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Adryuu

Master of the Wind
Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,601
See, that's the make or break aspect of the game I think.

You'd think there was a set path to progress from area to area but you have to venture out to areas you'd think would be "advanced" to find a tutorial.

So, yeah. You could say there's a better, intended path, but venturing off and exploring is encouraged and even necessary.

I could see how someone may find that confusing.

Open ended puzzle games aren't really common.

But that's a plus. You start out with several areas that teach you different things and you learn the game at your own pace. Better, you get stuck in a mechanic then you go to a totally different area, then you go back with a fresher mind other day and solve your block. When you have few areas left you've already got enough knowledge to not get stuck as hard or to persevere longer and harder.
 

Cloud-Hidden

Member
Oct 30, 2017
4,990
I got all the lasers up and now I'm stuck on the puzzle on top of the mountain, so... Pretty frustrating. And I refuse to look that shit up. I'll finish the game one day.
 

Tesser

Writer/Critic at Hardcore Gamer
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
891
No, I mean the "Zen" temple/tree house/Japanese thing that also relied on perspective. In general, perspective based puzzles were the worst for me.

Ah. I seem to recall getting stuck on one of the last puzzles inside the temple for a while...until I realized that
part of the branch to the tree indicating the correct route had snapped off and was on the floor.
Which I guess is another example of the game teaching you to be aware and look for clues in your surroundings as well as what's presented directly in front of you. Fuck the treehouse area though; to this day I still don't quite know what the trick to those coloured blocks is and I'm pretty sure I fluked most of those puzzles. Also, timers.
 

Alienous

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,605
i'm the exact opposite, i would love if another awesome game came out where i needed to solve it's puzzles and problems on papaer. i've got a notebook with graph paper and a lot of empty pages waiting for the perfect game

I can see that, but it just evoked feelings of doing homework for me.
 

Deleted member 10737

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
49,774
See, that's the make or break aspect of the game I think.

You'd think there was a set path to progress from area to area but you have to venture out to areas you'd think would be "advanced" to find a tutorial.

So, yeah. You could say there's a better, intended path, but venturing off and exploring is encouraged and even necessary.

I could see how someone may find that confusing.

Open ended puzzle games aren't really common.
imo that was one of the best aspects of the game, the fact that once you're out of that first gate you can do so much. at first it feels a little exhausting maybe, because when you're solving puzzles or playing a puzzle game usually there's a cleae progression intended by the puzzle creator, so this game kinda seems like if you have all the pages of a puzzle book torn out and scattered on the floor and you don't know what to do first, but i loved just exploring, doing a little here, a little there, and playing a little of many areas at once till i got stuck and then had to go somewhere else. it was very unique for a puzzle game which i enjoyed. the island being very beautiful and rewarding to explore helped too.
 

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
I had my fun with it, minus the pretentious bits. That "true ending" sure was something. I mean that in a bad way.



Stephen's Sausage Roll is one of my favorite games ever. Y'all go ahead and play it. It was released in the same year as The Witness and it's easily the best puzzle game of that year. Yes, it's that good. Just be prepared that the beginning is probably the hardest part of the game. No handholding, no tutorials, no repetition, no unnecessary crap. You can figure it out yourself.
Agreed. The Witness is fantastic, but SSR is pure puzzle elegance that is an absolute masterclass of design
 

Ashler

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,156
The Witness is one of my favourite games ever. At the risk of sounding repetitive, its a crime we can't have a physical release of this game.
 

Kaako

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,736
Utterly brilliant game, this one. That first "Aha omg!" moment will stick with you once you witness. :::)
 

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
i'm the exact opposite, i would love if another awesome game came out where i needed to solve it's puzzles and problems on papaer. i've got a notebook with graph paper and a lot of empty pages waiting for the perfect game
You might like Sethian. Not a puzzle game like Witness, but I feel paper and writing things down would be useful in that game. It has an in-game journal but writing down stuff and breaking stuff down on paper works well as a supplement
 
Oct 25, 2017
21,466
Sweden
Does this come off as pretentious as it sounds?
It feels pretentious at first, but when you get to peek behind the curtain in the secret post-game area, you realize that
he's actually making fun of his own pretentiousness, with this game world that in the game's universe was designed by incredibly pretentious people.

