The Witness

Its a banger. Easily S-tier. If you enjoyed this game, some others you might try:
1. Lingo (strong strong recommendation)
2. The Talos Principle 1 and 2 (absolutely god tier)
3. Sensorium
4. Antichamber
5. Manifold Garden
6. Viewfinder
7. The Turing Test
8. Kairo (a soft recommendation)
9. The Swapper (not first person perspective)
10. Understand (not first person perspective)
11. Baba is you (not first person perspective)
12. Yugo Puzzle (not first person perspective)
Happy gaming my friends.

if there's one thing this game is good at it's making you feel like you have a learning disability

highly recommended for those with no respect for themselves or their time, absolutely perfect design

my favorite part was when he witnessed everything

The Witness is a nearly perfect environmental puzzle game for the first 15 or so hours. It's puzzles are very well designed, there are a truly shocking number of secrets to find around the world, and the environment is genuinely visually stunning. The game is far from perfect however. Over the span of a single hour, The Witness went from my all time favorite puzzle game ever, to something I genuinely couldn't imagine picking up again. It's end-game puzzles are either extremely obtuse, pointlessly frustrating, or both.
My advice to those considering buying The Witness are:
1) Don't try to 100% the game. Hell, don't even try for 90%. Get as far as you can while still having fun. The moment you stop having fun is when you should put the game down, because it'll genuinely drive you insane.
2) If you get stuck on a difficult puzzle, don't hesitate to look up a hint or solution. Chances are the game didn't communicate what you need to do in order to properly solve it, and there's no sense in ruining good experiences with nearly impossible puzzles.
3) If you come across a puzzle with symbols you don't recognize, that's the game telling you to go somewhere else. While the game is technically "open world", it tries to lock some sections behind difficult and unfamiliar puzzles.
4) The Witness has no accessibility options, so if you have a sensory impairment (specifically hearing, sight, or color blindness), many puzzles (including some needed to progress through the game) will be entirely impossible to solve without help.
If I could just forget the entire last section of The Witness, I would, and this would still be my favorite puzzle game ever. But I can't, so all I can do is recommend others not make the same mistake as me. Don't try to 100% the game. If you can buy it on sale, do it, and only play for as long as you can handle. Leave the game there, and remember the good parts.

