Alright, it's been at least two months since I played this game. Despite promising myself I was going to 100% this guy, I'm throwing in the towel and walking away. For me... it's done.
The Witness is a fantastic puzzle game that in many ways reminded me of my experiences with Myst as a kid. You start out knowing nothing, and bit by bit you learn the rules of the game and how to navigate the world you've been randomly thrown into. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of puzzle games. Not that I dislike them or anything, but I typically don't have the mental endurance to make it through them without substantial support from a walkthrough guide. However, I was strongly encouraged by Sween to give this game my all and not wimp out by using guides. Begrudgingly, I agreed only to be astonished by how many puzzles I was able to accomplish based on my own wit. It was also interesting to compare with others what puzzles came second nature to them and what puzzles were exceedingly difficult. When examining any play-through comparisons, it seems as though we all have very different reactions to different puzzle sets.
I did a quick breakdown of my own experience and did a ranking of the most challenging levels (1 being the hardest):
1. Town
2. Bunker
3. The Caves
4. Treehouse
5. Swamp
6. Keep
7. Quarry
8. Monastery
9. Desert Ruins
10. Symmetry Island
11. Glass Factory
12. Shady Trees
13. Orchard
14. Jungle
15. Entry Area (not including figuring out the "secret area")
Did I get them all? Anywho, it probably comes as no surprise that the Town was the hardest. It combines just about every rule that's in the game other than the Caves section. I listed Bunker above the Caves just because I couldn't figure out the color palate bullshit -- especially during the elevator sequence This was one of the few times I caved and used a walkthrough to help me out... and I'm still not even sure how I was suppose to solve the elevator puzzle!
All that aside, the game was a terrific challenge and really gave me a huge sense of satisfaction when I finally completed a puzzle.
Enough praising the game. Now for my gripes. My biggest issue with the game was the story buried underneath -- or lack there of. This island is shrouded in mystery. A mystery I desperately wanted a direct answer to. After I reached the first ending, I took it upon myself to 100% the game in hopes of uncovering each and every ending to possibly find an answer to what this island was? What's with all the audio tapes? What are the meaning of the stone statues? Why was I here and why can't I escape? And so on... However, these environmental puzzles were -- oh, how should I say -- they were complete bullshit. There's nothing clever about hiding a puzzle in an hour video you have to watch. And if you miss it you have to watch it all over again? That's just sadistic. Needless to say, I'm not a masochist. I abandoned 100%-ing this game as soon as I realized it was one big joke that Jonathan Blow was using to laugh at us.
That said... I still wanted to know if there was an answer to my question. A reason for why this all was. In case anyone is curious, here is the main "secret ending" to the game.
Ok... So it seems as if this was all a chemically induced dream state or some shit. I'm guessing we wake up to find we're the developer (possibly Jonathan Blow?) and we see all the random development tools around the house. To boot, we also see a PICC line in his arm. Is the guy sick? Was this necessary for him to have such a weird dream?
Honestly this brings up more questions than answers them. I'm sure if I thoroughly studied the video I could make a lot of Lynch-ian connections to what was happening in the game, but I have no motivation for that.
I know this game has been brought up by many to be one of the greatest games of 2016, but I just don't see it. Don't get me wrong, it's a terrific game. The puzzles are beautifully constructed. And with a little concentration and observation, you have all the tools to be able to solve even the toughest challenge. However, are the challenges worth it to solve if there's no emotional/narrative payoff. For me, no. I want a reward that gives me a clear resolution on what is happening here, but what I got felt like someone was answering my question with another question. And that shit just don't fly.
Make no mistake, Blow is a talented gamemnaker. I will gladly keep returning to his upcoming projects (well, I read that his next game is going to be in development for roughly 20 years, so... we'll see about that), but I hope in the future his games move beyond just a satisfying environment and gameplay. I hope his next game brings forth a truly intriguing and emotionally exciting story that can help pay off whatever challenges comes next.
PS -- How many endings did this game actually have? I counted two: the one with the elevator where the island resets itself, and the one with the secret portal that brings you back to reality. Was there anything I was missing? What happens when you 100% the game and solve every environmental puzzle? Throwing that out there because my curiosity is far from being satisfied; however, I don't want to spend one more second attempting to unpack this enigma of a game.
Honestly this brings up more questions than answers them. I'm sure if I thoroughly studied the video I could make a lot of Lynch-ian connections to what was happening in the game, but I have no motivation for that.
I know this game has been brought up by many to be one of the greatest games of 2016, but I just don't see it. Don't get me wrong, it's a terrific game. The puzzles are beautifully constructed. And with a little concentration and observation, you have all the tools to be able to solve even the toughest challenge. However, are the challenges worth it to solve if there's no emotional/narrative payoff. For me, no. I want a reward that gives me a clear resolution on what is happening here, but what I got felt like someone was answering my question with another question. And that shit just don't fly.
Make no mistake, Blow is a talented gamemnaker. I will gladly keep returning to his upcoming projects (well, I read that his next game is going to be in development for roughly 20 years, so... we'll see about that), but I hope in the future his games move beyond just a satisfying environment and gameplay. I hope his next game brings forth a truly intriguing and emotionally exciting story that can help pay off whatever challenges comes next.
PS -- How many endings did this game actually have? I counted two: the one with the elevator where the island resets itself, and the one with the secret portal that brings you back to reality. Was there anything I was missing? What happens when you 100% the game and solve every environmental puzzle? Throwing that out there because my curiosity is far from being satisfied; however, I don't want to spend one more second attempting to unpack this enigma of a game.
A few scattered comments-
ReplyDelete1) You've got some valid points for what made you dislike this game, and while I can agree with them slightly, my cop-out response is that I just didn't care. The lame videos and audiologs could almost entirely be ignored, and nothing in the story made me think "I need to know who constructed this island, I need answers!"- I just wanted to keep exploring and doing more puzzles, and the game kept providing that.
2. I think there's a third ending for 100%-ing everything, but I don't want to spoil myself yet. I had to stop playing because my weak laptop couldn't handle it, by I eventually want to buy this on xbone so I can get deeper into the post-game puzzles, so I'll hold off on watching youtube videos until I feel like I can go no further on my own.
3. Yeah the secret ending video is dumb as hell.
4. What did you think of Braid? That had way more story and it was in a game that I think most of us loved as well. I know a lot of people thought the story was too pretentious though, which is why I think Blow went in the opposite direction for Witness.
But yeah after Braid and the Witness, I am 100% on the Jon Blow bandwagon. I will buy whatever his next game is on day 1, even if I'm.... 50 years old.
I loved Braid... And maybe I didn't make this abundantly clear in the post, but I loved The Witness as well. The game just teetered on the edge of pompous bullshit when it came to comprehending any story, and I felt a strong urge to call that out.
DeleteI fully get that some can get lost in the gameplay alone -- "To hell with any story. Let me just discovery and learn!" I'm not that way, though. I prefer a balance, especially if you're strongly hinting that there is in fact a story buried here somewhere. The opposite to this might be something like a Mario game -- princess is captured, you rescue her, end of story. In defense to Mario, it's not teasing that there's anything more. It is what it is, however simple that may be. Where in The Witness there's an abundance of clues that something huge happened her and maybe it's your purpose to piece together that story. When it becomes (kind of) clear that there is no larger story, you can't help but feel gypped.
All this aside, I'm right there with you in wanting to play the next game from Blow. I think he's a novel mind in an industry that tends to churn the same crap over and over again just for a buck. And if Blow's vision is to build a game over a few decades, let him do so. My only hope is that the game is parsed out in small doses so no one actually has to wait a quarter of a lifetime to get a jump on his next work.