The Witness
Description (IGDB)
The Witness was the seventh game released by interactive fiction pioneers Infocom. The player character is a detective who has been summoned to the Cabeza Plana, California office of Mr. Linder, a millionaire. Linder fears that his life is in danger... and indeed, as he sits in his office with the player, he is murdered before the player's eyes. The player then must solve the murder.
Histoire (IGDB)
FEBRUARY 1938, LOS ANGELES FDR's New Deal is finally rolling. Hitler's rolling, too; this time through Austria. But as Chief Detective for a quiet burgh on the outskirts of L.A., you've got other fish to fry. One gilt-edged society dame is dead. And now it looks like some two-bit grifter is putting the screws to her multi-millionaire old man. Then, unexpected, on this stormy February night, a wealthy but frightened man has asked you for protection. In spite of your best efforts, a death will occur, and you will have twelve hours to solve the mystery and try to arrest the killer - the shakedown turns ugly. You're left with a stiff and a race against the clock to nail your suspect... unless you get nailed first! Nobody said a sordid family affair like this was going to be a cinch. Everyone from the knockout heiress to the poker-faced butler may end up in the slammer before it's over. Ahead of you is a Gordian knot of motives and alibis. And the only testimony you can trust is that of your own eyes--because you are The WITNESS.
Description en cours d'enrichissement.
Médias
Informations Steam
Description Steam (Français)
Vous avez oublié qui vous êtes et comment vous avez atterri ici. Une seule solution s'offre à vous : explorez l'île en quête d'indices pour retrouver la mémoire et découvrir comment retourner chez vous.
The Witness est un jeu solo dans un monde ouvert comptant des dizaines de lieux à découvrir et plus de 500 énigmes. Ce jeu respecte votre intelligence de joueur et considère que votre temps est précieux. Rien n'est dû au hasard. Chacune des énigmes ajoute une idée à l'édifice. Ce jeu regorge donc d'idées.
Éditions et prix Steam
Avis des joueurs Steam
Vue FPS = gerbe au bout de 20 mn, déplacement beaucoup trop lent. Dommage car les énigmes ont l'air sympas. Et pas de VF.
Jeu de fou. j'ai pas l'habitude de lancer des jeux d'énigmes mais celui-là me faisait de l'oeil depuis un moment Tout est un puzzle, il faut apprendre tout de soi-même sans tuto et c'est bien amené. L'environnement est incroyablement bien pensé...
The Witness est un jeu qu'un ami m'a recommandé, et qu'à mon tour je recommande vivement. Si vous aimez les casse-têtes, ne lisez pas plus de reviews et allez-y à l'aveugle pour ne pas vous gâcher l'expérience.
The Witness est un chef-d'œuvre... à condition d'accepter qu'il ne vous tienne jamais par la main. Au début, on pense jouer à un simple jeu de puzzles. Puis on réalise que chaque énigme nous apprend quelque chose. Le jeu ne vous explique rien, il vo...
[h1]Mindset du Tetris Effect[/h1] Jonathan Blow a conçu The Witness non pas pour divertir par une histoire classique, mais pour nous faire vivre une expérience de pure épistémologie. Et ceux sur 3 piliers : [b]1. L'apprentissage sans intermédiair...
Mises à jour et Actualités
Finally, after 10 years...
The Witness was released in 2016, ten years ago... how time flies!We've been working hard that whole time, and can happily announce that the successor game is almost done, and there's a free demo on Steam only during NextFest. It's called Order of the Sinking Star and you can get the demo here (but don't tarry too long as it goes away on Monday morning!):
Braid Anniversary + Witness Bundle
Earlier this year we released Braid, Anniversary Edition, a remastered version of Braid with a bunch of new levels and tons of developer commentary. Now Braid Anniversary is on sale and The Witness is in a bundle with it. Both games have a base discount of 75%, but if you already own The Witness, Braid Anniversary will be cheaper, and vice versa, and of course you get the extra discount if you get both. Braid, Anniversary Edition The Witness Thanks for reading this! As we finally enter the downhill slope of design on the (not yet named) giant new puzzle game, it's nice to be able to go back to games like The Witness and make them a bit cheaper. It's been quite a privilege to have both of these games so well-received. (And we hope to have the new game ready for you on Steam before *too* long!)
Another Update for the macOS version
Fixed a crash on some modern macOS systems that was was caused by an outdated Steam SDK.
