The Witness

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 699 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 440 out of 699
  2. Mixed: 127 out of 699
  3. Negative: 132 out of 699

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  1. AstroAaron
    Jan 27, 2016
    10
    Simply put, if you like puzzles and exploration you'll love the game. If you don't like those things, you more than likely won't enjoy yourself with this title. To me, this game has been worth every penny. I love the setting and even more so the fun in not only solving the puzzles, but also in the how to even do the puzzles.
  2. SonOfKhmer
    Jan 27, 2016
    10
    A masterful praise to exploration and learning, The Witness is a game that rewards understanding and ability for abstraction. No previous knowledge necessary, everything you need to reach your next prize, that precious "Eureka!" moment our society values so little, is there for the taking in small incremental steps
  3. KillingArts
    Jan 26, 2016
    10
    If you like puzzle games and are up for a challenge, The Witness is your game. A beautiful island full of hundreds of little puzzles awaits you. And although all puzzles look pretty similar, if you see them on screenshots, there is a lot of variation. Also, while there is no traditional story, there are little story pieces to be discovered, scattered around the world. The Witness may notIf you like puzzle games and are up for a challenge, The Witness is your game. A beautiful island full of hundreds of little puzzles awaits you. And although all puzzles look pretty similar, if you see them on screenshots, there is a lot of variation. Also, while there is no traditional story, there are little story pieces to be discovered, scattered around the world. The Witness may not be a game for everyone, but it most certainly is one for me. ;)… Expand
  4. RoccoSalvetti
    Jan 26, 2016
    10
    Curiosity, exploration, patience and learning are very close experiences as The Witness proves. They complete each other and learning proves itself rewarding. In life discovery is fun not because you find rare armours but because you find a way around to fulfil your curiosity.
    The first few minutes of Super Mario are to teach how to play and it does so via events. (Braid quotes Mario in    Curiosity, exploration, patience and learning are very close experiences as The Witness proves. They complete each other and learning proves itself rewarding. In life discovery is fun not because you find rare armours but because you find a way around to fulfil your curiosity.
    The first few minutes of Super Mario are to teach how to play and it does so via events. (Braid quotes Mario in these first few minutes quite a lot). That kind of tutorial is an intelligent learning experience. There are obvious actions to take, suggested actions and hidden actions to experiment if you are curious. The Witness is a whole game dedicated to this!
    This game is not for casual gamers because it could walk as master example in a philosophy book titled: Phenomenology of learning.
    10 out of 10 and the reason is simple, we have to pick a side here, we have to side with designers that count on us being intelligent. This is the opposite of Candy Crush.    … Expand
  5. Thilus
    Jan 29, 2016
    4
    This game was way too over-hyped. All based on the fact that on screens (and in real life) it looks very pretty. But on contrary to what we're looking in a one-night-stand, it's the inside that counts. And the inside of this game is shallow and uninteresting, just like the one-night-standee might turn out to be.

    Some 10/10's want to us to think that there's something more behind this    This game was way too over-hyped. All based on the fact that on screens (and in real life) it looks very pretty. But on contrary to what we're looking in a one-night-stand, it's the inside that counts. And the inside of this game is shallow and uninteresting, just like the one-night-standee might turn out to be.

    Some 10/10's want to us to think that there's something more behind this whole walking around the island and solving hundreds of maze puzzles. Nope. There are no little story pieces, just some random quotes from famous thinkers, like Albert Einstein. It doesn't give us any background, they're just quotes.

    Then there are the puzzles. At first I thought: "Oh, a maze puzzle, cool." Then I was: "Oh, that was a clever one. I feel smarter by solving this one." But after the 100th puzzle I was thinking: "is that all there is? I'm going to solve hundreds of puzzles to get several ray guns shoot that big thing on the top of the mountain?" Well, I looked it up and it turns out it's exactly that. Apparently you wander the island for hours and hours, solving one maze puzzle after another until you reach the end (which I didn't manage to accomplish, mind you) that makes all the puzzle solving completely futile. Neat. Why not buy a paper Sudoku booklet for like $.99 then, instead of spending $40 on a game which very principle is exactly the same - to get you thinking real hard.

    I won't go any lower than 4, because the game looks pretty. We had a one-night-stand together, but in all seriousness, I don't want to see it ever again.    … Expand
  6. cauebs
    Jan 28, 2016
    5
    All I can say is that this is what you get when you spend 8 years on a game, focusing almost solely in the level design and visuals. No sain person will disagree that this game looks incredibly gorgeous, but the level of detail given to the world is wasted on a simple, repetitive puzzle game that is pretty much what people expect to find in a mobile game.
    Apart from that, there are    All I can say is that this is what you get when you spend 8 years on a game, focusing almost solely in the level design and visuals. No sain person will disagree that this game looks incredibly gorgeous, but the level of detail given to the world is wasted on a simple, repetitive puzzle game that is pretty much what people expect to find in a mobile game.
    Apart from that, there are various technical flaws that should've been sorted out during the game's long development, such as the absence of a field-of-view slider, mouse control in the menus, proper graphics settings, etc.
    Players will face some other design issues, such as the slow acceleration when you start walking, the initial lack of maps or any sort of guidance - which makes us feel overwhelmed and lost.
    If you can handle a considerable amount of frustration and much repetitive gameplay, you might even enjoy the experience proposed by Jonathan Blow and his team in this beautiful, yet boring game.    … Expand
  7. fredhorrigan
    Jan 27, 2016
    4
    I heard you just walk around and solve maze puzzles.

    I thought there was more to it than that, but there really isn't so I checked it out, but there really isn't. You wander around these okay looking but ultimately bland and soulless environments looking for the next maze puzzle to complete. The maze puzzles get somewhat more complex as the game goes on and every now and then there's    I heard you just walk around and solve maze puzzles.

    I thought there was more to it than that, but there really isn't so I checked it out, but there really isn't.

    You wander around these okay looking but ultimately bland and soulless environments looking for the next maze puzzle to complete. The maze puzzles get somewhat more complex as the game goes on and every now and then there's so extra trick to them like having to look at the environment and/or look at them from different perspectives but most are extremely simple and all boil down to tracing a line from point A to point B.

    Also the worst part about the praise this is getting from journos isn't how it's being treated like it's good, it how it's being treated like it's art.

    Not worth $40, not worth spending time on unless you have absolutely nothing to do.

    Soulja Boy please save us from this indie hell.    … Expand
  8. damianshrinivas
    Jan 26, 2016
    2
    Game was interesting for about an hour, then gameplay become the same thing all over again with no real purpose. Minimalistic graphics but terribly optimised including settings options. There is a thin line between something artistic and smart, and something boring that appears to be smart and this game is just boring.
  9. rodericrinehart
    Feb 17, 2017
    5
    I'll update this as I give it more time, but I just found the game lifeless and boring. Who makes a game based on a single puzzle type? This guy, that's who. The game world is nice looking, but so are fan-made drawings on imgur and Deviant Art. There is just nothing to the world or story at all.

    You will walk around a beautiful world, but spend 90% of your time staring at a line puzzle    I'll update this as I give it more time, but I just found the game lifeless and boring. Who makes a game based on a single puzzle type? This guy, that's who. The game world is nice looking, but so are fan-made drawings on imgur and Deviant Art. There is just nothing to the world or story at all.

    You will walk around a beautiful world, but spend 90% of your time staring at a line puzzle of increasingly obtuse solutions. I did not at all get the same sense of presence and philosophy and that the story bits instilled in The Talos Principle. And that game had such varied puzzles.    … Expand
  10. praXismaXimus
    Oct 30, 2019
    7
    You like line puzzles? This game has line puzzles. Lots of line puzzles. They will test your ability to wordlessly glean the logical rules to solve them, and some use sound instead of visuals. Those who are in any way colour-blind or tone-deaf will not enjoy this game at all.
    There is no real narrative to this game. There is some over-arching philosophical wank that comes off as painfully    You like line puzzles? This game has line puzzles. Lots of line puzzles. They will test your ability to wordlessly glean the logical rules to solve them, and some use sound instead of visuals. Those who are in any way colour-blind or tone-deaf will not enjoy this game at all.
    There is no real narrative to this game. There is some over-arching philosophical wank that comes off as painfully pretentious. The religious and metaphysical padding (that you can completely ignore, thankfully) start off interesting, but quickly become an unhinged rambling and tedious mess as you uncover more and more.
    The island is colourful, diverse, and fun to explore. There's a touch of Myst and Portal here, along with Talos Principle - minus the humour and appealing lure of the forbidden.
    Once again, there are A LOT of line puzzles. Just don't expect much else of any real worth.    … Expand
  11. Dannystaples
    Apr 4, 2017
    4
    This game looks stunning but nothing else about it particularly shines.

