The Witness

The Witness is a first-person adventure game with a strong focus on puzzles and it is set on an abandoned island. It starts with an unnamed protagonist at the end of a tunnel. The exit leads to a large, uninhabited island with various modern structures. Almost immediately the island can be explored entirely and in any direction without restrictions. The small story elements are revealed indirectly, but the main goal is to regain memory and find a way off the island. Clues can often be found through elements in the environment and there are also some audio segments, usually with quotes from very different contexts, that can be found through left behind audio logs.

The main focus is the exploration of the island and solving more than 500 puzzles in different forms. No guidance or help is provided and the player has to figure out the mechanics through trial and error, logic or careful observation. The puzzle mode is accessed through a click or button, allowing the character to interact with electronic panels in the environment that usually represent a single puzzle. Most of these puzzles have a maze-like structure with a starting point and an end.