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The Witness (Video Game)

 The Witness (Video Game)
type
TVTItem
 The Witness (Video Game)
label
The Witness (Video Game)
 The Witness (Video Game)
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TheWitness
 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness is a 2016 adventure/puzzle video game by Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid.The game has you control an unnamed, unseen Player Character stranded on an island filled with beautiful vegetation and buildings but completely devoid of human life. Scattered across the island are audio recordings offering the esoteric backstory of this place and numerous puzzles that must be solved in order to progress further into various sections of the world. The player must ultimately activate seven of eleven total beacons in order to gain access to the island's mountain and discover just what this place is and what happened here.The Witness began development shortly after the release of Braid; in all, seven years were spent making the game, resulting in a near-four year Schedule Slip for its release date. The game itself is a Call-Back to adventure games such as Myst, albeit through Blow's particular lens.In 2022, the Deconstruction Game The Looker was released, being an Affectionate Parody of The Witness.Not to be confused with the 1983 Interactive Fiction game from Infocom with the same name.
 The Witness (Video Game)
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2024-04-15T02:17:28Z
 The Witness (Video Game)
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2024-04-15T02:17:28Z
 The Witness (Video Game)
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Dropped link to Braid: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Witness (Video Game)
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Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Witness (Video Game)
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Dropped link to Connections: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Witness (Video Game)
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Dropped link to HackingMiniGame: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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DBTropes
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_10937270
type
Noisy Nature
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_10937270
comment
Noisy Nature: When walking around the jungle, you'll hear lots of bird sounds like chirps. Subverted in that, as you'll soon realize, they're actually artificial sounds created by speakers placed around the area.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_10937270
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-0.3
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_10937270
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_10937270
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_13bcec18
type
Absurdly Long Wait
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_13bcec18
comment
Absurdly Long Wait: If you want 100% completion (ie. solve every single puzzle in the game) you'd better be prepared for a ridiculously long wait. One of the puzzles requires watching a video of an eclipse that's over 50 minutes long. (The camera must be pointing at the video the entire time or else the puzzle cannot be completed. Meaning the player cannot do anything else in the game while waiting.) Speedrunning of this game has a 99.8% category which requires solving every puzzle in the game except this one (because the speedrunner literally cannot do anything during this puzzle than wait for over 50 minutes. In fact, there's a 100% speedrun that has the speedrunner get up from their chair, leave their house, order fast food, come back, and eat it, all in the duration of this puzzle.)
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_13bcec18
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1.0
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_13bcec18
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_13dcb20b
type
Antepiece
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_13dcb20b
comment
Antepiece: Most areas begin with a short set of puzzles, which are so simple that can be solved without understanding the area's rules yet, but usually show the player how future puzzles in that area will work. What's more, the game's starting area is composed of basic maze puzzles which serve as the basis for every following puzzle in the game, and right after leaving the starting area, there are two set of puzzles that teach about squares and dots respectively, which are involved in lots of puzzles in the laser areas.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_13dcb20b
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1.0
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_13dcb20b
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_15756c9d
type
Where It All Began
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_15756c9d
comment
Where It All Began: The Golden Ending is accessed by solving an environmental puzzle using the gate from the starting area. Of course, one of the first things the player does is turn the gate off, making solving it impossible; to turn it on again, they have to activate all of the lasers and complete most of the puzzles in the End to access the Caverns and find the gate's reactivation pattern. This journey clues the player in on the existence of environmental puzzles, which they'll need to find the ending, and, through audio logs, gives them backstory context they'll need to appreciate it.[[note]]Of course, if the player just so happens to have figured out environmental puzzles within the first few minutes of the game, they can access the Golden Ending right away.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_15756c9d
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_15756c9d
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18aff462
type
Artistic License – Biology
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18aff462
comment
Artistic License – Biology: Out of all the rooms inside the greenhouse, the one with green light is probably the most prominent: it provides the main difficulty for the elevator puzzle, it's harder to reach compared to the other rooms, it contains an audio log and an environmental puzzle, and it's the only one which can be seen from the outside. It's ironic that the green room was chosen to be this way, considering it's also the most unrealistic, since green light is not a good choice for a greenhouse. Chlorophyll absorbs light throughout the visible spectrum, but mostly in the blue and red regions and very little in the green region (in fact, of all the many pigments that plants use to absorb light, none of them absorb much green light).note This is actually a form of protection. The sun gives off the most amount of its energy as visible light in the green region of the spectrum (483-520 nm). Chlorophyll is easily destroyed by too much energy, and when the pigments break down and stop absorbing light entering the plant, that energy can cause damage to other plant tissues as well, including the plants DNA. Think of it as a sort of plant sunburn. Plants look green because they reflect green rather than use it.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18aff462
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18aff462
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_18aff462
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18eb5500
type
Beautiful Void
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18eb5500
comment
Beautiful Void: Lots of buildings and mechanisms abound, with nary a person in sight.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18eb5500
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_18eb5500
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_18eb5500
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_234073a4
type
Your Mind Makes It Real
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_234073a4
comment
