The Witness Walkthrough, Guide, Gameplay, and Trailer

The Witness

The Witness is a 2016 puzzle video game developed and released by Thekla, Inc. The game, inspired by Myst, allows players to explore open-world islands filled with natural and man-made buildings. The player advances by completing puzzles based on interactions with grids displayed on panels around the island or paths hidden within the landscape.

The game provides no direct directions for how to solve these riddles, instead forcing the player to identify the meaning of the symbols in the problems. A key design feature of the game is how these challenges are presented so that the player can attain a moment of inspiration through trial and error and gain that comprehension themselves.

The Witness was launched in January 2016 for Windows and PlayStation 4, with later versions for the Xbox One, Nvidia Shield, macOS, and iOS. As the game engine became increasingly demanding, initial plans for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were abandoned, and the team ultimately opted for an initial release on Windows and the PlayStation 4, with support for other platforms coming.

The Witness Walkthrough

Entry Area

• Start by solving the simple puzzles on the door to open it.
• Once inside, you'll come across a variety of puzzles that teach you the basic mechanics of the game.
• Follow the path until you reach the windmill area, where you'll encounter more complex puzzles.

Orchard - Cherry Blossom Area

• Enter the orchard area and make your way to the cherry blossom tree.
• Solve the puzzles on the panels around the tree to unlock a gate leading to the next area.
• In the next section, you'll need to solve puzzles to manipulate water flow and navigate a maze.

Glass Factory - Boat House Area

• Make your way through the glass factory, solving puzzles as you go.
• Once you reach the boat house, solve the puzzles on the dock to lower the water level and access the next area.
• In the next section, solve puzzles to activate windmills and navigate a maze.

Symmetry Island

• Begin by solving the puzzles on the dock to unlock a boat.
• Use the boat to reach Symmetry Island, where you'll need to solve puzzles related to symmetry and reflection.
• Once you reach the top of the island, solve the final puzzle to unlock the gate and progress to the next area.

Desert Ruins

• In the desert ruins, make your way through the various buildings and solve the puzzles within them.
• Pay attention to the shapes and symbols around you, as they hold clues to the solutions of the puzzles.
• Once you've solved all the puzzles, make your way to the center of the ruins and solve the final puzzle to complete the game.

Keep - Hedge Mazes

• Solve the puzzles in the starting area and proceed to the Keep.
• Navigate the hedge mazes while solving puzzles to progress.
• At the end of the mazes, solve the final puzzle to progress to the next area.

Shady Trees

• In the Shady Trees area, you'll need to solve puzzles to reveal hidden paths.
• Use the paths to access new areas and continue solving puzzles.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to progress.

Monastery - Tree Temple

• In the Monastery, solve the puzzles to unlock the Tree Temple area.
• Solve puzzles related to environmental factors like wind and sound to progress.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to progress.

Jungle

• In the Jungle area, solve puzzles related to light and shadow to progress.
• Use the trees and environmental elements to solve the puzzles.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to progress.

Treehouse

• In the final area of the game, navigate through the treehouse while solving puzzles.
• Use the environmental elements to solve the puzzles and progress.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to complete the game.

Swamp

• In the swamp area, solve puzzles related to water flow and environmental elements like frogs and fireflies.
• Use the bridges and paths to navigate the area.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to progress.

Quarry

• In the Quarry area, solve puzzles related to perspective and environmental elements like cranes and elevators.
• Use the machinery to access new areas and solve puzzles.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to progress.

Windmill

• In the Windmill area, solve puzzles related to wind and sound.
• Use the windmills to access new areas and solve puzzles.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to progress.

Town

• In the final area of the game, the Town, solve puzzles related to architecture and perspective.
• Explore the various buildings and streets to find new puzzles and clues.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to complete the game.

Bunker - Greenhouse

• In the bunker area, solve puzzles related to technology and circuitry.
• Use the elevators to access new areas and solve puzzles.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to progress to the greenhouse.
• In the greenhouse, solve puzzles related to plants and nature.
• Use the environmental elements to solve puzzles and progress.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to complete the area.

The End

• Once you have completed all other areas of the game, make your way to The End.
• Solve the puzzles to progress through the area.
• At the end of the section, solve the final puzzle to complete the game.

The Challenge

• After completing the main game, you can access the challenge area.
• In The Challenge, you must solve a series of randomized puzzles within a set time limit.
• Complete all the puzzles to finish the challenge.

The Witness Map 

The Witness is difficult to navigate because the only way to obtain place names is through trophies. A map can also be found with the boat in The Witness. The map and boat can initially be found together in the island's jungle section. A pseudo-dock constructed of rocks can be found in the southern section of this region. Follow the course until you reach a basic puzzle.

When you finish the puzzle, the boat will rise from the water. Around the island, there are six docks. This puzzle will leave an imprint on them. By completing the riddle, you will be able to summon the boat. You'll utilise the map inside the boat to steer the boat around the island. This map not only shows the docks but also shows major features and puzzles of all kinds.