And then you have the game's secret ending
which is basically saying that no matter how hard you try to craft a deep message, people will only take with them the most surface-level thing from your creation. The secret ending was spot on in how it reflected how the player becomes obsessed with
finding environment puzzles in the real world
after playing the game, rather than thinking about any philosophical themes

It is really quite brilliant
 

Deleted member 10737

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
49,774
You might like Sethian. Not a puzzle game like Witness, but I feel paper and writing things down would be useful in that game. It has an in-game journal but writing down stuff and breaking stuff down on paper works well as a supplement
thanks, looks interesting. added to wishlist

this thread also reminded me that i finally need to buy and play stephen's sausage roll, it's a little expensive (for what it seems) but if so many people give it such praise it must be worth it
edit: it seems like i juat missed a sale where it was 7.49. fuck
 
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Tesser

Writer/Critic at Hardcore Gamer
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
891
GOAT puzzle game for me. I need more. I fucking need more

If you or anyone else's looking for the next best puzzle game, I highly recommend Linelight which came out late January last year. Another one of those great "show don't tell" approaches to teaching players the mechanics/rules of the game, but still finding ways to mix things up later on. But it's the second half to each of the game's "worlds" - which I won't spoil because it has a similar "oh shit!" vibe a kin to The Witness - that made it go from great to GOAT-tier in my opinion.
 

myojinsoga

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,036
I am confused as hell. I installed the game 30 minutes ago. Fucked around and ended up watching some weird video. Then got booted out of the game.

Am I supposed to relaunch it?
 

Deleted member 2620

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,491
I thought I'd like this, and I guess I could always dig it back out some day, but I just couldn't find the drive to stick to it. Ultimately I couldn't get as engaged with this as with Obduction or Infinifactory (or SSR for that matter) due to its laser-focused scope around a kind of puzzle that I didn't find all that interesting. I probably didn't get a full sense of how the puzzles tie into the environments surrounding them, but even if I found those interactions cool idk if it'd be worth all the panel time for me.
 
OP
OP
NO!R

NO!R

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
1,742
But that's a plus. You start out with several areas that teach you different things and you learn the game at your own pace. Better, you get stuck in a mechanic then you go to a totally different area, then you go back with a fresher mind other day and solve your block. When you have few areas left you've already got enough knowledge to not get stuck as hard or to persevere longer and harder.

Totally.

This game is so awesome. I really wish the puzzle genre was bigger, or that genuine puzzles were a bigger part in adventure games.

No, I mean the "Zen" temple/tree house/Japanese thing that also relied on perspective. In general, perspective based puzzles were the worst for me. But I also got stuck for a long time in the desert, but rather below, with the fucking water. Man... shit. I didn't consider that area to be of "the easier ones" though.

Heh... you know what's funny? Desert Ruins left me stumped upon first entering it after Symmetry, but then one of the perspective puzzles in the windmill village areas next to the tower taught me about the screen glare to reveal scratches trick.

After that Desert Ruins was a breeze.
 
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Deleted member 24540

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
1,599
I am confused as hell. I installed the game 30 minutes ago. Fucked around and ended up watching some weird video. Then got booted out of the game.

Am I supposed to relaunch it?

You must have spoiled yourself of the game's biggest revelation before you played it, otherwise it's very unlikely to find that area you're talking about. Don't click on anything that's not a well-defined puzzle panel and you'll be able to progress normally past the castle...
 

SapientWolf

Member
Nov 6, 2017
6,565
See, that's the make or break aspect of the game I think.

You'd think there was a set path to progress from area to area but you have to venture out to areas you'd think would be "advanced" to find a tutorial.

So, yeah. You could say there's a better, intended path, but venturing off and exploring is encouraged and even necessary.

I could see how someone may find that confusing.

Open ended puzzle games aren't really common.
I wish I wondered around more before I started begging for hints but intuitive thinking is not my strong point.
 

jayu26

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,592
I can see that, but it just evoked feelings of doing homework for me.
What's wrong with doing homework? Get with the times old man, nerds are cool.

I really wish there was a companion app on tablets or phones, so I could have continued to work the solution everywhere without the need for pencil and papers.
 

Patitoloco

Member
Oct 27, 2017
23,695
One of the few games where I needed a guide to end it. Some of the last puzzles were just fucking nuts.

But the sensation of understanding how some of the puzzles work is amazing. It's a game that makes you feel GOOD.
 

Nacho

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,115
NYC
I loved it for the first hour but there's something about it that gives me insane motion sickness.
 

Ex-Psych

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,321
The Witness is bar none my all time favorite puzzle game. I would lovemore puzzle games similar to it.

