The Witness has been on my radar ever since the announcement of the Playstation 4. Right away the bold and colorful world grabbed my attention. The crazy thing, this entire world is based purely around solving puzzles. It was quite a bold idea, especially making such a extreme departure from the Jonathan's Blow last game Braid. The development cycle was long but well worth the wonderfully polished game that was the result. Built upon a beautiful island, The Witness is a very challenging and rewarding puzzle game that will simulate your brain for hours on end.
The concept seems simple enough. Scattered around this island is hundreds of panels. All these panels having a starting point and an ending point. Its your job to draw a line to connect the two ends. The challenge is each section of puzzles will throw different obstacles at you. Just to give couple examples; this could include separating blocks of different colors, matching up sets of circles, to making specific shapes as you draw your line. When you enter a new area you'll usually find a sets of five side by side panels that function as tutorials. This game will never tell you what to do, it instead relies one you to be smart enough to progress.
This game is deceptively straight forward. There is so much more to this game then just walking from one panel to the next. There are a series of well hidden bonus puzzles tied to the mysterious black monoliths scattered around the island. One of my favorite things I found was the movie theater. The theater itself isn't too difficult to open but you'll need to have truly mastered the various puzzle elements to find the movies. A boat is available to take you around the island and may help you notice things you may not have seen before.
The amazing artwork combined with the island setting really sets the mood for this game. You really start to feel like your on a luxurious island retreat. Pillows and couches can be found lying about inferring that the challenge of these puzzles my make one self tired over time. Various ledges and buildings will give you breath taking views of the island. It amazing to see this huge island you've spent hours exploring and conquering seem so shrunken from up high. Those who crave exploration will want to explore every nook and cranny of this world for its abound with secrets.
I you like to challenge yourself and test your intellect you need to play this game! The puzzles are numerous and the different sections of the game are superbly designed. In each area they'll start you off with fairly straight forward puzzles and slowly add more complexity. By the time you get to the end of a section you'll be amazed at the crazy things you've able to accomplish. If the puzzles weren't rewarding enough every secret you find will bring a burst of joy and excitement. The incredibly high ceiling of challenge with no written or spoken tips means that this game isn't for everybody but those who can keep their cool will find a wonderful sense of accomplishment playing through this game.