The Witness - PS4/PC

A week off work has actually turned into a week of working. Not on the laptop, but playing The Witness on PS4. 

I was drawn in by the visuals, and have stayed on Jonathan Blow’s virtual island for the mind-bending assortment of line puzzles. Who’d have thought there were so many ways fresh ways to present drawing a line between A and B? I certainly didn’t - and now my brain hurts. But it’s just so compelling.

I’ve been slowly rewiring my shattered brain to solve seemingly impossible conundrums. I’ve had to walk away for several hours just to try and forget about it - but The Witness, with its endless snaking lines and multi-coloured boxes, is now starting to invade my dreams.

But I’m moving forward and some of my successes have matched the sheer joy of besting gargantuan beasts in Monster Hunter or seeing the credits roll in Dark Souls.

The island Blow has spewed forth from his devilish mind is a truly stunning creation - and it’s an area ripe for exploration. There’s a run button for the impatient - but I’ve steered clear. After all, what’s the rush? There so much to see around the island that giving the puzzles a body swerve just to stroll around this virtual paradise has been, at times, just what my tired mind needed.

Paying attention to the world around you isn’t a pursuit only to solve some of the riddles - although it has to be said that the work that’s gone into fusing the puzzles with the environment is truly inspired.

There’s loads of amazing little touches scattered around the island. It might be the shape of a rock, a submerged surprise, a shadow depicting a monochrome picture… and there’s more - but go see for yourself. And if the mental gymnastics are getting too much, head down to my favourite spot by the river near the bamboo forest and unwind for 10 minutes. The splashing water soothes the soul. Trust me.

What an amazing experience - and I still have hundreds of puzzle panels still to solve.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter - PC

Over the last week I've been playing The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on PC. Just wrapped it up and thought it was a thoroughly entertaining experience.

It's a first-person mystery adventure with a heavy emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving. Each section can be tackled in any order and a huge part of the game's appeal was I was free to wander off the beaten path and look for interesting points in the landscape.

I wasn't hoping to discover secrets or side-quests - I was looking for the best angles to fully appreciate the game's stunning scenery. It really is a beautiful game with a selection of jaw-dropping vistas to gawp at. I took a bunch of screenshots during my eight-hour adventure - and they look great thanks to the fact the game has no HUD cluttering up the screen.

The story left me a bit puzzled and I can't say it particularly grabbed me, while the puzzles ranged from immediately obvious to completely obscure. It's only available on PC at the moment but a PS4 version is on the way. Definitely worth a closer look.

 

 

 

Rime - PlayStation 4

Spanish developer Tequila Works are leaving the shadowy world of Deadlight to focus on something much brighter and - in my mind - much more interesting.
    Rime is a glorious looking, cell shaded adventure which - at first glance - reminds me of a delicious mash-up of Ico, Journey and Zelda: The Windwaker and takes the form of an open world trek, exploring sun-kissed landscapes and ancient ruins.
    A trailer was shown at Gamescom last week, which featured a young boy scampering along a beach, running atop grass covered coastal hills, leaping across rocky outcrops and warding off shadowy figures with nothing more than a simple torch.
    It looked magnificent and, while details remain vague, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this delightful looking game.