Also three Lazer up? You're doing just fine dude.
 

myojinsoga

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,036
You must have spoiled yourself of the game's biggest revelation before you played it, otherwise it's very unlikely to find that area you're talking about. Don't click on anything that's not a well-defined puzzle panel and you'll be able to progress normally past the castle...
Christ. But even the tunnel you start the game in, if you turn round and look at it, is in the same shape. It was the first thing I noticed in the game world. I guess as I wandered round the garden there I just happened to be be in the right spot, and notice the pattern reappear above the gate. I did this before I even did a single one of the obvious puzzles, cos I decided to wander round for a bit and let it all sink in. Something about the relative dimensions just pinged very clearly. What a weird experience to have. I was wandering through this weird plush abandoned mansion going ... "yes, and?" ... The ending video certainly made no sense to me at all.
 

Adryuu

Master of the Wind
Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,601
Christ. But even the tunnel you start the game in, if you turn round and look at it, is in the same shape. It was the first thing I noticed in the game world. I guess as I wandered round the garden there I just happened to be be in the right spot, and notice the pattern reappear above the gate. I did this before I even did a single one of the obvious puzzles, cos I decided to wander round for a bit and let it all sink in. Something about the relative dimensions just pinged very clearly. What a weird experience to have. I was wandering through this weird plush abandoned mansion going ... "yes, and?" ... The ending video certainly made no sense to me at all.

It won't make a lot either even if you platinum it first, lol, but it's kinda nice. Go play the game anyway and dedicate yourself to the panels mostly. That which you have discovered is a whole meta game on its own but it's not mandatory to get every trophy and see the game to the end or understand the "story".

The panels thing is the main, real game and it's amazing. Just with what you know you'll get distracted and even then you've got some more of that too look forward to, just keep in mind it's secondary.
 

OnanieBomb

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,488
I am confused as hell. I installed the game 30 minutes ago. Fucked around and ended up watching some weird video. Then got booted out of the game.

Am I supposed to relaunch it?

Is there a video or something of someone doing this? I played the game and quit after like 4 lasers but I definitely never found whatever you found and now I'm super curious!
 

The Shape

Member
Nov 7, 2017
5,027
Brazil
I'm getting my ass handed by this game but I'm loving it! What a great game. The puzzles are awesome in that they're hard as fuck until they're not. You suddenly realise the logic behind the puzzle and it makes you feel smart. It's an awesome feeling to make progress in this game.
 
OP
OP
NO!R

NO!R

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
1,742
HOLY. FUCK.

I just reached the flower greenhouse through the bamboo forest.

Those panels with 6 different colours were impossible ...until I noticed the flowers changing colour behind the tinted glass.

This sneak ass fucking game, man...

Edit:

Now a double tinted glass solution. Of course!

Edit2:

BTW, the bird speakers in the jungle... nice. This game has me noticing and looking for patterns everywhere, in a weird game version of paranoid schizophrenia.
 

myojinsoga

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,036
It won't make a lot either even if you platinum it first, lol, but it's kinda nice. Go play the game anyway and dedicate yourself to the panels mostly. That which you have discovered is a whole meta game on its own but it's not mandatory to get every trophy and see the game to the end or understand the "story".

The panels thing is the main, real game and it's amazing. Just with what you know you'll get distracted and even then you've got some more of that too look forward to, just keep in mind it's secondary.
Thanks, I've gone back in and started following panels from place to place. Having a great time with it so far. I love the way it adds and combines rules, although I doubt I've seen much yet. A lovely chilled and smart game.

Is there a video or something of someone doing this? I played the game and quit after like 4 lasers but I definitely never found whatever you found and now I'm super curious!
Sure, easy to find. But, spoilers, obviously:

 

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
92,903
here
I remember the tree house floating panels giving me the most trouble until I realized their gimmick.

as soon as it hit me i felt like a bumblebutt.
 

OnanieBomb

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,488
Thanks, I've gone back in and started following panels from place to place. Having a great time with it so far. I love the way it adds and combines rules, although I doubt I've seen much yet. A lovely chilled and smart game.


Sure, easy to find. But, spoilers, obviously:



Holy shit...the amount of times I waltzed right past that haha

I just went and did it in game. Couldn't even imagine experiencing that by accident.
 
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JoduanER2

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
110
Just bought it yesterday. I activated the first laser and i just found the red lake with the tetris blocks... Sometimes it takes so long to figure out the answer but i liked it, it is a relaxing game for me. The combination of the soothing environment and ambient sounds plus no music is relaxing. The funny thing is i bought The Witness and The Talos Principle, so im in for a ride in the puzzle hell.
 

Sande

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,983
I'm still bummed that something in this game caused nausea big time (fov and/or sensitivity I guess). I would have probably lost myself on that island for a week straight, but instead I played an hour here and there and always felt like shit when I put down the controller. They did finally make it tolerable months after launch, but that is something that 100% should have been noticed and fixed in playtesting.
 

BassForever

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,939
CT
Being color blind ruined the game for me, I did like the mechanics of what I had played.