From the outset, The Witness [$9.99] is a video game that defies convention. After a loading screen that suggests ?for the best experience, use headphones?, you immediately awaken in a dimly lit underground tunnel, amidst deafening silence. No title screen, no contextual introduction, no long-winded tutorial - in The Witness, you?re simply left to your own devices, and the curiosity that such a brazen start instills in the player serves as the primary catalyst to explore its luscious, vibrant and expansive environments. This core ethos permeates into every inch of The Witness, whether it?s solving puzzles, navigating complex terrain or attempting to work out how to access a seemingly out of bounds point of interest, and its respect for the user is one reason why the game received such universal critical acclaim upon its console release in 2016. However, the hands-off approach that is fundamental to The Witness?s identity is also its biggest source of frustration and, because of Thekla, Inc.?s impressive efforts in emulating the experience on mobile devices, a flaw that is as prominent as ever in the iOS iteration of the game.
In an era where procedural generation and sweeping sandbox worlds are the norm, The Witness excels through amalgamating experimental puzzle elements with a stunning, nonlinear environment that must be interacted with in numerous creative ways. The actual gameplay in The Witness revolves around the concept of a ?maze puzzle? - using the touch screen, y...