There is a considerable amount of misunderstanding surrounding the description of this game. Many people see the grid puzzles on panels and assume that this is the essence of the gameplay. In this review, I aim to illuminate parts of the nature of the game, providing you with a clearer understanding before diving into it. There are no spoilers about the story.
Before delving into the review, it's worth briefly mentioning games such as The Talos Principle or Portal. These games follow a linear structure with intricate puzzles that are largely self-contained. Players can solve one puzzle today and return ten days later to tackle another, making the gameplay quite straightforward. The quality of these games predominantly hinges on the complexity and ingenuity of the puzzles.
On the other hand, The Witness is clearly inspired by the Myst series and takes a quite unconventional approach that we aren't really used to. The journey starts with the character who has 'amnesia' and needs to explore an island to figure out what is going on.
- Part 1: Intro -
The island is divided into multiple regions, each featuring a set of challenges grouped around a common theme. If the player encounters difficulty with a particular set, they have the flexibility to bypass it and explore other parts of the island. This design creates a highly non-linear experience and balances exploration with puzzle solving by allowing players to gradually expand their knowledge of the world and return to previously unsolved challenges. Importantly, players are not penalized for being unable to complete a puzzle; progress can still be made, and the game can be successfully completed even with many of them left unsolved.
Now, not all puzzles are easy to identify. The most common ones are found on panels of various forms within specific regions, typically grouped together and must be completed in a sequential order, with the complexity of the puzzles gradually increasing. Trial and error is employed for the simple challenges and logic is applied for the more complicated ones. This process aids the player in making sense of their rules. However, in some cases, the solution does not depend solely on the information presented on the panel, but on the environment as well.
On the opposite end, there are also numerous hidden challenges that are not presented in the standard panel form and require from the player to interact with the environment in some way, offering a welcome break from the panel puzzle-solving monotony.
The game's story unfolds through scattered audio logs across the island. Instead of straightforwardly conveying the narrative to players, these logs are deliberately enigmatic, presenting the story as quotes from influential thinkers. The player will also come across a theater and watch video clips.
As we can see, The Witness isn't just a sequence of puzzles; rather, it features multiple layers of puzzles, suggesting a more complex and intricate structure to the gameplay.
- Part 2: Bird's eye view -
So what type of game is The Witness? While solving the panel puzzles may seem pretty straightforward, discovering requires the player to slow down and be very observant of the surroundings. The audio logs are scattered randomly, and so are some panels. Many puzzles are hidden in plain sight, and there are also hidden rooms with extra puzzles. The more you play, the more you'll come across things that you missed because you weren't paying enough attention. Rest assured, there's a lot to discover, more than you could ever imagine. If you are stuck or frustrated, you are encouraged to take a break—perhaps move on to another area, or simply pause for a moment to enjoy the serene landscape. Its phenomenal attention to detail makes it feel like a piece of art; in a sense, it is. Ultimately, it is a game that constantly reminds us that we should live in the moment. It's peaceful, relaxing, meditative, and challenging at the same time. It's one of those experiences where the process of solving puzzles and uncovering the island's secrets is as rewarding as reaching the end.
The Witness also explores the process of learning. The game throws players into an adventure with no explicit instructions, setting the tone for a self-guided experience. Most regions introduce an independent and simple core concept. Upon completing one area, players are confident that they understand how to apply the rules learned to another one. Yet, as the game progresses, these concepts seamlessly merge, requiring application of knowledge across different areas.
This mirrors the learning process, akin to assembling smaller building blocks. The game's quality lies in refreshing the joy of learning, reminding players that learning is about discovery and understanding, a sentiment often overlooked in contemporary education. Consequently, it makes for an excellent choice for children.
- Part 3: Outro -
Now, as with most titles, this one too has its shortcomings. Solving those panel puzzles can and will get tedious at some point. The reason for this is twofold: first, there are too many of them, and second, these puzzles aren't as sophisticated as the complex ones you'll encounter in games like The Talos Principle or Portal. Consequently, solving them doesn't feel very satisfying, although this is probably subjective. In a sense, the game distributes its difficulty across the entire island. Lastly, some puzzles can be a bit trickier or challenging, almost reaching the point of being unfair. Even if you know the rules, you may find yourself unable to solve them. All this reminds us of the challenges inherent in learning something new; the smaller building blocks are often boring and may be the source of frustration.
Having said all that, The Witness stands out as one of the few games I've played that didn't leave me feeling intellectually inadequate. This isn't by accident; it's by design. The introduction of panel puzzle mechanics, through solving puzzles of increasing difficulty, essentially serves as a tutorial. However, it never really feels like a traditional one. As a result, the primary challenge in most situations lies not in the complexity of the tasks but in the player's understanding of the rules and, consequently, the world around them. Also, unlike traditional adventure games like Myst, there's no need for "pixel hunting", as it's always evident what you can click on.
It's important to emphasize that this game isn't for everyone. If you approach it solely as a race to solve puzzles on panels and rush towards the end, chances are it won't resonate with you. However, if you're the type of player who relishes taking their time, finding joy in games rich with exploration, and appreciating them as an art form, then The Witness might be the perfect fit for you. That's the reason the game doesn't place stringent demands. On one hand, it presents a world, encouraging exploration and the discovery of numerous elements. On the other hand, players are at liberty to finish the game without necessarily uncovering many of its intricacies. However, by doing so, you'll likely miss out on understanding why you are on this island in the first place.
Therefore, my suggestion is to take it slow and uncover as much as you can. As you delve deeper, your knowledge will likely grow, leading to a clearer and more coherent grasp of the narrative. In the end, while understanding the story should be relatively straightforward, discerning the deeper meaning(s) of the game is not entirely obvious :)
Good luck!
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** If you have a color vision deficiency or are tone deaf, some puzzles will pose an extra challenge. You might have to look them up or have someone else help you.

This game won't be for everyone, and even if you like it that enjoyment may not last for the entire game. You must have a lot of patience and you must enjoy puzzles to even have a chance of getting very far in The Witness - but while my enjoyment ran out towards the end (I like puzzles, but not that much!), I still consider this to have been a worthwhile use of my time. The island is uncanny and atmospheric, as long as you don't expect it to feel real or alive: it's not natural but a constructed space for you to ponder questions and mysteries. And yes, there is a touch of "All of this is deep, innit?" to The Witness, but if you can take this in your stride, The Witness's island is worth a visit.