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« I'm so caught up inside the world of The Witness that it's hard to think about anything else. It is one of the best games I've ever encountered. »
« For the most part, its themes weave themselves beautifully throughout the gorgeous world and wide variety of puzzles, but even when it breaks subtlety in favor of a more heavy-handed approach to exposition, it never detracts from the truly fulfilling moments The Witness offers in terms of solving its physical puzzles and unlocking its deepest mysteries. »
« What truly makes The Witness everything that it is lies somewhere between the fundamentals of the puzzles and the deeply philosophical of everything else. These two work in tandem, complementing each other even when they seem worlds apart. There are so many layers of separation between the two that it's almost impossible to perceive or even conceive. But, they're there, working hand-in-hand and, on some level, one in the same. You'd be hard-pressed to declare that one of these components is closer to defining The Witness than the other. »
« The Witness is not only a masterpiece of game design, but one that truly inspires and amazes, without relying on traditional tutorials or restrictive hand-holding. It's one of the few games that truly respects the intelligence of those playing, rather than guiding them through each and every step. »
« Although I really liked Blow’s previous game, I just loved this. I became so absorbed in it, and its beauty complements the way it challenges my mind. I like how simply it begins and how complicated it is at the end but that there’s a logical line from those two points. There’s just a lot contained within, and I’m still finding more. I want that for others, too. »
« The Witness is a game that will genuinely have you punching the air or laughing out loud, just from correctly drawing a line on a grid. If that isn’t the mark of a truly special game, I don’t know what is. »
« The intricate puzzles and tantalizing secrets of this starkly gorgeous, mystical island are enough to lose yourself in for dozens of hours. »
« It’s pretty much the best puzzle game ever created. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« The Witness is built on a simple idea: learning to see the world differently in order to solve its puzzles. I really appreciated how the game teaches its rules without ever explaining them directly. Some puzzles can become quite frustrating though. It requires patience and careful observation. But the moments of realization are incredibly satisfying. »
« Masterpiece among logic game. No words needed, yet soon you'll understand many complex rules of the game. Easy to learn, hard to master. »
« This game is created with an attention to detail that is simply unparalleled- no stone, shadow, twig or branch is placed with anything less than complete intention. It's an incredible game top to bottom, and something more games should strive to be. »
« its just too obtuse. its gentle, comfortable to a certain degree, and has nice visuals and audio, but it's just a lot of flash without functional mechanics or intuitive guidance. no, i don't expect to be given quest markers or exact instructions, but this game is touted as being similar to something like botw or totk where there's something to do around every corner, when really you will spend the majority of your time completely confused walking in circles. »
« J'ai fais ce jeu en 2025, après avoir déjà joué à pas mal de jeux de puzzle, dont certains génialissimes et originaux. C'est ce qui, je pense, a rendu difficile pour moi d'apprécier le **** jeu a près de 500 puzzles au total dont certains sont brillants, intéressants voire même mémorables. malheureusement il ne représentent à peine 20% des puzzles du **** autres sont, pour moi, pas du tout stimulants, pas ludiques, pas très gratifiants et ne récompensent pas vraiment une réflexion et approche **** m'explique, le jeu comporte une dizaine de zones principales. Chacune apporte une idée de base sympa, on résout des puzzles simples puis la difficulté augmente. Elle augmente jusqu'à atteindre un stade où on se retrouve à juste devoir résoudre 50 puzzles du même genre, avec au final, plus aucune nouvelles idées mais juste un récital de toutes les combinaisons qu'il était possible de créer. Ce qui n'est plus fun. On a comprit comment fonctionnait les puzzles mais on est puni à devoir en faire une quantité à en être gavé alors que ce sont des copies conformes avec un détail futile qui change.Quand je disais que la réflexion n'était pas récompensée, j'entendais par là qu'on était loin des puzzles intelligents d'outer wilds, animal well, lorelei and the laser eyes ou encore return of the obra dinn. A aucun moment, se poser et réfléchir sur les indices que nous donne le jeu depuis le début n'aide à se débloquer. Car la résolution des énigmes se fait souvent par chance de trouver la bonne combinaison.Donc en fait le seul truc cool avec ces puzzles. C'est le début, comprendre comment ils fonctionnent. Quelle est la mécanique. Ca c'est bien ! Ca c'est stimulant et en plus de ça les idées sont souvent innovantes. Mais la masse de puzzles à résoudre qui découle de cette idée, c'est nul. Car on sait déjà comment faire ! Mais on doit juste chercher LA combinaison qui **** c'est super dommage ! Car le jeu a une superbe ambiance, de jolis décors, il semble cacher plein de secrets et mystères (et c'est le cas). Mais le jeu s'est gâché tout seul en voulant proposer beaucoup, BEAUCOUP, trop de puzzles. Il fallait quelque chose de plus digeste. Le jeu n'avait