    The puzzles in the game are basic line games. You draw lines in a maze like diagram where you have a start point and an end point. These open doors and routes around an island for you to explore. Sounds simple enough and it is for the most part but the game goes out of its way to make every iteration of these    This game looks stunning but nothing else about it particularly shines.

    The puzzles in the game are basic line games. You draw lines in a maze like diagram where you have a start point and an end point. These open doors and routes around an island for you to explore.

    Sounds simple enough and it is for the most part but the game goes out of its way to make every iteration of these puzzles frustrating. Like the idea by itself wasn't versatile enough to give variety so they decided to break their own rules to make them more interesting.

    They failed. The puzzles were not more interesting they were simply frustrating. I LIKE puzzles but these don't feel even remotely rewarding or fun to work out. A lot of the time I was just putting lines in at random hoping to get a solution.

    The open world in this game is a bad idea as well. It wouldn't be so bad but there is NOTHING indicative of where you might need to go next.

    The problem is there are a variety of puzzle tiers. You can't unlock some puzzles until you've been taught the basic premise of that puzzle. Unless you can work it out on the fly, which is usually impossible because of the way the puzzles are designed.

    This is made frustrating by the fact you find high tier puzzles as soon as you leave the first tutorial area. At first it was fine, I wandered off and started exploring and the path split into two routes. So I decided to take the right path. This then slit into another two paths, so I took the stairs leading into a castle like building. Got to the bottom of these and then ANOTHER split in the road.

    Before I knew it I was a LONG way from the starting area and totally and utterly lost with no doable puzzles in sight. They can give you a nudge in the right direction without it being hand holding. I don't want a map marker or GPS I just want some indication of which of the seven billion routes I should be taking!!!!!

    I just started getting frustrated by it. The convoluted island layout the BS puzzles where half of the board is invisible or smeared across a shadow. Then you also have the pretentious audio logs....

    In the end I didn't give a rats *** about this island or the people turned to statues around it. The ending would have to be AMAZING to get over the frustration of getting there.

    I decided to spoil the ending for myself. I'm glad I skipped this game. I'd have been annoyed as hell if I had trudged through to get that pretentious and pointless ending.

    Leaving a game in mystery is only good if the mystery is worth uncovering. In this case, the mystery isn't worth the time uncovering it.    … Expand
  12. lord_raccoon
    Oct 5, 2020
    5
    Its inadequately hard after 4-5 hours of gameplay. The problem of the game is not in complexity of its puzzles (though they are tough too), but on the fact that player should find himself what symbols on the panel mean. And sometimes its almost impossible, to my taste. I always had to google to understand what is the logic on this or that sector of the map (and sometimes even search forIts inadequately hard after 4-5 hours of gameplay. The problem of the game is not in complexity of its puzzles (though they are tough too), but on the fact that player should find himself what symbols on the panel mean. And sometimes its almost impossible, to my taste. I always had to google to understand what is the logic on this or that sector of the map (and sometimes even search for solutions, because i dont really want to spend hour of exploring on each panel while there are hundreds of them in game).

    So, when it came to the stage when i had to google every panel and sector, i decided to delete the game because it just doesnt worth it. You made the whole game based on one mechanic, pretty diversed, but still the same. And so i got bored and tired.

    About other parts of the game. Nothing specific beautiful was found by me in this game. Pretty average locations, no music, weird audiosecrets. So, i disappointed in all those 10/10 reviews.    … Expand
  13. B-Bog
    Dec 22, 2020
    5
    Maybe I'm just not smart enough to properly appreciate games like this, but after the initial few hours, which admittedly, were fun, I ran into several brick walls and I closed the game and never came back. I just don't enjoy staring at the same screen for 20 minutes, grinding my gears trying to work out the solution to what feels like pretty arbitrary maze puzzles, only to get rewardedMaybe I'm just not smart enough to properly appreciate games like this, but after the initial few hours, which admittedly, were fun, I ran into several brick walls and I closed the game and never came back. I just don't enjoy staring at the same screen for 20 minutes, grinding my gears trying to work out the solution to what feels like pretty arbitrary maze puzzles, only to get rewarded with: More maze puzzles.

