Blow points finger at next game's name: The Witness

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 4th 2009 at 11:03AM }

Jonathan Blow has revealed The Witness will be the name of his next game, and there's even a teaser site to go with the announcement. "Teaser site" is a bit generous of a term, it's a website with some prose that reads like a lost page from Braid's between-level books. Clicking on the text will reveal another page, stating that the "exploration-puzzle game on an uninhabited island" will release in late 2011 on multiple platforms.

Blow had previously mentioned some details about his next title, calling it a "philosophical, and quiet" puzzle-exploration title. As long as The Witness comes with an actual ending that wasn't designed to give academics something to write books about (that nobody will ever read), and leave everyone else scratching their heads, we'll be fine.

Update: Added information about clicking on text.

[Thanks, Fahd]

Tags: blow, braid, jonathan-blow, the-witness, witness

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Aug 4th 2009 11:08AM

Finally some information. Sure hope this game doesn't "Blow".
I'll be here all month, sadly.

Crazy-008 @ Aug 4th 2009 11:35AM

Oooooo I get it. Cuz his last name is blow.

cjshrader @ Aug 4th 2009 11:59AM

I can't "braid" for this game to come out.

I don't think I'm doing this right

knor @ Aug 4th 2009 12:28PM

"The Witness" is a game where you play a guy who "witnesses" his indie developer friend make a cool game to becoming a total douche who has a holier-than-thou attitude towards everyone

ShadowXOR @ Aug 4th 2009 11:08AM

Can't wait.

Jrinswand @ Aug 4th 2009 11:18AM

"As long as The Witness comes with an actual ending that wasn't designed to give academics something to write books about (that nobody will ever read), and leave everyone else scratching their heads, we'll be fine."

LOL!

I'm writing a 100~ page essay about Blow's theories for my Honor's Thesis.

Neuromancer @ Aug 4th 2009 4:40PM

Wait, really?

Jrinswand @ Aug 4th 2009 5:16PM

Yeah. I'm hoping that it'll help my chances of getting into the Digital Media graduate program at GA Tech's School of Literature, Communication and Culture.

Fahd @ Aug 5th 2009 9:03AM

Interested in reading it when you're done..

Ethan @ Aug 4th 2009 11:28AM

I thoroughly enjoyed Braid, but the story and the writing I did not like. I found the 'he considered violence' line amusing, Tim's plight unrelatable and boring. But you can just run through the book-rooms, the ending (which I won't spoil here seeing as people waiting for it on PSN are probably reading) is the only point where narrative really intrudes, and it isn't that surprising or worth contemplating if you already think Tim's a bit of an arse, and then you're just left holding x.

But the jumpy-timey parts, they have fantasticness in spades, and I will probably buy this.

Nadril @ Aug 4th 2009 11:52AM

Pay more attention to what the gameplay mechanics in each world mean for the story. They're all significant, just not as apparent as the book room is.

I loved braid just for the simple fact that he told a story by using the mediums (video games) strengths, instead of resorting to a cutscene or a ton of text. (it had plenty of text, but the bulk of the "message" was related to the actual gameplay mechanics).

Ethan @ Aug 4th 2009 12:14PM

I don't accept that. The time mechanics are a metaphor for Tim wanting to undo his mistakes, and I suppose the last levels could show foreshadow Tim's unravelling mental state, but are you really trying to tell me that a circle that slows down time and purple things that repeat actions after being rewound are part of the story?

It didn't really convince me, I just wanted Tim to get a grip. Talking of grip, the similarly dark tale of lost love in Shadow of the Colossus, while similarly sparsely told, I think works better. I get behind that relationship because of Wanda's staggering determination and sacrifice, while I see Tim as getting in his own way, probably a good character, but not a good protagonist, from quite early on I didn't really want to help Tim in his 'quest.'

But one of the many brilliant things about games is how there's no set way to tell a story, and while I wouldn't compare anything directly I think it's as exciting as it must have been being a theatre buff in Chekov's time or watching one of Bunuel's new films.

copa @ Aug 4th 2009 12:15PM

Games like Braid, Flower, and Scribblenauts are not perfect, but I am completely enamored of them because they try to offer a different experience from what I can get out of 98% of the software titles out there. They make the medium more rich and diverse. I am always shocked by how many people here will viciously attack these games, and eagerly anticipate Gears of Duty 6 or whatever.

"I loved braid just for the simple fact that he told a story by using the mediums (video games) strengths, instead of resorting to a cutscene or a ton of text."

You nailed it perfectly, Nadril. The text was certainly the weak spot of Braid, because it became too unfocused. But using the gameplay to tell the story and reinforce the core concepts was the great accomplishment of this title. The best parts were:

* Introducing the time-rewind mechanic through Tim's desperate wish that he could undo mistakes in his relationship.

* Using the art, gameplay, and music to evoke the whole 'Deconstructing Mario' vibe of the game. It feels like you are playing through the fevered dream of someone imagining his life in the context of Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers.

* Revealing the true nature of the relationship between Tim and the Princess not through cutscenes, but by playing it seamlessly through the gameplay mechanic.

Yes, the text had lost me even before he went to the nuclear bomb card. But he did so many things right that I gladly lost myself in the mood of the game. At the end of 2008, I put this one as #2 on my GOTY list, but when I look at which games I am still remembering fondly 8 months later, this one moves up to #1.

343 Guilty Fart @ Aug 4th 2009 3:33PM

"I loved braid just for the simple fact that he told a story by using the mediums (video games) strengths, instead of resorting to a cutscene or a ton of text."

Um, the game I played contained a BUNCH of text.

Captain Planet @ Aug 4th 2009 11:30AM

I have this strange feeling that John Blow is going to be the industry's next David Jaffe.

Jrinswand @ Aug 4th 2009 11:37AM

No way. Blow is too brainy and he doesn't use "fuck" as every other word.

Plus Jaffe's games are just a purer, more visceral sort of fun than Blow could ever hope to achieve. Not that he would want to. Comparing Jaffe and Blow's approaches to video game production is like comparing apples and oranges.

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Aug 4th 2009 11:48AM

Apples and oranges are actually pretty similar...they both belong to the fruit family, they both grow on tree's, they are both about the same size, they are both sweet, you can get juice out of both of them...I could go on. How about iPhones and donuts?