It’s hard not to marvel at
Jonathan Blow’s chutzpah. Braid,
his 2008 XBLA puzzler, played with the concepts and consequences of
time travel through its mechanics as well as narrative. After high
sales and
quite a bit of accolade, Blow used most of the money he made off of
Braid to help finance his next project, a first person exploration game
called The
Witness. While a decision like
this would seems cripplingly frightening, you have to applaud the
confidence that Blow has in his art. This confidence is part of the
reason why The
Witness is my most anticipated game of 2012,
and after sitting down with Blow during GDC,
it remains at the top of my list. Although the game
still has a ways to go, Blow is confident that the final portion of the
game is the single best thing that he’s ever designed. Coming from the
man who created one of my favorite video games of this generation, it’s
safe to say that my anticipation for The Witness grows with every new
look. In preparation for its release, I’ve
compiled a list of five ways to ready yourself for the title, some of
which Blow himself alluded to while others contain connections that
I’ve made from what we learned about the game.
Dear Esther
Upon first viewing the
screenshots for The Witness, the immediate comparison to Myst
sprang forward. They’re both environmental puzzle games played through
a first person view and set on an enigmatic island. Blow even admits to
drawing inspiration
from the PC classic. But instead of replaying Myst
for the dozenth time, try something a little more modern. I suggest Dear Esther,
a Half-Life
2 mod created by British
developers thechineseroom. The mod was first released 2008, but just
last month received a full-fledged remake that improves on the original
in every way possible. The game places you in the role of a nameless
wanderer who explores the expanses of a dreary island. Narration in the
game is delivered via snippets of letters sent to a woman named Esther.
There are no puzzles or combat scenarios whatsoever, so the game ends
up becoming equal parts ghost story and walkabout. From what we’ve seen
from The Witness, both games share a similarly lonesome tone that
emanates from a mysterious island lost in time.
Dictionary of the Khazars
