The Witness

One of those puzzle games that slowly rewires the way you think. At first it seems almost too simple, just drawing lines on panels scattered around a quiet island. Then the game starts layering new ideas without ever explaining them and suddenly you’re standing there staring at a puzzle for minutes wondering what you’re missing.
What makes it special is how it treats the player. There are no tutorials holding your hand, you just experiment, fail, notice patterns and eventually things click. Some puzzles made me feel like a genius, others made me question my entire brain.
The island itself is beautiful and strangely peaceful which makes the constant mental struggle kind of funny, but it’s definitely not a game for everyone. If you enjoy figuring things out on your own though, it’s incredibly satisfying.

There’s nothing I can say that truly does justice to The Witness.
The feeling it leaves you with, is unlike anything any other game can offer.
That constant sense that everything is a puzzle, that not a single piece is placed at random.
The gorgeous, immersive environment that pulls you in.
The secrets hidden in every corner. The design of the island, with everything interconnected.
Layers upon layers.
There is no story. There is no music.
Only your own footsteps break the silence. Your footsteps, and the song of the blackbird.
After this, other games feel quieter somehow.

The game is a fine puzzler with mostly functional progression, but held back by how much a tortured artist Jonathan Blow thinks he is.

I had a fantastic time figuring out the main puzzles and I think the game has a cool theme and subliminal messages. That being said I did not spend my own $40 on the game which may have affected how I feel because lets be honest why is it $40

The Witness is a great self-contained puzzle experience. You are dropped into a world with no explanation, no tutorial, no pop-ups to tell you what to do or where to go. You are left with only your curiosity and your drive to explore. But it's what this game does with that drive that I think makes it so enjoyable.
As you explore the world you begin solving puzzles and unraveling the clues that different symbols in the world hold. The more you learn the more you begin to notice things that you previously overlooked. As time passes you can find so many hidden secrets that give you a strong sense of accomplishment and intrigue. If you are interested in calm, interesting puzzle games with a large exploration component, the Witness is a great option.
I played this game originally back in 2018 and enjoyed its puzzles. I did the standard ending. I came back 7 years later to experience the game again in its entirety with a 100% play through and appreciated the game even more the second time. A must play for puzzle game enthusiasts.

The Witness is one of the most stunningly beautiful games I’ve ever played, and not just visually. The island itself is a work of art: the colours are vibrant, the island layout is carefully thought out, and it's filled with so many clever little details. If you look closely enough, you'll find clues all around you as to what this island truly is.
I'm not telling you more, because the mystery is part of the fun of the game. Part of the beauty is in how the game presents its puzzles and invites you to engage with them. It's not linear. You can explore the entire island at once. This means that you might come across puzzles that you don't know how to solve yet. What you learn from completing another area's puzzles may be the key to solving those ones later. Clues are everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Some clues help you solve the puzzles in the area, others are hints at what this world is all about. You'll find audio recordings hidden here and there, some of which give you more clues about the island and what's happening.
This isn’t a game that you can run through in a weekend. It's not an easy 100%. (I have 1 of 2 achievements at the time of writing). If you’re playing it the way it’s meant to be played, that is, exploring, paying attention to detail, and learning the puzzles without outside help, you’re likely in for 20-30 hours just to reach the mountain and complete the main path. (I have offline hours, so much more than 22.5, at time of review) And that’s not including the secrets, the environmental puzzles, or the small hidden areas that are rewards for deeper exploration.
Using a guide might be tempting, especially when you hit a wall, but doing this will rob you of the game's best moments. You know? That sudden "aha" moment that's almost magical, when you finally get what you're supposed to do. I have checked online when I was super stuck, but have only done this maybe five times. A couple of things are not obvious and you might need a prompt on where to look, or how you're supposed to go about a set of puzzles. But I don't recommend using a guide to complete the puzzles themselves, unless you come across one where you really need to. It would kinda defeat the purpose of ever playing imho.
I haven’t finished the timed challenge yet. This is a bonus area that requires some extra steps to reach. From what I’ve seen from my first few failed attempts, it’s a test of everything you’ve learned, except this time it's under pressure, and the puzzles are random. I know it’s going to take me many, many tries because I am terrible with timed stuff. But that’s okay. It'll give me something to do when I feel like picking this game back up again.
What makes The Witness so unique is that it teaches entirely through it's design and it does it extremely well. There’s no dialogue, no tutorial prompts, no hints. You either learn by paying attention to detail, or you don’t learn at all. And that design choice is part of what makes it feel so rewarding when things finally click. It takes time. So if you follow guides completely, you won't learn the rules, and you will not be able to complete the bonus area. That's the reason I am saying to at least try figuring it all out yourself first. You'll be glad you did, if you're aiming to 100% the game.
I will say that this isn’t a game for everyone. I loved it. It felt a little nostalgic, like when we were taken to a forest park as a kid and there were all of these ruins and different places to explore. But some players may hate the lack of direction or find certain puzzles way too frustrating. I'll admit that I had those moments too, so I quit, played something else and came back. But if you enjoy games that reward patience, careful observation, and genuine problem-solving, then The Witness is absolutely worth your time. This is a game that I feel respects the player's intelligence. (Except for maybe that one spinning puzzle, spinning for fake difficulty, that made me feel nauseous, but whatever. lol)
Is it worth it's price? I think so. Although, I did pick this game up several years ago in a sale. =)

I was enjoying the game for the majority of the time, but some of the solutions are so obscure and counter-intuitive that it made me lose respect for the design.
I think its worth playing, but if you get stuck for an extended period of time, it's not worth trying to figure it out. It's probably best to look up the answer to a puzzle if you get stuck for more than 20 mins