The Witness Review

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I have an un-popular opinion on The Witness.  I really didn't like it that much.

I keep seeing it be lauded with praise but I found the core of the game frustrating and boring at the same time.

You see, The Witness looks like it's going to be a gorgeous game of exploring a beautiful island.  And in a way it is.  And I love that part of the game... I wanted that to be the game.  Exploration is a huge motivator for me in the games I play.

But The Witness, at it's core, is a series of line puzzles.  They come in different shapes and varieties but the whole game is line puzzle after line puzzle after line puzzle.  I was bored of it so fast.

I honestly would have had more fun with the game if every puzzle were able to be solved by a simple left click.  That way I could have wandered the island to my heart's content.

I even held out hope to the very end that maybe the ending of the game would tie the story of the island together and give me some narrative payoff.  If it had I wouldn't be writing this review the way I am.  Instead, it was a letdown.  Even after getting both the normal ending and the secret ending.

In the end The Witness was just line puzzles for the sake of line puzzles and that's really sad for a player like me.  I feel like the 3D exploration could have been it's own game.  The line puzzles could have just been a mobile app or something instead.

I know people out there really love this one, but I don't.

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