Your Mind Makes It Real: The hidden ending, as well as the hidden audio logs, reveal the true purpose of the Island (as well as the game's plot): an elaborate virtual reality simulation in which metaphysical thoughts are amplified. Once inside, it can become increasingly difficult to distinguish if the Island is real life or a simulation. The audio logs suggest that the first "proper" test of the Island will include someone coming back to reality only when they want to; the hidden ending reveals the player actually returning to reality, unable to interact with objects in a way outside of the Island's parameters.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_234073a4
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_234073a4
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_234073a4
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_27f3fc7
type
Tutorial Failure
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_27f3fc7
comment
Tutorial Failure: The game tends not to explain game mechanics and instead use antepieces, by placing a series of simple puzzles at the beginning of each area that explain the basic mechanic relevant to the area, so that more complex puzzles can come after the player is already accustomed to the mechanic. However, there are several cases where some of these basic mechanics are not well explained, as many players seem to struggle in the same specific points due to not understanding what they’re supposed to do. The mechanic behind colored squares is that squares of different colors can’t be grouped together, lines must be drawn so that each section has only squares of a single color. However, the tutorial for squares features clearly defined sets of squares, and all solutions merely involve drawing a line at the intersection of those sets. Many players leave the starting area believing that the mechanic requires separating the sets, which later poses a problem when trying to open the doors for the quarry and the greenhouses. The puzzles there can’t be solved by just separating the sets, so the sets must be broken - which may leave a player stumbling for a while until the realization that it’s something allowed. The mechanic behind tetrominos is that lines must be drawn so that the different sections have the same shape as the tetromino. Players will soon understand that, when there are several tetrominos, the drawn sections can stack together, instead of having each tetromino enclosed in its own section separated from all others. However, something harder to understand is that the tetromino doesn’t have to be placed in the same shape that is forcing, as long as it’s inside the same drawn section as said shape. Coming to that realization is a big jump of logic; some players will soon make that jump, while many others will struggle a lot and get stuck for a while at the first puzzle that requires it. This is the only example here where the game actually tries to explain the conflicting mechanic, but even then, it’s only through one puzzle out of the fourteen that comprise the tutorial for tetrominos, so it doesn’t really work well. The mechanic behind stars is that each start must be grouped with one, and only one, figure of the same color as the star. This is the actual rule; however, 95% of the time, puzzles will merely require to group stars in pairs, so that the two stars satisfy each other. Since it takes a while for the game to move past that, by that time, it’s very easy for the player to have deeply ingrained the notion that rule is merely “group stars in pairs�. When the time of understanding the real rule comes, coming to the realization is another big jump of logic; again, some players will soon make that jump, while many others will struggle a lot and get stuck for a while. The most infuriating part is that this particular example seems to have been designed deliberately, as there’s a simple puzzle that could easily bridge said jump of logic, but the game places it right after the first puzzle that requires that jump, when it’s no longer needed.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_27f3fc7
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_27f3fc7
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_293e404e
type
Island of Mystery
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_293e404e
comment
Island of Mystery: The game takes place in an island with both ancient ruins and abandoned technology, which features strange phenomena, such as the obelisks that are activated by drawing specific shapes around the island, as well as a high-tech complex inside the mountain.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_293e404e
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_293e404e
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_29a39f6
type
Easter Egg
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_29a39f6
comment
Easter Egg: The sand castle from the cover of Braid is found in the sand pits of a glass blowing workshop. Several tableaux appear throughout the game and require the player to stand in a specific position in order to see them.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_29a39f6
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_29a39f6
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_29c50e28
type
Trial-and-Error Gameplay
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_29c50e28
comment
Trial-and-Error Gameplay: A few (optional) puzzles have hidden elements that light up only when you miss them.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_29c50e28
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_29c50e28
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_29c50e28
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2bc0fc4d
type
Ice-Cream Koan
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2bc0fc4d
comment
Ice-Cream Koan: Somewhat discussed in one of the audio recordings about Zen koans, which describe them as a sort of Logic Bomb wherein the point is for your mind to not dwell on the words too deeply.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2bc0fc4d
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2bc0fc4d
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_2bc0fc4d
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2dc35926
type
Ghost Ship
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2dc35926
comment
Ghost Ship: There's a derelict ship stationed in the northeast section of the island, accesible through a back door in the keep which leads a path across the cliffs. The game doesn't explain how it ended up in that state. It's somewhat empty, as it doesn't have any laser-related puzzles, containing only a few optional things such as an audio log, a discarded panel with a triangle puzzle and several environmental puzzles. However, what makes it creepy, apart from the feeling of abandonement, is the strange noises that can be heard in the cabin. They are merely dripping water and the ship creaking, and they're involved in one particular sound puzzle that's also found there, but the fact that no other part of the game features such sounds is quite disturbing.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2dc35926
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 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2dc35926
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_2dc35926
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2f2f5b3f
type
Hedge Maze
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2f2f5b3f
comment
Hedge Maze: The keep on the north side of the island features two different ways of activating the laser. One of them involves navigating through such mazes and inputting a specific path into the panel.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2f2f5b3f
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_2f2f5b3f
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_2f2f5b3f
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3ac5110b
type
Unintentionally Unwinnable
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3ac5110b
comment
