I experienced multiple stonewalls every day of playing through The Witness, but I always seemed to be able to come back after a rest and figure out what I needed. The fact that a game has silky-smooth visuals or impeccable gameplay is almost rendered irrelevant when the game cannot be accessed. The Witness is in that same challenging ballpark. Objectivity is a slippery slope when it comes to anything so dependent on skill, and anyone who has been torn apart by elitist games like Dark Souls can empathize by how the game affects not only your judgment but also how long the game can be appreciated. The vivacious map that The Witness delivers is organic, if not living. Ignoring the puzzles, navigating the island is a simple task, as the geography is unique everywhere and nothing is too crowded or alike. Here, on these boats, is where the only over-the-top visual representation of the island can be found. Stationed at different corners of the island are boats which act as travel between other corners of the map. Getting around the island is rather simple, too, considering there’s no map on your person. This is the closest thing to a saving grace that The Witness gives you. There are telltale signs that you’re not ready for an area: different puzzles and different symbols appear, and the only thing that can be done to solve them outside of trial and error is to explore the rest of the island to work on opening another area. All mechanical aspects of the game, like saving, are in the background with no visual cues to their happening. Added to the immersion is a lack of overlaying HUD or any sense of this being a game at all. ![]() There are no menu screens either, so entering and leaving the game is a matter of starting and closing the application. ![]() All sound revolves around footfalls and any tones coming from the puzzles themselves. The dream-like landscape is enhanced by the minimalistic approach to audio. Seuss and Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker with an err on the side of realism, and the result is beautiful. The realistic-animated world has a combined air of Dr. The aesthetic of The Witness is much easier to grasp.
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