The Witness Trophy Guide 

• Platinum: A platinum trophy is earned for obtaining all other trophies in the game.
• Completing 11 Challenge Mode puzzles will allow you to complete the game. Challenge mode is a collection of algorithmically produced problems that must be performed within a specific time restriction.
• Speedrun: Finish the game in under 10 hours. This trophy requires you to complete the full game in under 10 hours in a single playthrough.
• All Laser Upgrades: Enable all laser beams on the island. There are 11 lasers to activate, and each one requires the completion of a series of tasks.
• All Environment Puzzles: Complete all of the environmental puzzles on the island. These problems are buried in the surroundings and can only be solved from a specific angle.
• All Audio Logs: Listen to all the audio logs on the island. There are 38 audio logs in total, scattered around the island.
• All Video Clips: Watch all the video clips on the island. There are six video clips in total, which can be found in the theatre.
• Mountain Peak: Solve the puzzle at the mountain peak. This is one of the most challenging puzzles in the game and is located at the very top of the mountain.
• Challenge Master: Complete all 14 Challenge Mode puzzles. This trophy requires you to complete all the algorithmically generated puzzles in Challenge Mode.
• Colour Master: Solve all the colour puzzles on the island. These puzzles require you to separate black and white squares or create symmetrical shapes.
• Interactor: Solve 300 riddles on the island. This trophy is won for completing 300 problems, which include both grid puzzles and environmental riddles.
• Environmentalist: Solve 100 environmental challenges on the island. This trophy is given for solving 100 environmental riddles.
• Symmetry Island: Complete all of the puzzles on Symmetry Island. Symmetry Island is a unique section of the island with its own set of challenges.
• Desert Ruins: Complete all of the riddles in the Desert Ruins area. The Desert Ruins is one of the biggest sections on the island and features several puzzles.

The Witness Gameplay

The Witness is a puzzle video game that is played from a first-person perspective. The game follows an unnamed character who emerges from an underground bunker and embarks on an exploration of an island with various natural formations and structures. The island is divided into eleven regions, each with distinct vegetation and puzzles that are similar in nature, such as requiring symmetry.

Turrets located in yellow boxes throughout the island can be activated by completing puzzles in their respective regions, and when activated, they emit light towards the mountain, which is the ultimate goal of the player. The player must activate several turrets to gain access to the inside of the mountain and complete the final goal of the game. By activating all eleven turrets, players can discover additional puzzles.

Once the player solves the final puzzle, they are transported in a cage through the air and returned to the starting point of the game, which is the underground bunker. The island in The Witness contains additional puzzles that players can choose to solve. One set of puzzles, known as "The Challenge," is accessible after entering the mountain and involves completing about a dozen randomly generated puzzles within a seven-minute time limit.

The puzzles are accompanied by music from Edvard Grieg's "Anitra's Dance" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King." In total, the game features over 650 puzzles, which the game's developer, Jonathan Blow, estimates will take an average player about 80 hours to complete. One particularly difficult puzzle was designed by Blow with the expectation that less than 1% of players would be able to solve it.

All puzzles in The Witness are solved in the same way: by drawing a path on a grid that satisfies a set of rules. These rules are taught to the player through the puzzles themselves, without the use of any text or dialogue. For example, a puzzle might require the player to separate different kinds of squares on a grid using a path. While the rules that must be followed to solve each puzzle can vary greatly, all puzzles have at least three basic rules in common:

Paths must begin at a round node, end on a line segment with a rounded end, and avoid self-intersection. Because of these common rules, many of the puzzles in the game can be classified as mazes. The Witness features environmental puzzles where the rules depend on the player's surroundings, such as studying a tree whose branches mimic a nearby grid.

Optional puzzles can also be found in the environment, where a single path is hidden and must be traced out by the player from a certain perspective. Completing one of these puzzles early in the game leads

The Witness Puzzles 

In The Witness, there are more than 650 puzzles that require the player to draw a path on a grid. The game teaches the player the rules of each puzzle through the puzzles themselves, without any text or dialogue. Paths in all puzzles must start from a round node, end on a line segment with a rounded end, and avoid self-intersection. The rules for each puzzle vary, but they are generally simple, such as separating black and white squares or creating symmetrical shapes.

Some puzzles are hidden in the environment and can only be solved from a specific perspective. Additionally, the game has optional time-based puzzles set to music from Edvard Grieg's "Anitra's Dance" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King" that are algorithmically generated.

The Witness Review

The Witness has generally received positive reviews for its beautiful visuals, open-world design, and challenging puzzles that can be explored at the player's own pace. However, some have criticised it for being too focused on puzzles and lacking in narrative or emotional depth, as well as having a steep difficulty curve that can be frustrating for some players. Overall, it is a unique and engaging puzzle game that offers a satisfying challenge but may not be for everyone.

The Witness Beginners Guide

This beginner's tutorial provides tips, tactics, and best practises rather than puzzle answers. Instead, here are some suggestions to give you a different viewpoint as you explore The Witness, its breathtaking surroundings, and occasionally perplexing puzzles.

• Learning about puzzles

While playing The Witness, you'll be faced with a lot of challenges, but half the fun is figuring out how to solve them. Because there are no written words in the game, The Witness communicates puzzle solutions using what we call a "puzzle vocabulary." Learning what each symbol represents is critical to completing the game, but once you do, the rules are consistent across the island. Every symbol includes a section dedicated to teaching you the significance of that symbol. These are frequently intended to teach you the significance of a symbol and help you extend your puzzle vocabulary.

• Anything can be a clue

The Witness focuses on a single type of puzzle (mazes), but it explores so many variations on that single concept that it ends up using clues and indications that you wouldn't expect to see in other games. Take a breather if you're feeling stuck. Examine the entire puzzle and everything around it from a variety of angles. The solution is almost certainly close by.

• Panels do not always need to be activated when in front of them

Selecting a puzzle panel when you're close to it will change your viewpoint so you're looking at it directly from inches away. Keep in mind, though, that puzzle panels can be activated whenever you have a clear line of sight to them.

• Look about

Take a close look at your surroundings in The Witness, as it is a thoughtfully designed world, and what may seem like a simple visual element can actually hold the key to solving a puzzle.

• Wandering is not afraid

If you find yourself stuck on a puzzle in The Witness, it could be because you are missing a crucial puzzle-solving technique, or you may just need to take a break and explore the island. Stepping away from a puzzle and wandering around the game's environment can often provide a fresh perspective and make the solution clearer when you return to it later.

The Witness Trailer

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