Gadgetory

damn this game is pretty so witness is the first game from Jonathan Blow since brain so braid came out back in 2008 and it was this big deal was released it was one of the first big indie games that really showed that you don't need triple-a resources to do crazy stuff I mean it went for art style over realistic graphics great soundtrack it did weird innovative things with puzzle and platforming mechanics so obviously a lot of fans of that game are looking for similar things out of the witness and depending on which things you're looking for you're either gonna really love this game which I'm in that camp or you're gonna be really salty about it so initially one of my big fears when I started is that I felt like I was just doing the same kind of puzzle over and over and over again which could have just been a $5 app game but instead it's 40 dollars because they put a really pretty backdrop to it which thankfully that isn't the case once you get farther into it so one of the things the game does really well is how it builds up complexity over obviously that's something all puzzle games do they start off really easy and then they get harder and harder over time but it's the way it's paced in the witness that is so good because basically the way it works is you're on this island that you're exploring and every different little area has its own new mechanic for how puzzles work and it doesn't just force you to figure it out but every time you do a puzzle there it's teaching you how the mechanic works and reinforces the rules behind it so one of the best things that can happen in this game is how you can run into a puzzle that you have no idea how it works but then you go somewhere else learn the mechanics and come back and it's just plain as day how you solve it and this is where the environment comes into play too because the way you solve puzzles isn't just what you see on the board itself it's also the environment giving you hints and clues in some situations and it's really mind-blowing when you realize that the way a bunch of rocks are stacked in the corner of the room is the solution to this puzzle you've been stuck on for the past 20 minutes now all that being said there are some things about this game that I don't like for instance there's no music at all I get it it's an ambience thing it's meant to make you feel alone and all you hear is the sound of grass crunching underneath your feet and it's very deep and all that I get with how stylized the visuals in this game are there should have been some kind of ambient soundtrack to go with that it doesn't ruin the game not having it but it just would have been that much better if it was actually there instead of just solving puzzles to the sound of light beep now the other problem is the game storyline or the fact that there really isn't anyone at all I mean there is kind of a narrative you can find these audio logs littered throughout the island that have speeches you can listen to but none of its really that constructive of a plot it's a lot of introspective philosophical rantings that make you question what the island is or why you're there who built it all that kind of stuff basically bullshit that's fine I get it I actually enjoyed this kind of stuff but a lot of people are gonna get turned off by the fact that there's no real narrative or answers to why you're there now once again it doesn't ruin the game it's not something that completely destroys everything else it has because it survives that's strongly on just the visuals and the design of the puzzles it's just that if you care about things like narrative or soundtracks this isn't for you on the other hand if you just really love puzzle games and your idea of a good time is breaking out pen and paper to take notes you're gonna freaking love this game this is amazing and this is really even made better by the fact that the game lets you take whatever pace you want with it there are over 600 puzzles in this game but you really only need to do a fraction of them to effectively beat it so really if you're unless you're a hard person completionist you can just do the puzzles that make sense to you and get through it and not only does this game feed a puzzle bug but also exploration because there is so much crap you can find in this game hidden every single nook and cranny and optional puzzles that reveal other little mysteries or more puzzles to solve there's just so many layers to this game that you could spend a lot of time in it if you want to do more than just clear enough areas to beat the traditional story mode so basically if you enjoy puzzle games and exploration get this game absolutely freakin worth it if you don't like those things and you want narrative or action or just anything other than tons of puzzles one after another don't get this game you're probably gonna hate every moment of it and just find yourself in the fetal position somewhere in the corner of the room as always guys 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