Much more fun than the Harrison Ford movie

The Witness starts slow, but ultimately has no problem matching Braid in terms of mental challenge and intellectual intrigue.

Virtually everything about the game, from tiny puzzle mechanics to world-spanning environmental mysteries, is crafted with such incredible care that it all feels ... real, in a way. The game's island is just so cohesive, meticulous, and entrancing; it's a thing of beauty, aesthetically and technologically. It's not hard to understand why Jonathan Blow took so long making this game, and I would certainly call it worthwhile.

Once I'd achieved "Endgame" I went online to research the handful of puzzles I wasn't able to solve on my own -- and in a couple instances, I did feel like the puzzle was kind of stupid. (Using mechanics in a way that seemed counter to the rest of the game.) But these accounted for such an infinitesimal proportion of the game's offerings that I really can't ding the overall package for them.

And yet, there are still some things about this game I haven't figured out. Some of them -- I don't know if anyone has figured out yet.

It's hard to say if The Witness is really for everyone - although it could be?, due to its friendly learning curve - but if you're even remotely interested in puzzles, it's a no-brainer. Which is good, because you'll need that brain to actually complete it.

Better than: Myst
Not as good as: maybe Portal 2, and its humorous narrative? That's a tough one.
Anxious to see how it stacks up against: The Talos Principle