The Witness is an excellent game. I had the pleasure of playing it on PlayStation 4 many months ago and found it to be not only a visual masterpiece, but also one that weaves an intriguing tale. You awaken on an uninhabited island filled with petrified humans and find various clues as to what you’re doing there. I’m willing to assume that everyone who plays it will find their own meaning but I considered it a type of purgatory. If you’re persistent enough to reach the ending, I think you’ll agree with me.
The first aspect of the game you immediately notice are the gorgeous and colorful visuals. The game is breathtaking mostly due to the fact that it uses such bold shades. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before and when you look at clips and screenshots, you’ll know what I mean. Jonathan Blow and his team have done an amazing job bringing their vision to life and the fact that they crafted their own engine to power this experience is truly remarkable. It’s versatile and works beautifully.
The game has finally made the jump to Xbox One but how does it stack up to its PlayStation 4 counterpart? The initial impressions are positive though there are some obvious downsides. The visuals on Xbox One have undergone significant improvement as the game runs at 1080p and features improved lighting and anti-aliasing. This results in a cleaner and crisper image which is most noticeable when solving puzzles. However, the title now runs at only 30 FPS compared to the 900p 60 FPS presentation we find on PlayStation 4. The fact that The Witness is a puzzle game makes the 30 FPS passable but I have to say that 60 FPS gameplay is ideal. When you’re playing The Witness on Xbox One and walking around the open world, it feels sluggish and tiresome. Maybe increasing the walking speed would improve the experience but as of now traversing the island is a chore. Other than that, I have no complaints.
The Witness features two basic mechanics: exploration and solving line-based puzzles. You can go wherever you want on the island and solve puzzles in whichever order you prefer. However, there are certain areas which require you to go a particular route especially if you’re inside a structure. The line-based puzzles are simple in their concept as you have to figure out the correct path to trace a line from the beginning to the end. The correct pattern unlocks the next puzzle or turns on certain devices. There are hundreds of puzzles across the island and many have their own logic to them. At first you’ll be using a lot of trial and error but then you’ll begin to see the patterns. There are other clever challenges as well like figuring out the correct pattern by looking at wear on reflective panels or looking at reflections in pools of water. The title is dotted with such trials which make The Witness an incredibly challenging yet rewarding game.
The main objective is to solve the puzzles in a certain area to activate a communications array which leads to the mountain at the edge of the island. There are many arrays you have to activate to reach the ending. The Witness will keep you occupied for dozens of hours even if you look at guides on YouTube. If you try to figure it all out on your own, I can’t even imagine how long that will take you. Maybe a month of dedicated playing. The Witness requires a lot of time to complete.
Summary
Overall, The Witness is just a phenomenal title which stands up well on Xbox One. Despite its 30 FPS presentation which results in feeling like trudging through molasses, the game still features intelligent puzzles and rewards the player when they finally figure it out. The learning curve is somewhat steep so just stick with it for the first few portions of the experience. There are also many easter eggs to discover. While the price is a little high, the game is complex and offers countless hours of gameplay—no matter how frustrating they might be due to its difficult nature. For people who love puzzle games, this is a must-buy and I would recommend it to every Xbox One owner due to its unique visuals and the challenge it presents.
Asher and Xian is a shared byline ICXM used for 18 articles co-authored between 2015–2017 covering game reviews, and Xbox news. See the individual contributor profiles for the writers behind these collaborations.