    I just don't have that kind of patience and I also want more from a video game. Yes, the island is beautiful, but there's not much in terms of story or context (or even music), and, from what I've read, that doesn't really change when you progress further into the game. It's all intrigue and no pay-off.    … Expand
  14. Olshansky
    Jul 18, 2020
    6
    I really admire and respect Jonathan Blow as a game designer, engineer and entrepreneur. This game is original, interesting, and beautiful but not quite captivating. I played it with my friend, enjoyed it, but was not drawn in enough to finish it.
  15. Gnawer
    May 17, 2016
    8
    Beautiful puzzle game. You play on an island, literally every square foot of it feels well thought through, you find unexpected new places all the time. Only flaw is a lack of actual story. This game is well on the level with Talos Principle and Portal, but the latter ones had a clear story, so they were more interesting in this sense.
  16. arachnaut
    Feb 20, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My wife and I played this game from Feb 5 to Feb 16, playing maybe 8 hours a day. We are not avid gamers, but we liked MYST and the sequels to it, so we decided to try it out. We were not disappointed. We cheated and looked up about 10 puzzle solutions on a walkthrough site. My rule was I would not spend more than about 1 or 2 hours on any puzzle.

    I give this game very high marks overall, but not a 10 because of a few defects as I perceive them.

    The first defect is that I could not use my gamepad controller in Windows 10. I had to use the keyboard arrows and mouse to navigate. This was a bit awkward at times and not so convenient. I also could not get it to run on my main Win 10 desktop and Win 10 laptop. I submitted a problem ticket but have not got a reply. I did manage to find an older computer running Win 10 that could run it.

    The 3-D navigation can be head-spinning at times and you can lose your way when things look very different from direction to direction. which leads to the next defect in that there is no 'map'. I know the boat has a map, but I mean something that you can call up to show you where you are on the island. Ideally something that you could put notes on as well, like 'there is a weird door/monolith/figure here". Later you can check these off as you solve them.

    There is no 'save game' feature which is really sad because you lose everything when you solve the main puzzle. It seems that the game is saved at some random intervals (I can load certain older games) but they are not under my control. After you solve it you will probably want to go into the various challenge rooms and special doorways. I loaded an older saved game and spent two days getting back to the inner mountain room just before the finale. I looked at the program files locations and could not figure out how the data was saved in order to make a copy and restore.

    I have complaints about some types of puzzles. The spectrum-based puzzles are very annoying. The sound-based puzzles also have annoying properties. These are sensory issues, not intellectual issues. I found myself having a serious head-ache sometimes. The spinning puzzles are malicious. I had to alter my video settings (brightness, etc.) to solve some puzzles with dark gray dots on a light black path.

    Then there is a type of puzzle that I really find annoying. Fortunately there are only a few of these. Some puzzles have multiple solutions (you think) but only one is correct from the author point-of-view. Since you have to read the author's mind to figure out what is going on, you are sometimes at the mercy of an arbitrary and capricious rule. As one example of this --- spoiler here --- I point out the hedge labyrinths. When I was solving this puzzle, I had just completed some of the mazes where you had to look around you for clues. I noticed that the hedges were completely identical except for a pattern of wooden outshoots at the very bottom. I manage to find a unique solution following that pattern, but it would not solve. Some puzzles give you feedback about what is wrong, but this one didn't. When I finally had to cheat I found that you had to listen to the sound of your footsteps for clues. This is a real bad deal because up til now the sound had never been an issue before and I had the sound turned down rather low so it wasn't in my attention.

    Now that I have completed the game, I looked at other sites and found lot of other interesting doors and puzzles I want to explore, but the lack of save game makes this a real problem.    … Expand
  17. bigjeff5
    Mar 19, 2016
    10
    This game is easily the most satisfying game I have ever played.

    It's really hard to describe the kinds of feelings this game evoked while playing it. Confusion, then understanding, then more confusion, then frustration, then excitement. That feeling you get when you finally solve a puzzle that has stumped you for the last hour, or that you couldn't solve three days ago, or whatever,    This game is easily the most satisfying game I have ever played.

    It's really hard to describe the kinds of feelings this game evoked while playing it. Confusion, then understanding, then more confusion, then frustration, then excitement. That feeling you get when you finally solve a puzzle that has stumped you for the last hour, or that you couldn't solve three days ago, or whatever, it's exhilarating.

    No other game has left me feeling like an idiot one minute, and then a genius the next. I put it down several times, once for as long as a week, too mentally fatigued to continue. I even considered cheating or just quitting, but I just couldn't. It's too beautiful, and I'm glad I stuck it out to the end. I can't recommend this game enough.    … Expand
  18. Esett
    Jan 30, 2016
    10
    It a masterpiece.

    After the first two hours i was sure Jonathan Blow produced a 7 year dud. After another 3 i was ready to un-install and throw my computer towards the closest living thing in the hope i would finally be committed for my genocidal tendencies while playing video games. And then something happens after 7 hours. You start seeing things. I could swear i started hearing music    It a masterpiece.

    After the first two hours i was sure Jonathan Blow produced a 7 year dud. After another 3 i was ready to un-install and throw my computer towards the closest living thing in the hope i would finally be committed for my genocidal tendencies while playing video games. And then something happens after 7 hours. You start seeing things. I could swear i started hearing music in the game. There is no music in the game. I am now obsessed with the games' puzzles. I want to see more, learn more, see more.

    This is the Dark Souls of puzzle games.    … Expand
  19. Serenityinaz12
    Jan 29, 2016
    10
    Oh man this game is awesome!!! Totally brings me back to the Myst days but the puzzles actually are clever and you can figure it out if you use your mind, where as Myst was so damn ridiculous. But then again I was way younger when I played Myst so who knows how I would do now. I love this game!
  20. IslingtonA
    Feb 10, 2016
    10
    This is the best puzzle game ever made. It is also one of my top 5 games of any genre. It is absolutely *not* the same puzzle over and over, as others have said. I guess they just didn't play far enough? The environment and the "maze" puzzles are bound to and inseparable from one another. Neither could exist or would make sense without the other. This is increasingly true the further intoThis is the best puzzle game ever made. It is also one of my top 5 games of any genre. It is absolutely *not* the same puzzle over and over, as others have said. I guess they just didn't play far enough? The environment and the "maze" puzzles are bound to and inseparable from one another. Neither could exist or would make sense without the other. This is increasingly true the further into the game you get. If you like puzzles you really must play this game. The Witness is a true classic. People will still be talking about and playing this game ten years down the road. How many games can claim that?… Expand
  21. benjamminlaner
    Jan 27, 2016
    9
    TL; DR: Great game. Not for everyone. All puzzles, no "action."

    -- I'd like to preface the review by saying that this game is not for everyone. If you're looking for excitement, you're not going to find much. If you know that you have a short attention span, or are easily bored by repetitive tasks, do not buy this game. If you can handle a little repetition, especially if there is    TL; DR: Great game. Not for everyone. All puzzles, no "action."

    --

    I'd like to preface the review by saying that this game is not for everyone. If you're looking for excitement, you're not going to find much. If you know that you have a short attention span, or are easily bored by repetitive tasks, do not buy this game. If you can handle a little repetition, especially if there is some deep complexity within the repetitive act, then read on.

    The Witness is a puzzle game where you draw lines. The entire game revolves around the simple process of basically completing circuits. The puzzles become increasingly complex as time goes on, and often involve other parts of the world to solve. Their is a wide diversity of puzzles that encompass motion, light, sound, and other factors that keep things from ever feeling too similar. It's also just enjoyable to explore the island and look for hints or secrets than flesh out the game.

    Despite what others have said, if you do all the puzzles as you come across them, this game will teach you the required information, and will do so with as little intrusion to the game itself as possible. If you're getting the hang of things, you'll have many "Aha!" moments that are deeply rewarding.

    The art style is beautiful, resembling a sort of hand-painted, minimalist aesthetic. The island is vibrantly colored, and never feels dull or gray, except when its supposed to. The audio, while sparse, is also wonderful.

    The story is picked up primarily through scenery and little audio logs that are scattered across the island. It too is minimalist, but you start to get a sense of some underlying narrative as time goes on, even if its never fully revealed.

