I didn't think I would have liked this the way I did, really.

Puzzle games are fascinating, at least for me, and narratively intriguing for the most part. There are a few exceptions maybe, but it is undeniably true that The Talos Principle sits amongst the ones that just work.

Even though there are some choices which I don't agree upon, the overall experience deserves to be lived. Especially during these years, where its topics become more apparent.

Philosophically, but culturally in general, Talos is up to speed and very much rich. There'll be a lot of times where you will read a lot of text, and even though it may sound boring and mechanic at first, believe me: it is done with the uttermost respect for the player, at least in my opinion. There are almost no dialogues in the game, as there are audio logs scattered across various areas, because the game's entirety is narrated through terminals.

I'm not sure this will make you feel "awakened" with some hidden knowledge, but I can assure you that texts are really pleasing to read. Philosophy tidbits scattered here and there are also pleasant to recollect and reflect upon, but don't expect to bestow upon the deepest narrative ever made. I would describe it as "tasty".

It is a purely logical game driven by a fabulous level design which I will not forget easily. In fact, puzzles themselves are not that hard. To put it simply, they are well made and enjoyable. I haven't got stuck, and excluding a few levels I haven't felt frustrated. But some puzzles will make you realise how well some things are built by looking at the grand scheme of things. And bonus levels are also really great from a design perspective.

The overall score is also interesting, with mellow tunes supporting this seemingly pompous, antique narration and ambiance.

For anyone interested in puzzles and a good, sustained narration which manages to hook you in by making you question various things about yourself, this is a must have.

Like Kentucky Route Zero did, I think The Witness accomplishes what very few games have done over the past years, at least for me: transcend what is considered a canonical adventure and reinvent narration and engagement.

This is just a puzzle game. However, how puzzles are solved and how you approach to its logics are things that are deeply connected to your personal experiences and perception. In synthesis, it is just a game about connecting lines. But the never ending shades of puzzle designs that intertwine between these simple starting and ending points are so well constructed and so exhaustive that they will make you feel like some sort of human algorithm trying to solve problems over and over again. A machine, or something along those lines.

I think that if you want the definitive puzzle experience, something to push you out of your comfort zone, something that lets you rethink the way you approach obstacles, you will love The Witness. I don't really want to say more about it, other than the fact that it really is the game of life. Literally.

The only real side effect is that you will eventually go insane and will start seeing patterns everywhere. Nothing's perfect, I guess.