Game:

The Witness (2016)

Category:

Review

Duration: 2:36

749 views

11

The object of the game is go around drawing swastikas. No, you actually go around completing mazes. You walk around completing 500 mazes on little signs that are connected by wires throughout a colorful and saturated 3D environment. So it's a maze game within a maze game really. You move around like you would with the duel sticks, but its paced more like one of those walking simulators. You hold a trigger to run, but there's no jumping or navigating terrain as you get blocked by invisible walls that say hey this 1 ft step is too deep or high to step through. I understand that it's a puzzle game first and foremost, but it makes exploration a questionable at times, and getting lost a chore, even though there's a lot of nice stuff to look at. This should have been designed as a VR game. As for the puzzles themselves you need to draw a line from the start to an exit, and new elements are frequently introduced that keep things fresh. If you can't figure out the solution after 5 mins move you, you might find a puzzle somewhere else that better explains what this new constraints are asking for. Some solutions involve having to look in the environment for clues or seeing the puzzle from a different perspective, literally. Completing mazes brings power along the cable to complete the next maze and so on. It's non totally linear though because there are lots of these little IQ test open from the start. Most of the puzzles are logical and some require a bit off a observation, but sometimes I didn't know where to go next or got fatigued from looking. Overall, The Witness is good for low-level engagement maze solving, but missed an opportunity to launch as a VR experience. If there were any spoilers in this review too bad. This game spoiled the experience for me for not letting me explore it in VR.
I don't care if they add it later, because I can't unlearn the puzzles.
I also don't like how it calls itself a puzzle game. It's mostly just mazes and a scavenger hunt. Good for small children or persons with learning disabilities. Did I hurt anyone's feelings? Start in dialogue in the comments and share this video with people you agree with.