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Topic: The Witness

Posts 21 to 40 of 54

Octane

@themcnoisy Nope, definitely talking about the lake itself. It's not a puzzle, but it's a neat Easter-egg/helpful tool for your journey

I found the jungle to be impossible, couldn't differentiate the sounds. The monastery on the other hand is relatively easy; Just think outside the box.

By the way, have you already figured out what the monoliths are for?

Octane

themcnoisy

@Octane I used to make tunes on Reason and work mostly on the phone so maybe that helped with my listening skills.

No idea about the lake. I know when you look up you have a clear view of the lazers pointing at the mountain....

Unsure about monoliths. I did a puzzle in the initial area last night on a pillar, that was pretty cool. I'm mooching around on the game looking for odd puzzles here and there, will head back up the mountain later on and I'm not looking forward to it at all

Forum Best Game of All Time Awards

PS3 Megathread 2019: The Last of Us
Multiplat 2018: Horizon Zero Dawn
Nintendo 2017: Super Mario Bros 3
Playstation 2016: Uncharted 2
Multiplat 2015: Final Fantasy 7

PSN: mc_noisy

Octane

@themcnoisy Well, I can tell you about the lake if you want me to spoil it, it's nothing important really.

I see, well, that means you have still a lot of stuff to discover. My advice would be to activate all the lasers first, finish up the town for the final laser and then head over to the mountain. As you would've probably guessed, that's the end game and since it's the most difficult part, it definitely helps if you feel at home with the panels. So completing the rest first is recommended.

Octane

themcnoisy

@Octane I know what the lake is now.

I finished the game on my own minus the monastery and town, I've got some pretty amazing screenshots of the final colour switch puzzles, snapped at the perfect time to mull over in my screenshot gallery. It was a huge relief to beat the mountain and to blast away like willy wonker signing away his chocolate factory. It took 4/5 long and anxiety riddled sessions to crack the mountain alone.

I've since gone back to try for the missing trophies I decided off the bat tonight to use a guide and here's why. I couldn't pass the monastery as I'm an idiot. I didn't pass the easiest puzzle ever - the miniature tree in the middle of the monastery. Reason being I was looking for the most difficult answer and thought the orange colour splash on the wall to the left had something to do with it. Well no it didn't and it was 2 basic lines. Oh my god. The rest of that area was easy and obvious bar the last puzzle which mixed trail and avoiding elements. But as I said I'm officially an idiot. I watched a guide and my heart sank about 1 minute In.

The town on the other hand was difficult. Id passed one section clear before quitting the town - the parts I struggled with in the town was the puzzle which had 3 solutions, its obvious now I've read a guide on that particular bit, but as there's no other puzzle like that I didn't naturally take to it. The second was the bridge you extend, I still have no idea how the counter weight puzzle was solved so you get on the roof. So I'm really confused by that one and am glad I read the guide.

I'm now upto the challenge room. I'm so gutted you cant take a pic and pause the game SO UNFAIR! I've failed it a few times already but no doubt will get further ahead the next time I on.

Forum Best Game of All Time Awards

PS3 Megathread 2019: The Last of Us
Multiplat 2018: Horizon Zero Dawn
Nintendo 2017: Super Mario Bros 3
Playstation 2016: Uncharted 2
Multiplat 2015: Final Fantasy 7

PSN: mc_noisy

Octane

@themcnoisy The greenhouse with all the different light colours has a puzzle with multiple solutions iirc, just like the bridges in the swamp. Town is definitely difficult, since it combines all the elements from previous areas, but beating it was an absolute blast because of that.

Octane

Quintumply

@themcnoisy It took me a long while to beat the challenge. The puzzles themselves are not that hard, it's more the time limit adding a new level of pressure that makes it difficult. Good luck, I know you can do it

Fair play using a guide. I must admit, I did look for hints for a couple of puzzles I couldn't wrap my head around!

Quintumply

PSN: Quintumply | Twitter:

themcnoisy

@Quintumply the challenge room so far has been very doable - initially I didn't know where I was heading. But now I know the start direction of the first few puzzles. Come on!

Forum Best Game of All Time Awards

PS3 Megathread 2019: The Last of Us
Multiplat 2018: Horizon Zero Dawn
Nintendo 2017: Super Mario Bros 3
Playstation 2016: Uncharted 2
Multiplat 2015: Final Fantasy 7

PSN: mc_noisy

themcnoisy

@Quintumply bloody challenge room sucks. I almost always hit the maze with not much time left and get lost. Damn it!

The big problem I have is - the puzzles are easy but you dont have time. I've watched a walkthrough and the wait mode is used liberally which has since been patched so you cant. I dont need that much usage! on my run throughs the time evaporates on either the 2 line synchro dot hunt puzzles or the coloured 3 panels after the bridge. The most annoying thing is - these can be dead easy sometimes grrrr so annoying. I wouldn't mind a couple of pauses to be patched in that would help massively.

Forum Best Game of All Time Awards

PS3 Megathread 2019: The Last of Us
Multiplat 2018: Horizon Zero Dawn
Nintendo 2017: Super Mario Bros 3
Playstation 2016: Uncharted 2
Multiplat 2015: Final Fantasy 7

PSN: mc_noisy

Quintumply

@themcnoisy It's definitely doable without the rest mode cheat, because I eventually did it myself! It can be frustrating because the puzzles change. You'll get it sooner or later and it feels awesome when you finally nail it

Quintumply

PSN: Quintumply | Twitter:

themcnoisy

@Quintumply I can understand that, its so annoying - you make good headway then bang youve forgotten the path in the maze and cant find the last panel. I did the 2 panels earlier and ran the wrong way out of the maze in a panic!

