The Witness

So I have been playing this game for quite a while and I just got to the desert ruin puzzles and I was so clueless as to what to do. Then I looked it up and it said that it is all about physical orientation and lighting. So then I go back to the game and I move around and I get the first one and then after that I could barely see anything with the light reflecting puzzles. So for those I had to just keep guessing until I got up to one of the puzzles. I was so confused because that was about secret patterns through lighting and I could not see anything. One solution would be too put little spots on the ground so we know where to look or make us be able to see the pattern at a wider angle. Otherwise it is a good game with fun puzzles (not desert ruins) and it makes me use my brain a lot. For ten dollars this game should really have no issues and developers should fix any problems on the reviews (not saying you have to answer mine immediately). I hope this gets fixed.

I love puzzle games so figure I give this one a try. Played the game for about 4 hours and made some decent progress. You’re stuck on an island, and the goal is to get off the rock. The graphics are beautiful, a bit cartoony, but all together with the sound very immersive. To progress in the game, open doors, fire up lasers etc you need to access a ton (gazillion) of computer screens (each with its own puzzle) that are littered throughout the island. The screens are wired in sequence, so you need to find and power up the first to light up the second and so forth. The puzzles are fairly logic but with varying difficulty. Clues to solve the puzzles can sometime be found around the screen whether you are examining trees or the shadows they cast. Made some progress but found the game repetitive, and I wish the puzzles were more diverse (like Myst) than tracing lines in various patterns on a computer screen. There’s no main menu, save or exit function in the game so you end up hitting the home button to exit only to find that you lost a whole bunch of progress when you start it up the next time. Very frustrating. Seems to be a major issue from reading other reviews as well. Despite this well worth $10 bucks and and a few hours of you life.

The Witness is a beautiful, thought-provoking game that treats it’s users with respect as intelligent beings. The game does not hold your hand, but it does provide you with everything you need to solve each and every puzzle. I originally played this on PS4 but never finished it. (Yes, I bought it twice, it’s worth it.) Having it on my phone/iPad means I can chip away at it when ever I like, and I’m finally nearing what I think is the end, though I’m sure there are still plenty of things I’ve missed. If you get stuck, go somewhere else or put the game down for a while. I’ve found that a fresh perspective can often make previously inscrutable solutions pop out. Don’t get frustrated. This is the point of the game. The puzzles are very clever, but the game never treats you like you are not clever as well, and you’ll love the satisfaction of solving a difficult puzzle or clearing an area. I haven’t had any issues with save progress being lost like other reviewers, but I would suggest checking the load game screen on the pause menu occasionally just to make sure the game is being saved as you go. 5 stars (because I can’t give it more)