    The game often feels isolating, which is intentional, but can be uncomfortable if not deeply engaged in a puzzle. There is no musical score, and think that although it was omitted intentionally, it could have really added something to the experience. Though rare, there might come a point where you feel like you're missing some information when solving a particular puzzle. This is almost always the fault of the player, but sometimes it can feel like the games fault which is frustrating.

    There is also no way to keep track of your progress through the game, so if you need that organization be wary. I think it adds something to the experience, but keep a pen and paper handy if it makes you nervous.

    Again while this game is not action packed (even less so than Braid), the game itself is beautifully designed and implemented. I highly recommend to anyone with an appreciation for peaceful aesthetics and/or who enjoys puzzles.    … Expand
  22. Grandviewsurfer
    Feb 11, 2016
    10
    Take a look at the user score distribution, for it is very telling. I am not at all surprised that (at the time of writing) 67 people didn't have the patience or brain functionality to understand the game. I am, however, surprised at how many people felt qualified to hop on Metacritic and formulate a representative and truthful review having fully admitted to only playing a few minutes ofTake a look at the user score distribution, for it is very telling. I am not at all surprised that (at the time of writing) 67 people didn't have the patience or brain functionality to understand the game. I am, however, surprised at how many people felt qualified to hop on Metacritic and formulate a representative and truthful review having fully admitted to only playing a few minutes of the game in said aforementioned review. This phenomenon is both mind blowing and discouraging. If you are on the fence on this one, I do hope reason guides your decision, and that you give the game the time of day. I mean, Blow blew like $6 Million and 7 years of his life on this thing... the guy that created Braid... it obviously doesn't suck. Just hang in there for half a minute and you'll enjoy this environment. It is quite literally the most beautiful place I have ever been.… Expand
  23. Valdio
    Feb 1, 2016
    3
    The game is REALLY overpriced, it has been the first game i refund in my entire life. And here is why:

    I am a Myst fan, have read all the books, have played and recently replayed all the games, and this game was heavily advertised as a game inspired by Myst. Here are the similarities with Myst. Is in an island. That is it. Probably the best experience you get in Myst is that puzzles    The game is REALLY overpriced, it has been the first game i refund in my entire life. And here is why:

    I am a Myst fan, have read all the books, have played and recently replayed all the games, and this game was heavily advertised as a game inspired by Myst. Here are the similarities with Myst. Is in an island. That is it.

    Probably the best experience you get in Myst is that puzzles where really well though, and all of them were different. Different for me is that each puzzle you found didn’t had the same buttons, the panel never operated the same way and sometimes you could even tell by solving the puzzles the teachings of the ages, and some of them were so well though that you learned how de D´ni counted. Or the marble puzzle in Riven it was so well thought that it would be near impossible to solve in trial and error.

    The Witness on the other hand has the same panels and the puzzle to move a line inside different panels. No matter if you solve a puzzle you will eventually run into another panel that operates the same way it JUST need to be solved different. In other words the Witness has one puzzle, and 499 variations of the same puzzle. That is not a Myst game if something is Room Escape game.

    And a Room Escape Game at 40 usd is a joke. No one will buy it, and that is probably why so many negative reviews. I´m sure that if the game didn´t look as pretty there will be almost no positive reviews.
    So my advice if you are a fan of Myst games please do not consider this game anything like that, because you will be very disappointed. Think of it a Room Escape but instead of a door is panel.

    Also for a game the price the game has almost no options at all, that in the current era of gaming is unacceptable. So my advice is the game is worth buying later on when it hit 20 USD mark. And that is if there is nothing new worth buying or a good sale. I recommend you if you want and adventure exploration game, to buy Myst and Riven but can be bought for less than the Witness and both are awesome, if not Portal o Talos Principle are really good options going in the same puzzle just adding new variations. Or you can hold that money and wait for Obduction, which the creators are the same of the Myst series. Cyan and the game since it passed its kickstarter campaign will have VR support.

