About this puzzle game mind blowing experience...
Jonathan Blow is an indie (video) game creator.
In 2008, his first game, Braid, a platformer puzzle-game based on time travel and alternative reality, got very positive reviews.
To paraphrase a quote about this master piece:
I feel like I'm using parts of my brain that have never been used before, like parts that haven't evolved yet.
— http://braid-game.com/
In 2016, his second shot : A first person adventure / puzzle-game, The Witness is widely acclaimed, while some critics wonder about the pretensions of its author, sometimes called genius, sometimes a pretentious kid.
I finished The Witness last night, after 80 hours spent in the past 15 months (including a long break of 6 months, due to a big ingame frustration).
I've succeeded to avoid all spoilers from start to finish, and all I can say is that this is a powerful and mind blowing experience.
If you're looking for a meditative, epiphanic and cerebral journey, a very unique initiatory quest on a mysterious island full of secrets, a battle against your restlessness, your despair, you should give it a try, and maybe enjoy the smartest playful experience ever created.
Thank you very much, Jonathan Blow.
Spoiler alert
- A good video in French by Brundlemousse about paradoxes in The Witness.
- I invite people who won't be playing / have finished / have given up this masterly game to take a look at this excellent video by Electron Dance, that transcribes outstandingly the emotion that passes through whoever broke the secret and became... a witness.
- There's also this amazing Jonathan Blow interview about the creation of The Witness by Noclip.
- My successful cave challenge, with timed random puzzles.