Unintentionally Unwinnable: The game generally makes a good effort to avoid having Permanently Missable Content, or letting players get stuck in areas. However, the swamp may be the exception: it's a tricky area to navigate, with several sections involving platforms that move when an associated panel is activated. The problem comes when said platforms can be triggered to move without the player standing on them (which is actually required for some of the environmental puzzles), and the control panel unable to be used to move the platform back. Sometimes, you may be able to cimcurvent this by taking a ride on the boat or using one of the unlockable shortcuts to get to the now unreachable location. If that's not the case, you're going to have a really bad time finding a spot which gives you the perspective to activate a panel from a long distance that doesn't even allow you to see what you're doing (and that's if you can remember what the solution was). This is a particularly painful example.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3ac5110b
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3ac5110b
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_3ac5110b
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3d1d5186
type
Bubblegloop Swamp
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3d1d5186
comment
Bubblegloop Swamp: A swampy area is found in the easternmost part of the island.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3d1d5186
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_3d1d5186
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_3d1d5186
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_41a3e267
type
Hidden in Plain Sight
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_41a3e267
comment
Hidden in Plain Sight: The environmental puzzles.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_41a3e267
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_41a3e267
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_41a3e267
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_42d9daf9
type
No Fair Cheating
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_42d9daf9
comment
No Fair Cheating: If you pause at any point during The Challenge, the entire sequence resets and you have to start all over. The PS4 port has a sort of loophole by putting the console in rest mode, which suspends the game state and does not count as a pause. This was later patched in an update, mostly to the dismay of trophy hunters.note Through patch reversion it is still possible to take advantage of this loophole, however, the player will need to restart from a fresh save file, as loading up a save file from a newer version while playing on an older version of the game will crash the game.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_42d9daf9
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_42d9daf9
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_42d9daf9
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_47e4f5f5
type
Golden Ending
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_47e4f5f5
comment
Arguably the game's final puzzle happens just before the end of the Golden Ending - a puzzle that turns on a light in a darkened room. The room is revealed to be impressively photorealistic - because it's actually represented by an FMV you control by walking backward and forward. Lying on the couch is a motionless figure with a sheet over it, hooked up to an IV and lying near a computer monitor. To find out who the figure is, simply walk to the end of the path...
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_47e4f5f5
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_47e4f5f5
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_47e4f5f5
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_49d59be9
type
Scenery Porn
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_49d59be9
comment
Scenery Porn: The island has a very beautiful, stylized look to it. As soon as you open the gate in the tutorial area, you're able to climb up on the second level of the starting point and look out at all of it.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_49d59be9
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1.0
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_49d59be9
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4a3e547f
type
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4a3e547f
comment
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The prize for completing a hidden, difficult-to-achieve reward is a lecture that talks about why hidden, difficult-to-achieve rewards shouldn't be the coolest part of a game. Naturally, the hidden achievement was one of the most talked about part of the game from players, because it was so cool (and the lecture was actually well-researched, too.) One of the game's earliest secrets, a hidden area outside the walls of the opening area, includes an audio recording of a quote about 'the society of true searchers'. An audio recording on top of the mountain, from which the entire gameworld can be seen, has an audio recording about the mental influence of seeing the Earth from space. In-universe, the projection room contains a special puzzle with countless possible paths, only six of which (found in the vaults) unlock videos. The easiest projection room video to unlock begins with a dramatic orchestra note and an explosion, followed by the words, "Well, that's no better a solution than any of the others, is it?"
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4a3e547f
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4a3e547f
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_4a3e547f
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: "What?" The line appears on two audio logs. The first time it ends an audiolog about boats found in the treehouse area, and is the only one up to that point that'll do that. Until then, players are just expected to think the audiologs are just random banter, so the "What?" line comes off as a hook for something else going on. Later on in the Expert section of the mountain, one of the first audiologs you can find is the same one from before, but it continues to run well after the quotation is read, and is where the plot of the game starts to be revealed.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7c4536
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7c4536
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7f703c
type
Wham Shot
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7f703c
comment
Wham Shot: Arguably the game's final puzzle happens just before the end of the Golden Ending - a puzzle that turns on a light in a darkened room. The room is revealed to be impressively photorealistic - because it's actually represented by an FMV you control by walking backward and forward. Lying on the couch is a motionless figure with a sheet over it, hooked up to an IV and lying near a computer monitor. To find out who the figure is, simply walk to the end of the path... Before that, there's the first big Reveal on top of the Mountain, with a puzzle panel that doesn't do anything and a river that looks exactly like it below.... The river can be interacted with and solved just like the panel. Although inquisitive players will likely discover that Reveal by themselves much earlier.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7f703c
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1.0
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_4e7f703c
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4eaa9b84
type
Author Tract
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4eaa9b84
comment
Author Tract: The lengthy audio excerpt from NASA astronaut and aeronautical engineer Russell Schweickart's No Frames, No Boundaries, with how interconnected we can become with our surroundings, comes off as this. Bonus points for the audio recorder containing this message appearing on the top of the mountain, after you've probably explored everything else. The projection room, where solving one puzzle six different ways shows videos elaborating on the theme of the game, including James Burke contemplating "the key to change is the key of the world" (from the "Yesterday, Tomorrow and You" episode of Connections); and of American guru Gangaji, who implores her followers to stop looking for what they want, "not cynically, but innocently and openly."