    Now for the developers if you’ve been complaining so much about piracy in your product then don´t abuse so much in the price, the gamers feel robbed but still want to play the game, might take another path. If you lower the price you will probably sell more, and people don´t like it, they might save it to another day give it another go, not refunding it like me because for that money there’s a lot out there.    … Expand
  24. JohnWitten
    Mar 24, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. [Brief Synopsis of Full Review]

    Unlike the largely linear experience presented in most puzzle games, The Witness actually allows you to freely leave a puzzle in progress in order to go solve other ones around the island. You also don’t even have to feel pressured to complete every single puzzle in the game in order to complete it, although I’d imagine that should probably be your goal if at all possible. In terms of storytelling, this jumping around isn’t prone to mess with much as the story is more of what you make it than really anything so established as a specific plot. Everything is all mysterious and nothing is ever quite fully confirmed, which definitely leaves things up to the player’s imagination which I thoroughly appreciated. You’re presented with the cold hard facts as they are- what will work and what won’t, and that’s simply that.

    Now, there is some loose basis of a slight hint of a plot to be found, and that is through select recordings scattered about the island in sometimes devious, sometimes easy-to-access areas. These won’t do much to quell the questions, but they may sate some of your burning desire to get to the bottom of things, if only a little bit before the game’s ending. None of this should really detract from the experience however as at its core, The Witness is a test of logic. There are frustrating moments, but nothing beats the thrill of successfully completing a puzzle or a series of puzzles and discovering something new about the world you’ve been presented. Instead of questioning the purpose of things or asking the horrid “why” question, start exploring and figuring out how things work and what affects what. It’s all almost brilliantly philosophical in some ways.

    Concept: Exploration and puzzle solving presented in a rich environment where no stone should be left unturned and no detail, however minimal ignored.

    Graphics: The art-style is uniquely rendered and attention to detail beautiful to behold. Some may consider it basic or simple, but then things don’t need to be unnecessarily complicated to be gorgeous.

    Sound: There’s more of an argument to be made for the ambiance than there is to be made for a soundtrack or voice work, but what there is of everything here is more than adequate and only adds to the sense that you’re isolated and surrounded by mystery.

    Playability: Complicated puzzles can sometimes make games an exercise in frustration, but you should never be angered by difficulty even when you are stumped as the game is precise and easy to grasp once you get the hang of things.

    Entertainment: It’s puzzle-solving at its finest or close enough thereto. Puzzle after puzzle will challenge how you think and what you know. Don’t stop to question motive or intent, but soak up the rich scenery and equally rich gameplay elements.

    Replay Value: High.

    Overall Score: 9.0    … Expand
  25. theponcho
    Apr 5, 2016
    10
    I played this game with my girlfriend. It's awesome for playing like it is a couch coop, since puzzles can be challenging, and it's very funny to solve them with someone else.

    The game surprised me quite a lot, since "solving sudokus" its not quite my thing. Yet, the atmosphere catches you in an unique way, and the game is long enough to make you be a part of the island, and try to    I played this game with my girlfriend. It's awesome for playing like it is a couch coop, since puzzles can be challenging, and it's very funny to solve them with someone else.

    The game surprised me quite a lot, since "solving sudokus" its not quite my thing. Yet, the atmosphere catches you in an unique way, and the game is long enough to make you be a part of the island, and try to understand its profound philosophy.

    Unique game, don't be scared if you never tried anything like this, I encourage you to try it.    … Expand
  26. PizzaWizard
    Feb 2, 2016
    10
    I'm not even done and it might already be one of the best games I've ever played. It's hard to talk about the magic of this game without spoiling anything but I will do my best.

    The game is a metroidvania open world puzzle game. You are on an island without any context for why you are there, it is a very cold open. You find a door with a panel on it displaying a maze, you trace a    I'm not even done and it might already be one of the best games I've ever played. It's hard to talk about the magic of this game without spoiling anything but I will do my best.

    The game is a metroidvania open world puzzle game.

    You are on an island without any context for why you are there, it is a very cold open.
    You find a door with a panel on it displaying a maze, you trace a path through the obstacles to complete the maze.

    You do more of these, each puzzle providing a context that leads you to a better understanding of the puzzles around it.

    It's as if every panel is both a puzzle and a hint.

    You're probably thinking, "why open world? Couldn't I just buy a book of puzzles?" No, because the island that you are on is a puzzle in itself and, like the panels, the island puzzle is also a hint.

    I say it is a metroidvania game because you will inevitably find a door that you cannot open. It is not because you haven't acquired the proper weapon or tool, it is because you haven't acquired the proper knowledge to solve the puzzle blocking your path. The knowledge to solve those puzzles are elsewhere on the island.

