The Witness
Genres: Puzzle, Mystery, Atmospheric, Adventure
Play modes: singleplayer
Release Date: 26-1-2016
Rating: 4.5/5
Developer: Thekla, Inc.
Our verdict
8.5/10
- Difficulty: Hard
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 20–40 h
The Witness is Jonathan Blow's open-world puzzle game: you arrive on a bright, empty island with no memory and no instructions, and find hundreds of line-drawing panels scattered across its forests, ruins and quarries. Each area quietly teaches a new rule through its panels, then combines rules in ways that get very hard. It suits patient solo players who enjoy learning a puzzle language by themselves rather than following a story.
Players rate the moment a new rule clicks as the main reward, and many call it one of the best puzzle games they have played. The non-linear map helps: when stuck, reviewers advise wandering off, since the lesson you need is often elsewhere. A second layer of puzzles hidden in the environment itself gets enthusiastic mentions. Some players sketch solutions on paper or in an image editor, as the game offers no note-taking.
The complaints are consistent. Certain sections, especially a sound-based area and the boat puzzles, frustrate people, and some late panels feel like they twist established rules. The story is told through scattered audio logs and stays open-ended. Expect 20 to 40 hours. Buy it if you want a long, demanding logic game; skip it if you need clear goals or narrative payoff.
Pros
- Over 500 line puzzles that teach their rules without a word of text
- Open island lets you leave a stuck area and return later
- Hidden environmental puzzles reward a second look at everything
Cons
- Sound-based and boat sections frustrate many players
- No note-taking tools, so tough panels push you to pen and paper
- Vague, open-ended story with little narrative payoff
About
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.Features
- Single Player Puzzle game
- Average duration: 15-20 hours