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_4eaa9b84
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1.0
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_4eaa9b84
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_5541da8c
type
Lotus-Eater Machine
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_5541da8c
comment
Lotus-Eater Machine: The island itself.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_5541da8c
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_5541da8c
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 The Witness (Video Game)
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_5541da8c
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_558ae6f6
type
Moon Logic Puzzle
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_558ae6f6
comment
Moon Logic Puzzle: Usually averted. Even if a puzzle doesn't seem to make sense, there is a logical explanation for its mechanics. However, there's one particular puzzle in the jungle (specifically, the last puzzle in the first set) that's so excruciatingly hard and makes so little sense, that even the most hardcore fans who otherwise tell people not to use walkthroughs will make an exception with this puzzle, and often refer to it as "the one single puzzle I had to brute force". There have been many debates, after figuring out the solution, about exactly why is right. The puzzle requires to input a five-note audionote There's been a debate about whether it's composed of four or five. Word of God has said they're indeed five notes, and has anyway been confirmed through spectral analysis. into a panel that only has room for four notes (to complicate things further, there's another audio that is meant to be a distraction but does have four notes). The most commonly accepted explanation is that the puzzle asks you to think of the audio as one continuous sound, and sort of "plot" the local max and min pitches on the panel, although that goes against every single other puzzle in the area, whose rule is that the line has to match the notes precisely.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_558ae6f6
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_558ae6f6
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_56a6927b
type
All the Worlds Are a Stage
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_56a6927b
comment
All the Worlds Are a Stage: The town serves as one of these, requiring knowledge of all the mechanics introduced over the rest of the island to gain access to its beacon. Of course, unless the player is going for 100% Completion they can skip the town entirely as only seven beacons must be lit. The inside of the mountain also qualifies, with a healthy bit of Interface Screw thrown in for good measure.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_56a6927b
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_56a6927b
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_5ce7dbb9
type
Central Theme
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_5ce7dbb9
comment
Central Theme: Many of the audio logs revolve around zen and introspection, with the lack of music, eerie atmosphere and simplistic looking puzzles allowing focus on what's going on directly. Even the developers of the island experience some of it while working on the simulation. The island itself is supposed to be this personified for whomever is within.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_5ce7dbb9
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1.0
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_5ce7dbb9
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6126185e
type
You Wake Up in a Room
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6126185e
comment
You Wake Up in a Room: You start in a metal tube which leads up onto a patio, via a small cave.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6126185e
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6126185e
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_6126185e
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_652bf890
type
Drone of Dread
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_652bf890
comment
Drone of Dread: As there is no score, the environments will give off subtle ambient cues — and some of the plot-heavy areas fall squarely into this trope.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_652bf890
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1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_652bf890
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The Witness (Video Game) / int_652bf890
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_659ea609
type
Techno Wreckage
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_659ea609
comment
Techno Wreckage: All those wires and discarded panels scattered around the island definitely give this vibe, which only gets increased when you enter inside the mountain.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_659ea609
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_659ea609
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_659ea609
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66f763c0
type
Interface Screw
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66f763c0
comment
Interface Screw: Objects such as trees and rocks can block panels depending on what angle they are looked at, preventing one from drawing lines through the obstructing objects and forcing the player to find the proper angle to observe the panel from. The endgame area features increasingly broken puzzle panels whose grid rotates or moves, panels that flash rainbow colors and make it hard to discern the true color of symbols, and a set of panels which you control simultaneously and must solve all at once.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66f763c0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66f763c0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_66f763c0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66ff9acc
type
Edge Gravity
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66ff9acc
comment
Edge Gravity: The player is entirely incapable of falling off of anything. Then again, they can't jump, either.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66ff9acc
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_66ff9acc
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_66ff9acc
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b2b3b59
type
The Reveal
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b2b3b59
comment
Before that, there's the first big Reveal on top of the Mountain, with a puzzle panel that doesn't do anything and a river that looks exactly like it below.... The river can be interacted with and solved just like the panel. Although inquisitive players will likely discover that Reveal by themselves much earlier.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b2b3b59
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b2b3b59
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b2b3b59
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b7c9f96
type
The Lost Woods
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b7c9f96
comment
The Lost Woods: Forests make up the greater portion of the island, but the Jungle in particular epitomizes this. It's very easy to get lost in, and part of the difficulty of its line of puzzles is finding each set of puzzle panels in the first place.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b7c9f96
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b7c9f96
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_6b7c9f96
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dc84b96
type
The Tetris Effect
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dc84b96
comment
The Tetris Effect: One of the themes this game has is about seeing patterns in a game all over the world. The solution for multiple puzzles involves getting hints from the game world outside them, such as from the shape of a tree or from chirping birds. Certain puzzles involve painting lines on the game world itself, like drawing a line using a river as a path. And, to really hammer this theme home, the secret ending involves a full motion video of a person walking around a home office, paying focused attention to any instance of something resembling one of The Witness's puzzles.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dc84b96
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dc84b96
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dc84b96
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dcfdea6
type
Hard Light
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dcfdea6
comment
Hard Light: The gate blocking the way out of the starting area is made of this. As are the bridges inside the mountain.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dcfdea6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dcfdea6
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_6dcfdea6
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6ec989d8
type
Guide Dang It!
