Recent reviews by Willardlavigne

This scratches all the turn based combat itches I really want out of an RPG, without any of the boring aspects. Almost every encounter you get into forces you to think about the most efficient way to play is going to be. How can I finish this one fight in a way that sets me up to be at my most ready for the next one? If I choose this piece of equipment now, what crazy build will I possibly have towards the end of the run? This game hits all of the brain stimulating notes that I'm looking for in puzzle, turn based strategy, and RPG games. I'm super impressed with it. For 15 bucks, I got my money's worth and then quite a bit more.

For people who believe this game is too RNG oriented, I have to heavily disagree. At first glance, being dice themed at all, it's easy to believe that you're not doing well 100% of bad dice rolls, and I get why people have that misconception. The more I played, the more I realized that it's a game about bending the RNG in your favor. And man, when that clicks the game suddenly makes a million times more sense and beating a level is immensely satisfying. If you've only played the warrior class, make a little progress and then play the Thief when you unlock him. That class really teaches you a lot about how the game is meant to be played, dice manipulation and all. Comparing this game to Slay the Spire really doesn't make much sense, although I do feel like people who enjoy turn based games or Slay the Spire will really appreciate this.

In short: this is the best amalgamation of tcg-rpg-puzzle mechanics I've ever seen together in one package. I really love it. Slay the Spire is great too, but I think this game does it for me more. I feel like there's way less RNG in this than is StS, honestly.

Yes, it lived up to the hype

I'm seeing reviews left and right of people dissapointed with this game purely because it isn't Myst/and or isn't story heavy. Nobody should go into it expecting Myst. It is it's own thing entirely, and that's a great thing. If you're on the fence about this game, don't set yourself up for any expectations. All you need to know is that if you like exploring interesting, well crafted worlds and puzzle solving, then you WILL enjoy this.

This game was in development for 7 years and it definitely shows. The game developer really put a lot of love and effort into this. The world is beautiful, mysterious, and fun to explore. Each time you solve a set of puzzles, open up new areas, and interact with the world you feel more and more like you're uncovering some great mystery. The gameplay really nails the essence of what an "adventure" game should be all about. There's no linearity here. You are literally on an adventure while playing, constantly discovering things by yourself. The lack of in your face tutorials and story adds to this adventure feeling and will give you huge satisfaction with each bit of progress you make. The game has intuitivity down to a science.

I consider myself a pretty picky gamer, and I will lose interest quickly if I feel a game isn't worth my time, but 10 hours into this thing I only find myself more and more excited that I might only be 1/4th of the way finishing it. Most game purchases I make will leave me feeling like it wasn't worth the money, but The Witness has me feeling for the first time in a while that I'm getting every penny's worth. If you're interested in this game, but feeling discouraged by the negative Steam reviews, don't take them seriously. This game is getting near perfect scores all over the place by major media reviews, and it definitely deserves the praise. The complaints that all you do is draw lines in this game are rediculous, don't take those seriously either. The puzzles vary dramatically in style and techniques required to solve them. The panel system you draw on is just a good vehicle to give a good sense of progression and variety of puzzles.

Buy this thing. I feel like it's a Magnum Opus of video games, if there ever was one.