    To dismiss this game as only a bunch of puzzles is to dismiss a song as just a bunch of sounds.

    I saw another metacritic call this "the dark souls of puzzle games" and it's definitely something I've been thinking since Dark Souls was probably the last game I obsessed over as much as The Witness. Both gave me a serious case of the Tetris Effect    … Expand
  27. Datamari
    Feb 3, 2016
    9
    This game is very good, but it's not for everybody.
    The Witness is one of the most beautifully crafted games i've ever played. It's pretty much the shining example of what video games are capable of. It has an amazing art style, engaging puzzles, and little bits of story sprinkled in. As I said, however, it's not for everybody. For a lot of gamers, we most likely require something to    This game is very good, but it's not for everybody.
    The Witness is one of the most beautifully crafted games i've ever played. It's pretty much the shining example of what video games are capable of. It has an amazing art style, engaging puzzles, and little bits of story sprinkled in. As I said, however, it's not for everybody. For a lot of gamers, we most likely require something to do other than walk forward. If you're the type of gamer that doesn't like to stop and smell the roses, this game may not be for you. However, if you're a type of gamer that plays for the wonder and adventure, you NEED to try The Witness, it really is that good.

    The Witness gets a 9/10    … Expand
  28. Scade
    Jan 27, 2016
    8
    Ok so this is not a casual game. You will have to play along to enjoy it because this game will barely help you understand it.
    You're on an island where there are various puzzles, but the island itself is a puzzle and you will have to understand the puzzles mechanics but also how the island works.
    It is rather hard, but is you like puzzle games, this is a must have. Graphics and audio    Ok so this is not a casual game. You will have to play along to enjoy it because this game will barely help you understand it.
    You're on an island where there are various puzzles, but the island itself is a puzzle and you will have to understand the puzzles mechanics but also how the island works.

    It is rather hard, but is you like puzzle games, this is a must have. Graphics and audio are also great, but don't buy it just because it looks good, buy it because you want to make every piece of brain you have suffer ;)    … Expand
  29. Torro
    Feb 2, 2016
    5
    The game is ok, it's hard but I like that. The hype was terrible though. And let's be honest, the game isn't anywhere near the 88/100 it got. The price is also too steep.
  30. Hadzi
    Jan 31, 2016
    9
    Before the release of this game (long development cycle) hype was absolutely huge, i personally thought that it was going to be a big let down but the game was released and it was great. In this game your goal is
    to solve puzzles so if you love puzzles and challenges this is the game for you. Game graphically looks beautiful and it is based around exploration. I have seen some of the    Before the release of this game (long development cycle) hype was absolutely huge, i personally thought that it was going to be a big let down but the game was released and it was great. In this game your goal is
    to solve puzzles so if you love puzzles and challenges this is the game for you. Game graphically looks beautiful and it is based around exploration. I have seen some of the reviews here talking about no killing in the game at all and how that is bad but i think that is good for the game because it was focused on exploration and puzzles take The Talos Principle for example it was also like this game but it was set in a different time, of course it had different mechanics but the goal of these 2 games is the same. I am not a fan of walking around an area in the game and searching but i found walking around this beautiful island fun. Price is very high but you get hours of fun with that game. I would recommend it if you love puzzles otherwise you will get frustrated and rage quit the game. I enjoyed most of the puzzles and mazes but some were just too easy and some were too hard on which i lost 30 minute each. If you cant do without killing do not play this game. Good luck and have fun if you decide to play it.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PC Game of 2016
37
#37 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
63
#63 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. High-Def Digest
    Apr 10, 2016
    60
    Video games are unequivocally a form of art. But like all art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. With 'The Witness' I feel like I’m in an art gallery watching a gaggle of admirers who are looking at a piece together, commenting on its style and how it makes them feel. I’m the guy standing off to the side, not with them but looking at the same painting. I can admit that it’s pretty, but it doesn’t really evoke a significant response, and so I shrug and move on to the next.
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 31, 2016
    92
    The Witness is a “just” puzzle game as much as orgasm is just a feeling. [March 2016]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Mar 22, 2016
    100
    The most beautiful IQ test under the sun? The Witness is much more than that. Celebration of human intelligence and lament to the fate that results from it. [Issue # 261]
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