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6ec989d8
comment
Guide Dang It!: The mechanic of the orange triangle symbolnote  Your path must pass each square with triangle(s) in it such that the number of sides covered equates to the number of triangles. can be hard to ascertain as puzzles with those are at first only found in oft-obscure locations across the map, where they're too simple to infer the mechanic from. This becomes a problem later on, as knowledge of the mechanic is essentially required to solve the puzzle that unlocks the Underground Maze as well as several puzzles within it. Similarly, the rules for the â…„ symbol, as well as the hollow polyomino shapes, can be confusing at first, as they interact with other symbols sharing the same region in some way.note â…„ excludes one, and only one, "unsatisfied" symbol from the region (such as an uncovered hexagon, a white square among black squares, an unpaired (or third) star, etc.), while hollow polyomino shapes subtract themselves from solid shapes. The game generally does a good job of giving you sufficient clues to the solution of any given puzzle, but there are definite exceptions. The puzzles in the jungle, for example, appear to have no visible cue, and that's because they don't; they're the only puzzles in the game (with the exception of one in the Keep and the infamous Red Door puzzle) that rely on an AUDIO cue, specifically the chirping of birds in the background. The aforementioned Red Ship Door puzzle, which Blow himself hinted to be the single most difficult puzzle in the game. One of the main reasons is that the information you need to even understand what it is about are to be found into two different areas of the game. One of these is however inaccessible at the start of the game, while the other is rather small and well hidden and it's easy to miss it while exploring the way bigger and prominent landmarks of the game (like the ship itself).
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6ec989d8
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_6ec989d8
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_6ec989d8
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_715704e5
type
Jigsaw Puzzle Plot
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_715704e5
comment
Jigsaw Puzzle Plot: In a very literal sense. Not only does one have to solve puzzles in order to uncover the plot, but the plot itself is a carefully hidden puzzle, buried in a hidden section of the mountain, found in the form of audio recorders that provide their own clues as to what happened.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_715704e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_715704e5
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_715704e5
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_72c04e0d
type
Door to Before
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_72c04e0d
comment
The mangrove with the treehouse has its land access initially locked. You must reach it by boat, then unlock a Door to Before once there.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_72c04e0d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_72c04e0d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_72c04e0d
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_74ede509
type
Try Everything
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_74ede509
comment
Try Everything: A few puzzles have few enough possible path combinations that it's entirely possible, albeit time-consuming, to brute-force them. Many sets of panels attempt to prevent this by shutting off the current panel on failure, making you have to return to the previous panel and re-solve it (your previous solution remains visible, though). Generally, the first few tutorial puzzles for each new symbol expect the player to brute-force them, then look back after three or four puzzles and spot the pattern that allows them to deduce the rule for that symbol.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_74ede509
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_74ede509
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_74ede509
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77b009ea
type
Phrase Catcher
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77b009ea
comment
Phrase Catcher: The tutorial panels for the white and black squares tend to invariably receive from Letsplayers a lot of jokes about the mechanic consisting of separating white and black items.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77b009ea
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77b009ea
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_77b009ea
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77f6cc58
type
100% Completion
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77f6cc58
comment
The town serves as one of these, requiring knowledge of all the mechanics introduced over the rest of the island to gain access to its beacon. Of course, unless the player is going for 100% Completion they can skip the town entirely as only seven beacons must be lit.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77f6cc58
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_77f6cc58
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_77f6cc58
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_82accf22
type
Gainax Ending
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_82accf22
comment
Gainax Ending: The standard ending includes a flyover of the island wherein the entire thing resets and the player is returned to the starting point, as an excerpt of the Diamond Sutra is read.note The excerpt lists the ways to contemplate one's own existence in the world only, without the surrounding context provided in the link.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_82accf22
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_82accf22
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_82accf22
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_863fa679
type
What Happened to the Mouse?
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_863fa679
comment
What Happened to the Mouse?: Subverted. The people who inhabited the Island beforehand are never brought up over the course of the game — unless you get into the hidden areas of the mountain where it is revealed that the Island is a human-engineered Lotus-Eater Machine, designed to flood the senses with metaphysical thoughts to find the true purpose of existence. The previous inhabitants were the programmers who built the island. But we still don't exactly learn what happened to them either, though the walls of the monastery hint that they all fell victim to the Island in some way.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_863fa679
featureApplicability
-0.3
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_863fa679
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_863fa679
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_868e6134
type
Songs in the Key of Panic
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_868e6134
comment
Songs in the Key of Panic: A weird example, but "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is the last song to play during the Challenge. If the ending kicks in and you're not almost finished, it's your cue to give up and just start heading back to the record player.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_868e6134
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_868e6134
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_868e6134
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8bd16732
type
The Law of Conservation of Detail
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8bd16732
comment
The Law of Conservation of Detail: Blow made a point of noting in the run-up to The Witness' release that adventure games of the past didn't use this trope well: they would either render too many things in the game environment, confusing players on what objects to interact with; or, if text based, have a text parser so rudimentary that it couldn't be programmed with all of the nuanced phrases a player may randomly come up with. In The Witness, anything that can be interacted with is generally easy to spot (even if it's not easy to solve).
