Oh, Gorogoa looks interesting. I will need a lot of time to play all these. 
Incredible machines, i have fond memories of this series. Not only because it was playable on my toilet-486sx-laptop 
There also was german “remake”, crazy machines 1 + 2
Anyone remember this one?
http://pushover.sourceforge.net/
Oh, thanks for reminding me of this game. I remember seeing it as kid and wanting to play it, but never did.
I’ve just played this and it’s very dense with puzzles (600+ puzzles or so). I’d go as far as to say it’s an interactive puzzle book. Most of the puzzles involve looking at the same grids and screens though about 25% actually make use of the environment of the island which this puzzle book has been transposed to. This is a game that certainly raises a lot of questions about what gaming can be, I think.
In short, despite the sense of exploration and openness that the game has, I can’t really think of a game that’s more puzzlelicious than The Witness.
Many puzzlers have that extra element though, right? I’m playing Munin and it has platformer elements so it isn’t only about puzzles — or rather that some survival elements are integrated into the puzzle experience. I hear Braid is similar?
I’m a huge fan of The Witness. I like the combination of exploration and puzzle-solving.
Re Braid (same designer) I liked that a bit less. It’s a platform game like you say, so quite different. The concept of rewinding time is pretty unique and very clever, but I also found it a bit restrictive and samey in later levels. It just got so difficult and long-winded that I gave up!
I like that The Witness combines different puzzles but links them subtly by technique, so the player learns how to solve them almost instinctively. Braid was a bit like that but any small mistake basically meant restarting the level, argh!
@PiecesOfKate
Yeah, I keep having to restart levels on Munin because of mistakes/deaths, and some of the levels require a lot of thought and take quite a while so it can be a bit frustrating. I’m extremely patient so it’s not frustrating for me but I can easily see it being a hugely frustrating element for many.
I enjoyed The Witness, but am yet to solve all its puzzles. There is optional stuff that I don’t even understand yet and probably nooks and crannies of the island that have problems to solve.
I’ll probably get Braid simply based on how difficult you’re suggesting it is.
The hardest game I’ve ever played is La-Mulana (metroidvania with a lot of vigilance needed because a zillion stone tablets give you clues about how to progress – somewhat puzzling and a game of riddles and observation mixed with difficult combat and VAST exploration of a very large world).
Yeah, I like how it just keeps opening up, and that you can leave difficult puzzles and come back to them. I think I’m near the end now.
How is The Witness coming along? It’s one of the best games I’ve played in recent times but ya gonna have to really love puzzles to love this game.
Are the puzzles enough different from each other? The Witness seems to be a genre of game that I might enjoy but what held me back to purchase it is that I had the impression that the puzzles were quite similar or at least all relying under a common concept. Did I get the wrong impression?
It builds up a sort of puzzle language over time, so the game is very cohesive but, in my view, varied enough. It’s also difficult. There are probably 8 or so key concepts which get used in different combinations and each main area focuses on a different concept. Also, the world is meticulously crafted and it’s a good game to just explore and marvel at. There’s also a lot of thinking outside the box required and you must also be very observant and vigilant. You can take as long as you wish to solve the puzzles but for one surprise/bonus which is optional which BTW is just about the most nerve-racking thing in gaming. There are somewhat rare moments in the game that do require some basic dexterity, but you cannot die and it’s more or less harmless.
I highly recommend the game IF you like puzzles and ingenuity. There is a lot of ingenuity in The Witness beyond playing what at first appears like an interactive puzzle book and it also challenges some notions regarding game design. If you want a serious story, there’s not really one to be had in this game. It tries to be bigger than “just a story” in a sense. Whether they really achieved that is another question entirely. Let’s just say, it’s very grandiose.
I think that I’ll purchase it, thanks for describing the aspects of the game that usually put me off, like QTE and dexterity. 
I love difficult puzzles, as long as they are varied enough. Also, in these puzzle-based games, story can be optional for me.
I’ve just realized that the current price is quite steep, I’ll wait for the Steam summer sale.
Still loving it, but going slowly as these last few are tricky. Glad you’re liking it - it is indeed for puzzle people as not much else going on (though I love the scenery). I’d probably still play it if it was literally just the puzzles - everything else is a bonus.
That’s a shame - it was half price a week or so ago. Sure it’ll come down again though.
There’s a really good wiki on the different puzzle types but I wouldn’t recommend looking at it until you’re at least two thirds through. I had to resort to it for a really difficult puzzle.
I think that I can wait for the next sale, whenever it will be. My backlog of games to play is critically increasing and before “The Witness” I should play/finish a lot of other games that I have neglected.
Yes, that’s understandable. The doubts that I had about the puzzle diversity are disappearing and I think that I’ll buy the game without acquiring more information about it. 
Hooray 
look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.
Thanks. I noticed that (I used isthereanydeal.com) but I prefer to keep all my games on a single platform and I prefer to buy them on Steam or on shops that give me a Steam key.
@N_N out of interest what’s your current ‘puzzle total’ on The Witness? I.e. If you go to the Load screen. Mine’s 266+48. I’m blurring that so I don’t spoil it for @LowLevel or anyone else (as it gives you a bit of an idea how many puzzles there are), or indeed you if you don’t want to know.
If for some reason your answer might be a spoiler for me, feel free not to say!
(In case you can’t tell I’m precious about spoilers 
)
I’m not sure I should give you the figure, but I’ve done all of what is represented in the first number. I’m not sure you’d appreciate knowing exactly how much further that goalpost extends.
As for the second number, I still have some to do. As for audio logs, I still have some to open (there is a way to know this but I won’t give it away).
Do you know if you’ve visited all the areas yet? You said earlier you needed some help with a puzzle - did it have a type of logic you hadn’t encountered yet… did the hints/guide reveal a logic to you which you had yet to encounter on the island?
Okay cool, thanks for being discreet - it’s a tricky game to talk about without giving stuff away, heheh. I’ve had some similar comical conversations with a guy at work that basically consist of paranoid facial expressions.
That’s interesting re the audio logs. I’d sort of forgotten about those.
I think there are some small areas I can’t get to because I can’t solve the puzzles, but I don’t think they’re particularly significant. Although there is a bigger ‘solution’ I’m trying to complete.
The puzzle I got help with was just an extension of one of the usual types, so no, nothing new there.
I’m quite intrigued now!
Yeh – I actually edited in the spoiler tags. To be honest, I don’t really see them as spoilers but I decided to be cautious… I did reveal some content, after all. I do think it’s preferable though that you’re not quite sure of a sort of end point as it adds to the intrigue. Assuming you are where I think you are, the puzzles get really hard and creative there. If you’d like some sort of hint at any time then let me know. Generally, everything is solvable if you have the patience, stubbornness (and time… which is precious for many) to stick at things. The vast majority use a guide not just once but on numerous occasions, based on plays I’ve seen and people I’ve spoken to at least. Completing the game fully without any help seems really hard because… I have the feeling I could scour the island for a VERY long time and still frustratingly be missing the final 5 or so environmental puzzles. It’s one thing to solve all the “standard” puzzles,
many of which are true brain-melters, but it’s another to solve them all, find all the environmental shapes, find all audio logs, and, as an extra individual challenge, notice all the tricks of perspective and secrets in the game… I mean things that do nothing but are very interesting to observe, as the world is so rich and detailed.