Developer: Thekla Inc
Rrp: £29.99 (Gog.com, Steam and Epic), £31.17 (Humblebundle)
Usually I try to avoid reviews of games I know I’m going to review myself, that way I can be certain that what thoughts and feelings I have are wholly my own. However with this game I saw the reviews at the time of its launch because I had no intention of getting the game. It’s not that I had no interest but more that I already had so many other games that I was playing and reviewing that I decided that it’ll be quite some time before I buy it. Then along came the Epic Game store, giving away free games to anyone who dares to claim them. I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so I grab them all as they appear and low and behold The Witness appears.
It’s because of the fact I got the game for free and my previous viewing of review for it that I’ve decided to do a more informal look rather than a actual review.
Now I do love a puzzle game and I actually don’t mind walking simulators either. So in theory this game should tick those boxes and to a degree it does. The world is wonderful to walk around, full of stunning visuals, honestly I’m glad I picked this game up solely for those visuals (bear in mind I paid nothing though). However I do have a bit of a gripe about the puzzles though, they tend to be a bit… samey. There are quite a few that require more out of the box thinking, but most just require you to draw a line from point A to B, yes the mechanics change a bit but nothing too drastic.
If I’m truly honest with myself I’d have to admit that I think that the Rrp is a bit on the steep side for this game. It’s clear that the game isn’t meant to be played through in a single seating, though you totally can if you wished to. Its more a game you take your time with and keep returning back so you can chip away at it.
Still if you want something beautiful to play that will really challenge you mental acuity then I can recommend this game, just maybe wait for a price drop.