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8bd16732
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8bd16732
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_8bd16732
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8d0cb42f
type
Set Piece Puzzle
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8d0cb42f
comment
Set Piece Puzzle: The landscape is incorporated into many of the island's puzzles. And in plenty of instances, the landscape is the puzzle.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8d0cb42f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8d0cb42f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_8d0cb42f
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8e13875c
type
Death Mountain
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8e13875c
comment
Death Mountain: In the southeast lies a mountain, which you ultimately must scale to find out what happened.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8e13875c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_8e13875c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_8e13875c
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_94d0eb61
type
Lighthouse Point
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_94d0eb61
comment
Lighthouse Point: Interestingly, even though the game takes place in an island full of buildings, there's no lighthouse to be found. However, a peninsula in the southernmost section of the island features a ruined structure that is widely speculated to be a former lighthouse, considering its location (in a secluded peninsula which happens to be very close to the town).
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_94d0eb61
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_94d0eb61
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_94d0eb61
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_963086ce
type
Damn You, Muscle Memory!
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_963086ce
comment
Damn You, Muscle Memory!: The puzzles in The Challenge change each time you have to restart it. Pausing the game will count as a fail.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_963086ce
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_963086ce
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_963086ce
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_9cb3e22e
type
Interface Spoiler
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_9cb3e22e
comment
Interface Spoiler: After a while you figure out that if a mechanism moves verrrry slowly, it means there's an environmental puzzle nearby that can only be solved while the mechanism is in motion (which would be difficult to solve if the mechanism was moving at a more normal speed).
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_9cb3e22e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_9cb3e22e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_9cb3e22e
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
type
Homage
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
comment
Homage: Blow said that this is one to Myst and first-person 3D adventure games in general. Much of the imagery also brings to mind many classic Surrealist paintings.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a4cb54b4
type
Shifting Sand Land
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a4cb54b4
comment
Shifting Sand Land: The northwest portion of the island contains a desert and sandy cliffs, complete with a temple.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a4cb54b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a4cb54b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_a4cb54b4
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a836c7fb
type
Forest of Perpetual Autumn
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a836c7fb
comment
Forest of Perpetual Autumn: The game has an autumn-themed area in its Patchwork Map.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a836c7fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_a836c7fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_a836c7fb
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b3bdf232
type
Alien Geometries
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b3bdf232
comment
Alien Geometries: The resort unlocked in by the Easter Egg puzzle in the starting area. The walk from the entrance to the first scenic overlook is along a flat, level floor, but the overlook is about fifty feet above the entrance, and the structure is invisible from outside it. After this first overlook, there is an entrance to the mountain's caves, despite the mountain being in the opposite direction. Part of this cave features Wrap Around physics, as looking to the left or right will allow you to see The Challenge from different sides. Other scenic outlooks wrap around the entire island despite the very little distance traveled by the player, and this is before entering the Void Between the Worlds.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b3bdf232
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b3bdf232
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_b3bdf232
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b537784e
type
Fauxlosophic Narration
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b537784e
comment
Fauxlosophic Narration: The game is littered with audio recorders that read out quotations from the likes of theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, NASA astronaut Russell Schweickart, spiritual teacher Gangaji and astronomer Arthur Eddington; the quotes provide a very esoteric story for the game itself.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b537784e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b537784e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_b537784e
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b754128a
type
Windmill Scenery
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b754128a
comment
Windmill Scenery: There's a windmill near the town in the center of the island. It's an important place to visit, since its basement features an underground theatre, as well as a shortcut to the cave system beneath the island. However, apart from a few environmental puzzles involving the sails, the fact that it's a windmill is not relevant and it could pretty much have been any other type of building.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b754128a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_b754128a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_b754128a
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bb48f8ba
type
Timed Mission
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bb48f8ba
comment
Timed Mission: At least one door is timed and requires you to solve nearby puzzles in a specific fashion in order to get to it in time. There's also The Challenge, a sequence of randomized puzzles you have to complete before Grieg's "Anitra's Dance" and "Hall of the Mountain King" finish playing.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bb48f8ba
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bb48f8ba
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_bb48f8ba
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_be3e7584
type
Brutal Bonus Level
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_be3e7584
comment
The mechanic of the orange triangle symbolnote  Your path must pass each square with triangle(s) in it such that the number of sides covered equates to the number of triangles. can be hard to ascertain as puzzles with those are at first only found in oft-obscure locations across the map, where they're too simple to infer the mechanic from. This becomes a problem later on, as knowledge of the mechanic is essentially required to solve the puzzle that unlocks the Underground Maze as well as several puzzles within it.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_be3e7584
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_be3e7584
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_be3e7584
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bef696dd
type
Mind Screw
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bef696dd
comment
Mind Screw: Many of the environmental puzzles come across as this, considering that you have to draw them on the sides of buildings, cracks in large objects, and even, in at least one case, the sun and that unlike most of the puzzles, which have a patient build-up, the game gives little indication that they even exist.note There is a hint on the top of The Mountain. A simple line-panel overlooks a river with an identical pattern. This goes very well with the audio log about new perspectives (of Earth from outer space no less) found in the same place.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bef696dd
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_bef696dd
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_bef696dd
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c32d3344
type
Disconnected Side Area
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c32d3344
comment
Disconnected Side Area: The mangrove with the treehouse has its land access initially locked. You must reach it by boat, then unlock a Door to Before once there. A good portion of the tunnels under the windmill are initially inaccessible. They must be entered from the system of caves underneath the island, which can be only accessed after crossing the facility under the mountain.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c32d3344
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c32d3344
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_c32d3344
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: An old game by CBS Electronics called "Mountain King" featured a timed challenge, all while two classical music tracks sounded: "Anitra's Dance" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King", both from Edvard Grieg. Players who have made to the end of this game will find it similar to another timed challenge which also plays those two same tracks...
