PlayStation 4 indie game The Witness from Braid designer Jonathan Blow will reportedly feature 60 frames per second and a 1080p resolution, but I have to ask if it really matters in the grand scheme of Blow's unique sense of puzzle mechanics.
Writing on the Euro PlayStation Blog, the mind behind The Witness explains that his title let's players "explore an abandoned island and solve puzzles." That's all you really need to know about the game before release.
Visually, yes, The Witness is a stunner, but you move slowly through its world and do your best to pay close attention to detail in order to solve various puzzles in sequence. This game isn't and shouldn't be about graphics, though you'll probably love what you see in motion on a big screen TV.
"The game has a lot of different locations and it's very important that they all receive the same degree of care," Blow writes. "At release on the PS4, we are planning to render at 1080p and 60 frames per second. Right now we meet this target in many areas of the game, but not everywhere."
All this technical information means nothing in the larger scheme of what The Witness could be as an experiential game that unfolds in front of you with little to no exposition. I'm not saying graphics and frame rate don't matter. Obviously, you want your game to look good but what does "planning to render at blah blah blah" even mean? Who the hell cares so long as the screen doesn't tear every time you turn around?
Just look at these screenshots:
The Witness is already beautiful in its own way. Hitting those technical targets will be icing on what I hope is an engaging and delightfully mind-bending adventure. What little I've played of the game impressed me visually and the puzzles had me scratching my head.
Jonathan Blow and Thekla Inc. hope to release The Witness this year on PlayStation 4. The team have plans to bring the title to PC and iOS as well, but stick with GameRevolution for more coverage as we get closer to launch.