pas besoin d'autant. Il apportait plein de superbes idées mais il les a poussées jusqu’à nous en dégouter.Autre défaut selon moi, le jeu sait comment amener ses puzzles de manière différente et surprenante. Mais au final, le fond de ses puzzles reste exactement le même, c'est juste la forme qui change. Donc 500 puzzles comme ça, on se fait chier. Surtout que le jeu n'offre même pas de musique qui pourrait venir nous stimuler pendant la résolution de ses puzzles à la **** vais quand même conclure avec une partie qui spoil un peu mais qui donne les zones/puzzles que j'ai trouvé super réussis. Les puzzles liés au son étaient cools (qu'au début après c'était trop). La zone bunker avec les couleurs comme puzzles était sympa. Les puzzles liés aux décors étaient biens. La zone labyrinthique était super. La zone désert aussi, c'était celle qui se différenciait le **** enfin le seul élément que j'ai adoré, et qui sauve le jeu d'une note trop sévère. C'est la ville. C'était parfait et c'est ce qu'aurait du être le jeu plus globalement. La ville regroupe toutes les idées qu'on a vu pendant tout le jeu et réussi à les combiner parfaitement. En n'offrant que très peu de puzzles mais étant tous super intéressants et funs à résoudre. Pas besoin de nous servir 50 puzzles à faire à la suite. Juste une connexion bien ficelée entre une quinzaine d'entre **** reste des zones c'était du fast food et du gavage. »
« The first game to give me genuine goosebumps from pure discovery. It’s a masterpiece of epiphany-driven design—demanding patience and a willingness to engage without handholding or foreknowledge. When “that” realization hits, it’s unforgettable, one of the most singular moments I’ve had in any game. The puzzle panels are brilliantly constructed—tough, fair, and elegantly escalated. The island’s visuals still hold up, paired with some of the best, most intentional sound design in games. A timeless, extraordinary experience. »
« I beat The Witness. Now, after hearing other perspectives and ideas, I’ve decided to replay it. But even with all the theories, hidden layers, and analysis, I still don’t fully get it—and I feel like that’s kind of the point. It’s meant to leave me conflicted. I’m not sure if this game is a masterpiece or just a beautifully frustrating waste of time. I loved playing it, but grew frustrated. I beat it and was left finished, but it felt like I had barely scratched the surface **** that isn’t even there. I have a lot of thoughts, so let’s break it down.Gameplay:At its core, this is a puzzle game built around environmental and perspective-based line puzzles. Most of your time is spent staring at panels, trying to understand abstract rules, or in the post-game, wandering the island looking for hidden puzzles. When it clicks—like the scratch marks in the Desert Ruins—it’s incredibly satisfying. I had similar “aha” moments in the Swamp, Treehouse, and Quarry. But the game never explains its mechanics. You’re expected to figure everything out yourself. That works sometimes, but not always. Some mechanics—like the Tetris blocks and star symbols—never fully clicked for me. I got by, but never fully understood them, and the game just keeps moving forward, compounding the confusion.Guides:If anyone says they beat The Witness without ever using a guide, they’re lying. Not everyone, but 99 out of 100 definitely did at some point. The open-world structure is great for post-game exploration but hurts the main game. You can go anywhere from the start, which often means hitting a wall, quitting, or looking up a guide without learning the mechanic. For me, it was the pitch sound Jungle Area—easily one of the worst-designed puzzle sections I’ve ever played. I sat there for an hour, looked up a guide, still didn’t get it. And here’s the issue: if you’re tone deaf—or deaf—you literally can’t play this part. That’s fine for rhythm games, but this is a puzzle game. I’m not tone deaf, and I even sing, but I still didn’t get it. Worst of all, this game breeds elitism. There’s always someone saying, “I understood it just fine—you just didn’t get it.” But it’s not about “getting good”—it’s about whether the design respects the player's time and cognitive diversity.Story:The Witness doesn’t have a story—or at least not the one it alludes to. As you play, you feel like something bigger is going on: confusing statues, lasers, environmental puzzles, audio logs, secret pages, and more. You see spoiler warnings in reviews and expect a grand reveal. But when you beat the game, it’s… nothing. The twist? You’re a game play tester, playtesting The Witness. It’s interesting, but not grand—it almost feels like a slap in the face. And that’s the point. The secret ending shows real footage of a designer seeing puzzles in real life after playing the game. That’s what the game is about. A fun puzzle game that feels like the devs were testing how far they could push before being called out for bad design.This creates two types of players:A – People like me who enjoyed it but saw through the devs’ game.B – People who say, “I understood it just fine—you just didn’t get it.”I loved The Witness and think you should play it—but only if you know what you’re getting into. If you want a grand story, an accessible puzzle game, or something that respects your time, look elsewhere. This is a line puzzle game—it probably should’ve been a mobile game—but I loved what it stood for, and I loved the gameplay too. »
« This was brilliant, especially The Challenge, the hardest puzzle I’ve ever beaten, you feel a pure pleasure when you beat it, and it was absolutely amazing! »