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c8f98eb5
type
Ontological Mystery
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c8f98eb5
comment
Ontological Mystery: The player starts at the end of a dark metal tube shelter underground, opening doors to climb up onto a castle's patio. The normal ending returns the player to the same spot, undoing all of the work they have done. The hidden Golden Ending as well as hidden in-game audio reveal this area to be the starting point of an elaborate virtual reality simulation.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c8f98eb5
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_c8f98eb5
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_c8f98eb5
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ce9a1c4a
type
Underground Level
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ce9a1c4a
comment
Underground Level: The caves underneath the island that are accessed through a passage at the bottom of the mountain.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ce9a1c4a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ce9a1c4a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_ce9a1c4a
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_cfbc6ec5
type
Not-Actually-Cosmetic Award
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_cfbc6ec5
comment
Not-Actually-Cosmetic Award: Completing the Challenge nets the player the final hexagonal puzzle for the projection room, which unlocks a 58-minute lecture on batteries, Shakespeare, rewards, and the concept of awe. Over a video of a solar eclipse. Which is part of an environmental puzzle. (As it happens, this lecture is Jonathan Blow's favourite of all time.) And you thought the cloud in Braid was bad... (To be fair, the puzzle in Braid required about two hours compared to the lecture in this game, and there was nothing in Braid to keep you occupied while waiting.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_cfbc6ec5
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_cfbc6ec5
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_cfbc6ec5
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d139ffaf
type
Genre Throwback
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d139ffaf
comment
Genre Throwback: Blow made this to be like an old Adventure Game with all the "bad bits" — such as creating too many distractions in the field of view, and being Unwinnable by Design — taken out.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d139ffaf
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d139ffaf
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_d139ffaf
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d1dd0628
type
Metapuzzle
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d1dd0628
comment
Metapuzzle: While most puzzles in the game are self contained to an area, or are entirely environmental, there are a few environmental puzzles that require manipulating line puzzles to complete. Examples include adjusting a mirror to turn cloud to a different color in order to solve one of the environmental puzzles. One set of puzzles requires you to draw a path in order to create a path in the world to access more puzzles.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d1dd0628
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d1dd0628
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_d1dd0628
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24b61a8
type
Patchwork Map
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24b61a8
comment
Patchwork Map: There are an awful lot of different biomes close together on such a small island. It's possible to stand in one biome and see three others at any given time.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24b61a8
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24b61a8
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24b61a8
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24ed873
type
Developer's Foresight
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24ed873
comment
Developer's Foresight: In the treehouse, bridges made from puzzle panels can be rearranged by solving the panels in different ways. If a bridge would need to pass through another on its way to its new position, the other bridge temporarily retracts itself to let the first pass. If you change the boat's destination to go back the way you came, it normally turns around in place before proceeding. If you do this while passing through the shipwreck, where space is tight, the boat drives backwards until it's in open water before turning around.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24ed873
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24ed873
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_d24ed873
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d38f49f0
type
Ruins for Ruins' Sake
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d38f49f0
comment
Ruins for Ruins' Sake: The desert at the northwest part of the island has lots of ruins which don't seem to serve any apparent purpose.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d38f49f0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d38f49f0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_d38f49f0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d6f284a3
type
Anti-Frustration Features
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d6f284a3
comment
Anti-Frustration Features: There are two sets of puzzles in the Castle, though only one of them needs to be completed in order to open its beacon. Many puzzles require you to stand at the exact right spot to solve them. On some of them, if you stand close enough to the right spot, the game will pull your character to the right spot when you start the puzzle. In some cases, it's to give you a hint to how to solve the puzzle. In one case, it's to save you from wasting an hour waiting for an object to move to the right spot in case you happen to be off alignment even slightly. If you're stepping off a moving platform that would leave you stuck with no way to step on again, the platform will automatically move back to you. Examples are the corner platform in the swamp or the elevator in the greenhouse bunker.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d6f284a3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_d6f284a3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_d6f284a3
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dae59ff8
type
Empty Room Psych
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dae59ff8
comment
Empty Room Psych: Solving the apple tree puzzles simply leads to a random table littered with drawings of human anatomy; there is no beacon, or indeed anything of use, in sight. For what it's worth, the logic of these puzzles is reused for one specific puzzle in the Town.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dae59ff8
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dae59ff8
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_dae59ff8
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_daef39ee
type
Elaborate Underground Base
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_daef39ee
comment
Elaborate Underground Base: The high-tech complex inside the mountain.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_daef39ee
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_daef39ee
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_daef39ee
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dc87cf26
type
Waiting Puzzle
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dc87cf26
comment
Waiting Puzzle: A few optional puzzles require you to wait on a moving platform of some sort while other elements of the puzzle move in and out of view. One requires you to complete the Challenge (or obtain the reward through other means), and wait through the entire reward.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dc87cf26
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_dc87cf26
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_dc87cf26
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ddcc22c3
type
Archaic Weapon for an Advanced Age
