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The Witness - A Great Game That You Shouldn't Play

Joseph Anderson · commentary · Watch on YouTube

Gaming culture & analysisGame design

What it is

Joseph Anderson's long critique of Jonathan Blow's puzzle game The Witness, covering its gameplay, its hundreds of puzzles and its philosophical pretensions. He argues it is a great game that he nonetheless advises against playing.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN uses it mainly as a critical review of the game, saying it captures a lack of respect for the player, though one commenter suggests watching it after finishing.

  • 1 people recommended it
  • 1 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2021, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “When you're done playing, I recommend watching this video”

    Recommended to watch after finishing the game.

    Jach, 2022-02 · Recommendation · in “A Shader Trick”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: the witness, jonathan blow, game design, puzzle games, game review

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