Witness. Everything is a puzzle, nothing is present without purpose, and the visuals are highly effective at communicating to the player the intent of the designer.
Level design is absolutely mind-blowing. Obviously puzzlers have an advantage on that front since level design and layout is an integral part of creating a functional puzzle, but these levels are more than just functional; they're beautiful. There's also a distinct lack of linearity when it comes to both the puzzles and exploration in general. There's a path, sure, but it splits many times and you can wander away at will.
The audio of The Witness pulled me even deeper into the experience. I honestly didn't have very high expectations aside from some nice, soothing music. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed how remarkably diverse the sound effects were. From material-effected footsteps, to reverberation halls, to sound dampened corners, to the natural outdoors. It's a constant symphony.
In my opinion, this game easily falls in the Top 5 most important games of the 21st century. In 6 hours, it has solidified its place as my personal favorite puzzle game with close competition only from Portal and Antichamber.
Unfortunately, despite how amazing the environment is, if you don't like solving puzzles you'll probably have a lot of difficulty enjoying this game. However, if you have even an iota of fondness for solving complex puzzles, The Witness should be at the top of your wishlist.
I downloaded The Witness last night and ended up playing it for 6 hours straight. It is easily one of the best puzzle games I have ever played, Portal 2 being the only close contender. Portal is definitely better at the action sequences and witty humour, whereas The Witness is far more philosophical, mysterious, ambient and serene. The emotions brought forth by the sheer astonishment of your surroundings are something very few games have managed to successfully elicit.
The Witness has some of the most incredible graphics I've ever seen. "Best graphics" is obviously a highly opinionated thing, but nobody in their right mind would argue that level of detail suffers in The Witness. Everything is a puzzle, nothing is present without purpose, and the visuals are highly effective at communicating to the player the intent of the designer.
Level design is absolutely mind-blowing. Obviously puzzlers have an advantage on that front since level design and layout is an integral part of creating a functional puzzle, but these levels are more than just functional; they're beautiful. There's also a distinct lack of linearity when it comes to both the puzzles and exploration in general. There's a path, sure, but it splits many times and you can wander away at will.
The audio of The Witness pulled me even deeper into the experience. I honestly didn't have very high expectations aside from some nice, soothing music. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed how remarkably diverse the sound effects were. From material-effected footsteps, to reverberation halls, to sound dampened corners, to the natural outdoors. It's a constant symphony.
In my opinion, this game easily falls in the Top 5 most important games of the 21st century. In 6 hours, it has solidified its place as my personal favorite puzzle game with close competition only from Portal and Antichamber.
Unfortunately, despite how amazing the environment is, if you don't like solving puzzles you'll probably have a lot of difficulty enjoying this game. However, if you have even an iota of fondness for solving complex puzzles, The Witness should be at the top of your wishlist.