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ddcc22c3
comment
Archaic Weapon for an Advanced Age: One of the stone statues in the Keep has an earpiece and is gripping a sword with his left hand, instead of a taser or a gun.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ddcc22c3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ddcc22c3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_ddcc22c3
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_e3cee2e7
type
Empathic Environment
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_e3cee2e7
comment
Empathic Environment: The items in the central lake will change and develop when certain tasks are completed, like turning on a laser or opening one of the vault doors. The boat's map reveals that the lake is exactly the same shape as the island; it is itself a map of the island.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_e3cee2e7
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_e3cee2e7
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_e3cee2e7
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f3c2fec5
type
Jungle Japes
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f3c2fec5
comment
Jungle Japes: A jungle can be found in the southeast at the foot of the mountain.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f3c2fec5
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f3c2fec5
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_f3c2fec5
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f4fb7564
type
Diegetic Interface
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f4fb7564
comment
Diegetic Interface: While you automatically center in on some of the panels, others can be activated and interacted with from different perspectives. Some late-game puzzles will require you to solve them from awkward angles.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f4fb7564
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_f4fb7564
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_f4fb7564
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_fb111d49
type
Sequence Breaking
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_fb111d49
comment
Sequence Breaking: Due to being able to activate a puzzle panel from any distance and the fact that the puzzles in the main game are not randomized, it is possible to complete the swamp area in under a minute. It is also possible to directly complete the last puzzle in the autumn forest without doing anything else (if you know the solution beforehand!), and the keep with only three puzzles instead of five. Needless to say, these skips are used heavily in speedruns.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_fb111d49
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_fb111d49
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_fb111d49
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ff37e104
type
Treetop Town
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ff37e104
comment
Tree Top Town: The northeast portion, by the shipwreck, includes one, accessible only by boat.
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ff37e104
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_ff37e104
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_ff37e104
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_name
type
ItemName
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_name
comment
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Witness (Video Game) / int_name
 The Witness (Video Game) / int_name
itemName
The Witness (Video Game)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Absurdly Long Wait / int_45f9b7fb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
All the Worlds Are a Stage / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
American Video Games / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Antepiece / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Anti-Frustration Features / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Beautiful Void / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Brutal Bonus Level / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Bubblegloop Swamp / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Copy Protection / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Death Mountain / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Depth Perplexion / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Disconnected Side Area / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Drone of Dread / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Elaborate Underground Base / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Empathic Environment / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Empty Room Psych / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Fauxlosophic Narration / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Forest of Perpetual Autumn / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Ghost Ship / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Golden Ending / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Good Bad Bugs / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Hacking Minigame / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Hard Light / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Hedge Maze / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Hidden in Plain Sight / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Hidden Mechanic / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Homage / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Indie Game / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Interface Screw / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Interface Spoiler / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Island of Mystery / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Jungle Japes / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Koan / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lotus-Eater Machine / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Metapuzzle / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Metroidvania / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Missing Secret / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Moved to the Next Console / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
No Fair Cheating / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Noisy Nature / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Not-Actually-Cosmetic Award / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Ontological Mystery / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Ruins for Ruins' Sake / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Scrappy Mechanic / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Sequence Breaking / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Set Piece Puzzle / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Shifting Sand Land / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Songs in the Key of Panic / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Techno Wreckage / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
That One Puzzle / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Law of Conservation of Detail / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Lost Woods / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Timed Mission / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Trial-and-Error Gameplay / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Try Everything / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Underground Level / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Underused Game Mechanic / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Unexpected Gameplay Change / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Unintentionally Unwinnable / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Video Games of 2015–2019 / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Waiting Puzzle / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Windmill Scenery / int_a8c6fdb
 The Witness (Video Game)
hasFeature
Your Mind Makes It Real / int_a8c6fdb
 TheWitness
sameAs
The Witness (Video Game)