Just beat it. A lot of great puzzles that can be mostly lumped into 2 categories: 1) multiple rule following 2) visual (and sometimes audio) cues from the surrounding environment. A few of them are really obscure and annoying.
But the ending is.... bleh. I can't believe he actually went there, its much too over-indulgent even for Blow.
which one?
I'm going to steal an analogy that I've seen in several reviews/video commentaries on the game. Describing The Witness as just about line puzzles would be like describing Mario as a game just about jumping. It's a concept that the game establishes in its most basic form, and then explores it in ways you just have to experience to understand.Small question since I've tried to avoid any spoilers and it is hard to find an answer, but...
Is the whole game these line puzzles? Or is there actually a good variety in the vein of Myst and what-not?
Yeah, I definitely agree that it is over-indulgent. I just didn't mind it. I think we've had a distinct lack of pretentiousness in good games for awhile, so a big dose didn't bother me.The 100% ending where you see real video from Blow's house
but jumpman is about jumping..I'm going to steal an analogy that I've seen in several reviews/video commentaries on the game. Describing The Witness as just about line puzzles would be like describing Mario as a game just about jumping. It's a concept that the game establishes in its most basic form, and then explores it in ways you just have to experience to understand.
Other reviews have likened it to a secret Metroidvania type game where you power up your brain as you wonder the island, and slowly unlock the ability to decipher puzzle panels in one area after you have gone to a different area and learned its secrets.
So yes, the line puzzles are the core mechanic of the game, just like jumping is the core mechanic of Mario, but the way the players experiences the island through and around these puzzles is what makes The Witness a special game.
This is basically why I'm waiting for the humble bundle.So I guess if I've always held the opinion that Myst popularized a sub-genre of adventures that doesn't have a single entry worth playing, and I think that Blow's pretentious asshattery is second only to Phil Fish, there's probably not much point to checking out this game?