The Witness [year] Review

The Witness 2025 Review

February 9, 2016 Richard Gomez 8

It is human instinct to survive; to seek safety and answers. The Witness, a 3D puzzle game from the creator of Braid, opens in an under-lit corridor without explanation. It doesn't provide an iota of information as to what led to the current predicament – or even if it is one – but you instinctively know to walk towards the light. Just as you know what to do when you're faced with a sign on the door in front of you. It seems natural: a click, a quick swipe to the right and the door pulls away to grant you passage.
On walking out into the sun, you're presented with a surreal world, one that's strikingly beautiful. And empty. There's no one present to give you instructions, no heads-up display that guides you through the game. This is an open-world puzzle game, without any form of dialogue, exposition, and background music – a far cry from Jonathan Blow's only other game Braid, which released in 2008. All access and storytelling in The Witness is controlled..