Its really strange I had a dead easy run earlier, I mean super easy - the tetris puzzle was just 2 horizontal lines of 3, the mazes were basically 2 lines, the star and dots were super easy. Everything fell into place then I completely cocked up the maze and couldnt remember which way to go at all.

Its a strange addition having this as the big show stopper - I could live with 200 random puzzles in a row, but being timed in this way feels way out of step with the main game.

Forum Best Game of All Time Awards

PS3 Megathread 2019: The Last of Us
Multiplat 2018: Horizon Zero Dawn
Nintendo 2017: Super Mario Bros 3
Playstation 2016: Uncharted 2
Multiplat 2015: Final Fantasy 7

PSN: mc_noisy

Quintumply

@themcnoisy Yeah the maze can be a nightmare.

A lot of people take issue with the challenge for the same reasons you describe, saying it's so different from the rest of the game. I personally really enjoyed it - I liked that it did something different with the puzzles and really tested your knowledge. I'll give you the maze, though. That caught me out many times before I finally conquered it.

And there are more secrets to discover once you're done with the challenge (if you haven't thrown your PS4 out the window by then!)

Quintumply

PSN: Quintumply | Twitter:

Th3solution

@Kidfried Dangit. I didn’t see this thread until now. If you want to answer my query here, then maybe I won’t get in trouble for detailing the top 5 thread. 😉

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Kidfried

@Th3solution I hate to advice against buying it, but given your post I find it difficult to recommend it.

The Witness is a really special game. I recommend it to my father (not a gamer) over the Christmas holidays and he texted me last week, asking if there was any game like it, because he had fallen in love with it. I thought long and hard, but couldn't think of any. There are many great puzzle games, but not many of those are open world, embracing such a unique game design philosophy. And not many of them are this beautiful either. And I think those are the reasons you'll often see the game appearing on these type of lists.

I really find it difficult to do this game justice writing about it. Because I easily lose myself talking about it. I'll try not to.

Most importantly, this game is a hardcore puzzle game. It manages to feel like much more than a puzzle game at times, but there is no other game play than the puzzles. I often found myself taking notes while playing, putting the game down and thinking about the puzzle's solution when in transit. I think that's something that must appeal to you, if you want to make it through the game.

The game does have an overarching narrative, but not in the usual way. There is no plot or story. The game's narrative is the puzzles itself and reflections on these puzzles and the process of solving it. Very... meta.

I got my dad into this game, but like me, he can play puzzle games all day. My partner (Uncharted fan, not into dedicated puzzle games) hated watching me play the game, especially when it took long to find the solution.

I would love nothing else than to recommend this game to everyone, because I like it that much. But unfortunately, I feel it really isn't a game for everyone.

Kidfried

Kidfried

By the way. For anyone with an iPad, you can buy the game on the App store for 9,99. It's the full experience and controls fine. So, for anyone who'd rather play this on the go (and rather cheap!).

Kidfried

Th3solution

@Kidfried Thanks! That’s extremely helpful. I have to be in the mood for intricate puzzles. I tend to do pretty well with them when I do, but usually when I’m gaming, I am looking to relax my mind and detach from stress and be entertained. I’ll look for a demo when I get home and see, but it sounds like a pass for now for me. I appreciate your honesty.
The perfect scenario would be if it became a PS+ offering. That would be sweet. But given a physical release coming, I seriously doubt that anytime soon.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Kidfried

@Th3solution With the game being in the App Store and such now, it's clearly it has reached its peak sales. And because of the console exclusivity for The Witness, it's clear that Sony's been in talks with the studio already. And there's been a lot of puzzle games on the Plus. So, I kinda see it happening rather sooner than later. But, who knows!

Kidfried

Octane

@Th3solution I have to agree with Kidfried here. It's probably the best puzzle game I've ever played, and I would rank it in my top 5 PS4 games as well. It's a game I think everyone should play, if only to appreciate level design in that game, it's absolutely brilliant. There's a certain sense of exploration, and the rewards are often knowledge to solve other puzzles. The game has arguably more ''aha!'' moments than any other game I've played.

However, if you're not into puzzles games at all, it is difficult to recommend. Then again, it's a difficult game to explain or recommend in the first place. As much as I hate to say it, it's a game you need to play, preferably complete, to fully get why people are raving about it. If you were to play it for thirty minutes, I absolutely understand it if you wouldn't get what I'm talking about, and you're probably wondering why it wasn't a free level-based puzzle game on your phone.

Have you ever played Fez by the way?

Octane

Th3solution

@Octane Thanks for your perspective as well. Umm, no I haven’t played Fez. I do have it in my library due to it being a former PS plus game. In fact I think I went so far as to download it onto my hard drive but never played it. (I’d have to check when I get home from work). It just never caught my eye enough though to fire it up and try it. Is it similar?

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Octane

@Th3solution In the sense that it's a game that requires pen and paper, and doesn't mind breaking the fourth wall. Both games are also incredibly easy and dull if you use a guide, because the satisfaction comes from finding the solutions to puzzles on your own.

But yeah, The Witness is a puzzle game, and you either like them or you don't, because the experience is so different from a traditional action game.

Octane

kyleforrester87

@Th3solution If you want a zen puzzle game I'll recommend Fez until I'm dead. It's got a great world, simple puzzles, stupid hard puzzles, beautiful music, great lore.

Plus it's out on iPhone now!

Edit: I see another recommendation for Fez above. Very good. If you have it why are you not playing it already. It's not just another generic indie game! It is, in my mind, one of the best games ever made

Edited on by kyleforrester87

kyleforrester87

PSN: WigSplitter1987

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