This review was originally written by Kyle Hanson when the PlayStation 4 version of The Witness was released back in January. We believe the Xbox One version is comparable, nearly identical to the PC and PS4 release.
You can find our original review of The Witness here:Â The Witness review.Â
We think the island of The Witness is the coolest park about the game. It’s colorful and vibrant, playing host to a world that is filled puzzles and surprises. Across this world, shadows, lights, perspective and other world elements play a part in the puzzle aspects of the game.
The world teaches you how to solve puzzles without using a spoken word. There are plenty of clues to go by, but you’ll need to be very observant to learn the many different puzzles in the game. Each area of the game has unique puzzles that require using different mechanics to figure them out.
The Witness isn’t an action-packed experience. There’s no narrative at all. It’s a puzzle solving game in its truest form. The game also doesn’t really reward you in the way that other games do. The reward is to keep pushing deeper into the world, unlocking and discovering new things.
The Verdict
The Witness is a perfect example of video games as art. It presents a beautiful, fascinating world to explore, but also gives players great gameplay opportunities. And the way it does so, by not intruding on the experience and allowing the player to figure things out for themselves, is truly admirable. However, those who are looking for a more traditional experience, and players who require more reward for their effort might find The Witness to be either boring or overly challenging.
