The Witness screens deftly avoid the threat of exploding clowns

By Adam Rosenberg February 21, 2014

This fresh batch of screens from The Witness, an open world exploration-puzzle game from developer Number None, highlights a marshy section of the environment. You might wonder how the exploding clowns referenced in our headline fit; it’s actually very simple. In the post revealing these new looks at the game, Number None’s Orsi Spanyol notes “there was a high risk of making it look like a clown exploded on” the marsh research facility’s assortment of colorful algae pools. So there you go.

The Witness will be the next game designed by Jonathan Blow, who garnered lots of praise for his work on 2008’s Braid. The game is due to arrive in mid-2014 for PC and PlayStation 4, with an iOS release coming “shortly after that” and “other platforms a bit later,” according to the website. Given the penchant Blow demonstrated for building puzzles in Braid and the talents of the team assembled at Number None – including veterans of Rockstar Games, Crytek, and Myst studio Cyan Worlds – we’ve very excited to see what The Witness has to offer.

Topics

Photo Galleries

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

Hellblade 2 struggles to balance a serious message and video game tropes

Senua stares at a burning tree in Hellblade 2.

For the first two hours of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, I was fully transported into Senua's headspace. Every aspect of the sequel's design was working in concert to pull me into her mind and never let me go. And then I found my first collectible.

I missed out on the first Hellblade, but was familiar enough to know what the general consensus was regarding its strengths and weaknesses. I knew it was a narrative-driven game about a very serious mental health condition. What I never heard about, and thus didn't know to expect until I came across it, was something as "gamey" as collectibles. In most games, collectibles can be a way to reward exploration, add lore to the world, or simply be an added objective for those who want to do and see it all. In the case of Hellblade 2, however, it's one small piece of a larger issue: The series' video game instincts betraying the serious tone and subject matter that the rest of the subversive experience is so committed to.
Wall hugging
At first, Hellblade 2 gripped me like few games have. You already know just how impressive this game is from a visual standpoint from trailers and screenshots, but it's the 3D audio that pushes it into a league of its own. That first scene of Senua nearly drowning in the ocean while competing voices attempt to encourage and demoralize her instantly established an empathetic link between us. The tight perspective of the camera, the framing of Senua and her detailed facial animations, and the lack of a head-up display (HUD) all made sure that link remained unbroken.

Gaming

This retro Game Boy throwback is the modern-day Link’s Awakening

A character stands before a God in Isles of Sea and Sky.

If you've every played The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on Game Boy, you know how special it is. While it initially looks like your average top-down Zelda game, it quickly gets delightfully weird. Shopkeepers will blast you with lightning if you try to shoplift, Goombas from Mario wander around, and the entire story revolves around a giant fish sleeping on a mountain. It's a fish-out-of-water story for Link, one that makes for the most mysterious but inviting Zelda game ever made.

Now, a new indie game is recapturing that magic. Isles of Sea and Sky just launched this week on Steam and it's a pixel-perfect homage to Link's Awakening. The adventure puzzle game captures the oddball spirit of that adventure, while doing its own thing entirely. And it does all that while playing with the limitations of a Game Boy art style. It's one retro game you don't want to miss this year.

Computing

These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone

Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed them down to a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 because of its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read about how we review desktops.