![]() The absence of traditional tutorials results in hundreds of generic puzzles, which are normally just slightly harder variations of the previous panels. But The Witness is over 40 hours long, and quickly the repetitiveness and pacing issues begin to weather away at the patience of even the most committed puzzle game connoisseur. These qualities all embody the unique experience that The Witness refines so well, and the opening few hours are a delight. Being able to drop into The Witness, leisurely stroll around the realm and stumble upon another hidden environmental challenge is a joy, and something that is perfectly suited to the portability of the iOS iteration of the game. Suddenly, that strangely arranged collection of rocks shows itself to be more than just for show, and the island becomes more than a mere path to your next objective. ![]() But then, at some variable point when you’re just about sick of the seemingly infinite puzzles, you start to look at the in-game world differently. Certain areas require water and light reflections to reveal secrets, while others use colored filters to make you approach certain conundrums literally from a different angle – these clever twists expand the core maze gameplay far beyond what its genre contemporaries would ever have been able to without The Witness’s gorgeous settings. For starters, many challenges require light and color to bypass seemingly impossible puzzles. The most groundbreaking aspect of The Witness is how it incorporates its open world into the puzzles, in ways that will repeatedly surprise you as you dive deeper into the game. However, the breathtaking settings aren’t just there for eye candy. After all, views that feature shimmering, reflective lakes and sprawling, accessible locations that are just longing to be investigated are worth taking in. As with the puzzles within the game, the fluorescent and minimalistic design isn’t cluttered with details, but leaves it to the player’s imagination to make the most of the mysterious settings. ![]() With an impressive realistic lighting system that is as spectacular on the smaller screen of the iPhone as it was on consoles, the pink sparkle of the orchard or the mysterious gloom of the desert ruins looks stunning, despite its inherent simplicity. The approximately sixteen different locations in the overworld, despite being entirely devoid of activity, are brought to life through incredibly vivid and distinct cel-shaded graphics. ![]() If there ever was a game to show off the Super OLED display of the upcoming iPhone X, The Witness is surely it. The other area The Witness quite literally shines is in its incredible aesthetic design. However, these ‘new’ mechanics can be found throughout the world from the beginning, and that light-bulb moment when a previously inaccessible panel suddenly makes sense upon a later discovery is one of the most satisfying moments in The Witness. This may sound initially confusing, though The Witness ensures all new concepts are introduced gently amidst its ‘show, don’t tell’ philosophy, with forgiving trial and error prioritized over immersion-breaking explanations. As would be expected of any decent puzzle title on iOS, new mechanics are quickly introduced, from self-explanatory symmetrical challenges to more cryptic symbols that have multiple requirements before any such maze can be cleared. The actual gameplay in The Witness revolves around the concept of a ‘maze puzzle’ – using the touch screen, you must draw a line on a panel that connects specified origin and ending points together. In an era where procedural generation and sweeping sandbox worlds are the norm, The Witness excels through amalgamating experimental puzzle elements with a stunning, nonlinear environment that must be interacted with in numerous creative ways. However, the hands-off approach that is fundamental to The Witness’s identity is also its biggest source of frustration and, because of Thekla, Inc.’s impressive efforts in emulating the experience on mobile devices, a flaw that is as prominent as ever in the iOS iteration of the game. This core ethos permeates into every inch of The Witness, whether it’s solving puzzles, navigating complex terrain or attempting to work out how to access a seemingly out of bounds point of interest, and its respect for the user is one reason why the game received such universal critical acclaim upon its console release in 2016. No title screen, no contextual introduction, no long-winded tutorial – in The Witness, you’re simply left to your own devices, and the curiosity that such a brazen start instills in the player serves as the primary catalyst to explore its luscious, vibrant and expansive environments. After a loading screen that suggests ‘for the best experience, use headphones’, you immediately awaken in a dimly lit underground tunnel, amidst deafening silence. From the outset, The Witness ($9.99) is a video game that defies convention.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |