We agree this masterpiece was 2016's GOTY, right? >inb4

We're so far past the point of realizing that developers have no new ideas, and can do nothing but increase the fidelity on the same old crap, that's it's not even worth commenting on anymore

The innovative ideas of 20 years ago, that haven't already been implemented into modern AAA console crap, have been largely forgotten, because complexity or difficulty, or emergent interaction is simply not profitable to the target audience of low brow starbucks-tier shit like this game you've mentioned

These problems aren't going away, because each new audience is unaware that all of this territory has been covered by old, better games, while marketers and merchants get more efficient at draining money from underage idiots. Compare television and movies for confirmation.

>>376596354
None of what you said applies to The Witness, though

>>376596436
you're right, "move the wood pieces around" puzzles have been around for centuries, so I was being generous

Too many brainy puzzles
The ones that used the environment or made you think outside the box were cool as fuck and I loved the game when I was doing them, but then there's ones where you just need to stare are the panel and think forever until you figure it out, which you never will if you're me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDxxwFLs0d8

>>376596142

I'll be honest, it was simply too difficult to be considered a good game for me.

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>>376596142
All the puzzles were pretty fun except the tree zone, turned the game into home work. Didn't finish it but I hop back in every now and then, realize I forgot all the rules and quit again.

Wish I had more free time so I could have done it all in a weekend.

>>376598331

That's definitely a big problem I got near the end and had to take a break and now going back is an insurmountable task because I'm nit equipped with all the rules but fuck if I'm gonna replay

>>376596142

It was the game that I personally spent the most time with and enjoyed the most in 2016.

But to be fair, I didn't play that many other games, so I can't really give an educated opinion on whether it was the best.

>>376598441
There's probably an online cheat sheet that gives you the rules for the puzzle's without outright spoiling them.

>>376598331
>except the tree zone

You mean the ones based on sound?

Or the treehouse area with the folding walkways?

I liked both a lot.

>>376596481
But there aren't any puzzles like that in The Witness.

>>376598543
Yeah, you can look up the rules for the different icons on their own, without having any puzzles spoiled.

Id rather just play myst

>>376596142
fantastic game, the island itself is a work of art imo, it felt real, and not designed.

>>376596354
Yeah. Okay.

I appreciate you typing all that out. I'll just add it to my huge stack of harsh realities in art and entertainment that I have to come to terms with.

I didn't play the full game because I didn't like the repetitive line puzzles, shouldn't have even been in the game. I was very disappointed I paid for the equivalent of a book of mazes

>>376598792
Which is quite an achievement considering the ridiculous proximity of the biomes.

I has quite pleased to notice how the different areas tint your vision in different colors to support the intended feel. I don't think I've seen that done dynamically before.

>>376598864
you look dumb for buying the game without knowing that a lot of it would be maze puzzles

>>376598580
Treehouse with the walkways. Sound puzzles were pretty fun.

Overall I'd say I loved finding out the rules of the world but hated having to prove I figured out the rules again and again. But its a game about obsession and mastery

the Tetris ones made me quit.
pretty good before those.

I always avoided puzzle games, but the witness made me fall in love with them

>>376598931
yeah man, this was a great game to just walk in, and i'm sure if it was lighter on puzzles it would be considered on of em walking simulators which i hate, so i'm glad there actually a game in there, but the island is just so full of life for having no life in it, it's really weird how i feel about it.

>>376598792
Does anyone have the image of the island reflection and it's a woman praying?

It still blows my mind how much detail is in the island.

>>376598948
I didn't see it as much as proving that I knew the rules as overcoming the extra curveballs that were thrown in with every new puzzle.

Stayed pretty fresh with me throughout all the obvious puzzles.

Finding the environmental ones was where it sometimes got trickier than I fully enjoyed. But many were super fucking clever too.

>>376596481
I think of the Witness as less a game and more of an achievement in teaching people how to do something through progressive learning without having to outright tell them using language.

Granted, it's not that terribly exciting when applied to line puzzles. And most games lay down a foundation through language and teaching and have good implicit learning (can't give a good example given how dumbed down most things are). It would be nice if that sort of learning was applied to AAA titles instead of flashing on your screen "SHOOT THIS"

just realized, this would have been absolutely perfect for Switch. I wish my first play was on it.
figuring things out on my 40min transit to work/home....aww.

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It was great, because it was definitely more of art exhibit than a "game."

This was clearly deliberate choice on the part of Blow.

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personally i love any game that makes me bust out a notebook and a pencil and take notes. there was fez and then this one.

>>376599071
there's a fuckton of stuff like that in the island
http://www.ign.com/wikis/the-witness/Perspective_Easter_Eggs

>>376599061
All the variety really keeps it fresh without a single animated creature in there.

When it first came out, I was scared it was going to just be an "exploration sim" too, but I was hooked when I saw the puzzles.

It's literally a smartphone app of line drawing puzzles gussied up in incredibly pretentious set dressing.

It's for someone, but that someone is not me.

>>376599238
Sheeit, I've been finding a lot of the hidden art, but that one escaped me. And I've sailed past there a hundred times.

I think the koi are one of my favorites. And the man lighting a fire on the burned tree.

my only disappointment was there was no reward for doing 523+135+6 puzzles
do you guys think there's anything undiscovered in the game yet?

>>376599301
It gets considerably more technical and out-of-the-box than what would be pleasant to play on a phone I think.

>>376599413
which is weird cuz it seems to still be coming to phones. i would have hated if my experience with the game was on a tiny screen and using on screen buttons to walk

>>376599397
Your reward was always just more puzzles. Through the whole game.

Just like your reward in all Mario games is just more levels.

And I guess the fake ending with its Willy Wonka reference could be called a reward, but I dunno.

>>376599479
I'd love to have it on Switch though.

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>>376599301

That's missing the entire point of the game was made.

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If I like this game that means I'm smart, right? RIGHT GUYS

>>376599547
What was the point then? Solve line drawing puzzles to get more line drawing puzzles to solve and videos of people talking about philosophy or whatever. It thinks it's so fucking "smart."

>>376599485
i don't mean like a new ending or something, just something signaling that you've done everything. not that important, it's just something that would have been nice.

>>376599539
fuck. yes. i just love the actual switch hardware so much at this point that i want everything on it. witness would be nice, but also it would be a good excuse to replay older indie games that i haven't touched in a long time. i would love fez on it. thankfully one of my favorites, cave story, is coming.

>>376599592
Sure. Naturally, if you dislike it, it means you're even smarter.

>>376599658
what's the point of any game? it just created a completely realized universe and atmosphere with the puzzles and the island. and it really wasn't trying saying anything with the audio logs and the video clips, since not all of them have the same message, it was trying to open your mind to new ideas and concepts with those, which i really liked.

>>376599658
To me the whole point was doing line puzzles with an interesting learning experience. Throw in some really appealing art displays focusing on perspective.

The voice acted bits in the tapes and philosophy was fucking retarded. It actively detracted from the game how fucking senseless it was. I get it, we're exploring someone's (Blow's) brain. The mess of philosophical concepts and scientists didn't give anything any focus.

>>376599685
I don't have a Switch yet myself, but there's a stack of games that would really draw me in.

If we were having this thread six hours from now, a lot of people would have been shouting about The Talos Principle. That and Obduction would be great on Switch I feel. And as you say, Fez might actually fit nicely as well.

Cave Story I'd replay for going to hell. Didn't make it to that part when I played it back then.

>>376599940
>The mess of philosophical concepts and scientists didn't give anything any focus
was it supposed to? i just felt like it was a way of blow sharing a bunch of random stuff with the players, and they were completely hidden and optional so i don't know why they would detract you from the gam

>>376599658
And it sort of is.

But you can play the game for any reason you like.

If you just like solving puzzles, you don't HAVE to feel smart. The creator doesn't say that he's smart. He just playes sound clips and videos of people he thought were smart.

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>>376599658

The game is about perception. There are many ways to perceive things, both artistically and in reality.

You explore the island and notice things. You eventually perceive the different types of puzzles within the game -- and this is one aspect of perception that is made a part of game mechanics.

You can notice the visuals on the island, and your perception of the island is expanded. You look for new things. You realize more.

You watch the videos. They present different ways of looking at the world -- of the different philosophies and modes of realizing and perceiving.

This isn't '2smart4u' bullshit. This is literally the explicit intention, and most of the videos outright make this claim. The audiologs are just people sharing the perspectives or making claims.

>>376599978
>I don't have a Switch yet myself
do it. i'm not really a nintenfag, at least when it comes to their consoles (skipped wii and wiiu but love their handhelds) but it's just so comfy to play the same game in your bed and on your tv, and the library seems to be shaping up nicely.

>>376596142
>We agree this masterpiece was 2016's GOTY, right?
With the competition being nudoom? No.

>>376600270
I could see myself really enjoying the comfort of switching between the different modes as well.

I have a Wii U and still use off-tv quite a lot.

>>376600057
I guess it felt like it detracted from the game because it wasted my fucking time. I expended brain power listening to the tapes and seeing if Blow had some plan for all the lessons but no, they were just a mess of shit that I didn't care about.

I could be made interested about something I don't care about if the payout was nice. But there was no big moment, no huge point to it all. It was just bullshit quotes read by overpaid voice actors and secret "I have a recorder in my pocket recording this conversation" shit that was - I don't even know how to describe it.

It was like he made a director's commentary and fucking HID the pieces and scattered them everywhere. It was fucking frustrating to learn it was "I put this here because I like it" instead of "I put this here because anyone could like this" as is the case with the reflections and perspective art pieces. If he wanted to showcase what he liked then fine, do so, do it in an audio commentary as we play the game. But you put a fucking sound clip there with ZERO context and after the frustration of no reveal I feel like I'm in the right to call him a pretentious shit.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the game. But all he fucking had to do was just tell people, "the tapes are ideas I wish to share with you" because learning it had no cohesiveness was probably the biggest "fuck you" I've felt in a game in a long time.

>>376600376
>nudoom

Kind of an "oh yeah that happened" moment for me, but I can see why people would dig it.

>>376600495
i get why you feel that way but
>learning it had no cohesiveness was probably the biggest "fuck you" I've felt in a game in a long time
how did you not realize this after the first few you found? what made you think they would come together in some way?

>>376600495
I can see why it would be frustrating if you kept anticipating it all to form a grander meaning.

Personally I think I quite quickly caught on to the quotes all being mood pieces rather than clues of any sort, as they all ended with a citation, and most just highlighted aspects of the duality also expressed in the art.

Ultimately the island itself and everything on it is also just there as a very convenient wrapper for the puzzles.

What I took away form it was that puzzles set up rules within their own framework that can make you reflect on the rules of your own existence.

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I can appreciate what the game is going for but the repetitious puzzle solving just isn't for me. I'd rather play Myst and Riven, which has a similar intentionally vague style of puzzle solving but done far better in my opinion.

As far as GOTY 2016 for me goes there's no contest.

>>376600912

I like Myst a lot, but I found I likes the hard rules of the puzzles in Witness even better.

The concept just kept expanding and revealing new quirks.

But I both like classic point and clicks AND something like Picross 3D and sudoku puzzles.

>>376600631
Because I believe in Chekov's Gun when it comes to art. Why put it there if it has no purpose.

It took me too long to realize it was all bullshit because I was reading articles and talking to people listening to them suck Blow's dick over the artistic value in the game. I failed to realize they were either only talking about the visual art or were complete faggots who think oxidizing metal with piss is fine-art.

>>376600786
>Ultimately the island itself and everything on it is also just there as a very convenient wrapper for the puzzles.
Yeah, and it did a wonderful job of it.

At the end of the day, I came to the conclusion that if the subject matter of the tapes is something that someone values that highly, that is the sort of person I don't want to spend much time with.

I'm a fairly average thinker; but I do know a lot. And I've learned a lot to appreciate the depth of things. But (most of) the subject matter was next-level intellectual bullshit that for the most part

I understand I have no good reason to get as pissed as I am. It's that after Braid and this I feel like Blow is shit at communicating through his games; which is fucking weird as he's a very interesting speaker.

>>376601131
See what's weird is that I love Picross, but I think the disconnect between the explorable island and the puzzles is what turned me off from The Witness. Ironically despite the complaint often thrown at it that it could just as easily be a smartphone app with line puzzles I think I would actually prefer it that way.

>>376601218
>Braid
i don't like using the word pretentious but you gotta know that blow is pretentious, i fully expect his next game to have something like the story of braid or the tapes of witness. he's a great game designer, so i learned to appreciate the games besides those things. but again, the tapes were all over the place in their message so from the get go i realized he's just quoting stuff he found interesting.

Fuck that puzzle in the mountain with the pulsating lights. Really hurt my eyes and stopped playing right there.

I'm contemplating just looking up the solution to just that puzzle and keep going, but I fucking hate Blow for putting that in there!

>>376601353
But that's where the game gets you. The two seem disconnected at first, but you gradually discover than they aren't at all.

>>376601465
Alright. That's an opinion.

>>376601431
I don't like using the word pretentious either but any conversation I have about Blow's games has to establish from the get-go that he's super pretentious.

I've wasted more than enough time than I care to admit talking about the meaning behind Blow's "storytelling" and the ultimate conclusion I came to for myself is that it's a waste of time and it yields me no intellectual value from how he presents it.

I'm going to be interested in playing his next game. But I know better now than to care about anything but the mechanics of the game.

>>376601431
If he's pretentious, then what is he pretending?

I hear it through around a lot without much explanation.

Who /challenge/ here?

>>376601845
Are you talking about how there are puzzles hidden in the environment under the right perspective? That was pretty cool and ties into the whole perspective theme quite nicely but I still feel it could have gone even farther than that.

>>376601947
> characterized by assumption of dignity or importance, especially when exaggerated or undeserved:

>>376601218
I didn't feel I had to understand all the philophy and old timey spiritual meandering that was on display in The Witness, but I did appreciate what it added to the mood of the game.

This 50-60s upperclass intellectual setting where a sufficiently eccentric billionaire really could orchestrate the construction of a whole island like that.

He're hoping Blow's next game communicates better to everyone, so no-one is pissed off. I certainly feel The Witness was a step up from Braid.

>>376600201
>you can look at things from different perspectives

I didn't need those long ass videos to realize that.

>>376597936
>I feel like after playing the witness, I learned a lot more about myself then I did about my character
lol fuck you

>>376602374
lol he actually says it lmao

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>>376601953
That shit was so satisfying

>>376602035
Also how the shadows and reflection of different parts of the environtment are used with the touch screen puzzles.

And how parts are layered behind or on top of some puzzles.

Many of the puzzles that people say could just be on a smartphone wouldn't have their clever solutions at all unless you had the 3D world around them.

An the shapes and concepts in the labyrinths often mimick the concept and artwork of the surrounding area.

>>376602048
Well I don't really see how that applies.

Youre free in Blow's games to disregard all the things that don't pertain to the core mechanics themselves, and he never draws lines back to himself as being particularly clever.

If anything he hightlights in The Witness how long it took working with the concept for it to be legible to anyone else at all.

>>376602374
Why is that a bad thing to say?

>>376596142
no, it was second after Stephen's Sausage Roll

>>376603008

a

men

Altough I'm just getting to play that now, as I wanted to be completely done with The Witness before starting that.

It's so fucking unforgiving it's complex use of such a simple premise. It's like playing chess against fucking Skynet.

>>376603008
>>376603123
i'm very curious about it but it seems pricy for what it looks to be like. is it worth 30$?

>>376603431
it's good if you have patience with solving a single puzzle since it can take up to an hour

also it's $10 on some newest humblebundle

>>376603431
Try his free game Block Push Championship.

It's sort of like that, only more complex, a lot bigger, and much much harder.

>>376603501
>>376603597
i like hard as fuck puzzles, i'll see how i can get it, thanks

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>>376596142
The puzzles itself are OK however, with all the visuals the game has (which I find it to be fucking beautiful), it feels out of place.

The game could have use its design to make puzzles that aren't just lines and shit. Something like The Talos Principle and/or Portal type of puzzles would work well with the games atmosphere and graphics.

I can barely remember any games that came out in 2016 it was that awful

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>GOTY 2016
no