# The Witness from Jonathan Blow \[OPEN spoilers -Edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 26, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262 "2016-01-26T14:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/41 "2016-02-20T20:46:57Z")
Frylock, I am also stuck just where you were on the Tetris puzzles. I am also stuck on the very nearl puzzles to the left. However, I do understand the rules and I did complete the training area. I’m glad to know the tetris-rule. I’ve seen tetris puzzles all around the island and can’t wait to get back and solve them. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/42 "2016-02-20T21:01:57Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Frylock, I am also stuck just where you were on the Tetris puzzles. I am also stuck on the very nearl puzzles to the left. However, I do understand the rules and I did complete the training area. > > I’m glad to know the tetris-rule. I’ve seen tetris puzzles all around the island and can’t wait to get back and solve them. Never mind. By using Paint and your screenshot, I somehow solved the puzzle immediately. No idea why. Still working on this one, though. I’ll spoiler it since it shows a solution neighboring it. [Tetris Puzzle with few squares. There is one square under my white circle, but it is hard to see in my pic.](http://imgur.com/fspeId1) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/43 "2016-02-20T22:19:19Z")
What is the white dot in the center? I don’t remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/44 "2016-02-20T23:21:31Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > What is the white dot in the center? I don’t remember it. It’s my cursor. It’s the dot you make the lines with. It just happened to be resting in the middle. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/45 "2016-02-20T23:29:34Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > It’s my cursor. It’s the dot you make the lines with. It just happened to be resting in the middle. 🙂 Oh I see now, you even said that in your link text. Oops! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/46 "2016-02-21T01:40:08Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Oh I see now, you even said that in your link text. Oops! I actually made it through and am now working on yellow paneled tetris panels. I enjoy it, but my heart sank a little when I saw more tutorial panels. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/47 "2016-02-22T01:08:55Z")
These Tetris puzzles are enough to make me lose my mind. My wife is using coins and a drawn grid to lay the puzzles out physically. I will give this game credit: It has had me taking more notes than almost any game I’ve played in years. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/48 "2016-02-22T12:59:32Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > These Tetris puzzles are enough to make me lose my mind. My wife is using coins and a drawn grid to lay the puzzles out physically. I will give this game credit: It has had me taking more notes than almost any game I’ve played in years. My second-least favorite puzzle type. (And I’d say the most difficult; my least favorite isn’t harder, it’s just more annoying.) I am stubborn and insisted on doing it all in my head but man it was not really that fun sometimes. I did come up with ways to kind of logic out the solutions–or at least to narrow my search space using some robust conditional statements. Still very hard to visualize though. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/49 "2016-02-22T13:44:27Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > My second-least favorite puzzle type. (And I’d say the most difficult; my least favorite isn’t harder, it’s just more annoying.) > > I am stubborn and insisted on doing it all in my head but man it was not really that fun sometimes. > > I did come up with ways to kind of logic out the solutions–or at least to narrow my search space using some robust conditional statements. Still very hard to visualize though. I am very poor at mentally visualizing things. I have low spatial intelligence, I guess. Having said that, I have been able to muster through most panels so far. My wife and I are enjoying this game as a two-player experience. I almost would suggest it is a multiplayer game, as it is a lot of fun to discuss solutions. My wife has really come through and solved some puzzlers. I am greatly impressed with Jonathan Blow for this game. It is amazing. Having said that, this game would have been an all time great if it: 1. Had a Myst-like world where we could read journals and really tell it was lived in. I get that the statues and so forth indicate some things, but it could have been better. 2. Had a stronger narrative. I think it would have worked well if we learned a lot more about ourselves, the island, how the island became abandoned, and what our role was in this world. Subtly is nice, but I have read he essentially removed 95% of the narrative that was in his head. 3. Hi, Opal! Anyway, it has been an absolute blast. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/50 "2016-02-22T16:15:38Z")
In really glad you like it. Honestly I’m glad the plotline was cut out; I really dig the mystery of it all. I don’t know what all you’ve completed but there’s some pretty cool stuff as far as imagery hinting at plot. It makes me feel like early seasons of LOST again. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/51 "2016-02-23T03:43:04Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > In really glad you like it. Honestly I’m glad the plotline was cut out; I really dig the mystery of it all. I don’t know what all you’ve completed but there’s some pretty cool stuff as far as imagery hinting at plot. It makes me feel like early seasons of LOST again. 😃 I’ve send the top of the mountain but not gone in. I’ve completed the symmetry, desert temple, arboretum, and am on the swamp/marsh now. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/52 "2016-02-24T22:22:34Z")
Massive gameplay spoiler in the box below, but I have to ask anyone who has played. [spoiler] Did you find out about the environmental puzzles during your gameplay or did you read about it online? Or just learn from me mentioning it now. The island is filled with spots where you can draw lines on the actual environment/architecture. I learned naturally, unspoiled when I found it. I was at the Desert Temple very early. The first lengthy area I completed, right after symmetry. I saw the large circular shape on the building and clicked on it as a goof. By complete coincidence, the sun was on it and it lit up. I didn’t even know the sun/light activated puzzles in that area. It was very lucky. Otherwise, I would have shrugged it off and moved on. You?[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/53 "2016-02-25T01:19:20Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Massive gameplay spoiler in the box below, but I have to ask anyone who has played. > > [spoiler] Did you find out about the environmental puzzles during your gameplay or did you read about it online? Or just learn from me mentioning it now. The island is filled with spots where you can draw lines on the actual environment/architecture. > > I learned naturally, unspoiled when I found it. I was at the Desert Temple very early. The first lengthy area I completed, right after symmetry. I saw the large circular shape on the building and clicked on it as a goof. By complete coincidence, the sun was on it and it lit up. I didn’t even know the sun/light activated puzzles in that area. It was very lucky. Otherwise, I would have shrugged it off and moved on. > > You?[/spoiler] I suspected because of the very same desert area thing you saw, but never managed to get anything to happen when I clicked on it. Later learned there was something people were referring to as “environmental puzzles” but wasn’t sure of the meaning. Then saw one pretty clearly laid out at one point and the phrase “environmental puzzle” clicked and I tried it out and it worked. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/54 "2016-02-25T01:31:55Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I suspected because of the very same desert area thing you saw, but never managed to get anything to happen when I clicked on it. Later learned there was something people were referring to as “environmental puzzles” but wasn’t sure of the meaning. Then saw one pretty clearly laid out at one point and the phrase “environmental puzzle” clicked and I tried it out and it worked. I just saw an interview with Jonathan Blow and he explained: That the original idea of the game was the top of the mountain, looking down and realizing that the path you walked on _is_ a puzzle. It’s the river in the final game, but he felt that one screamed at the player more than any other. He sat on the “secret puzzles” secret for years. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/55 "2016-02-26T14:09:27Z")
Wow, just finished the jungle/bamboo area and was stunned how short it is. It took my wife and I 45 minutes(due to getting stuck once) to finish that. The small effort lit up a laser, while we worked for a few days of gameplay to do the tetris one and got the same reward. 🙂 We are entering a Monastery/Temple like building(not the one in the Desert). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/56 "2016-02-29T02:36:13Z")
[Here is my map updated with what I have done.](http://imgur.com/bMqqptI) I have the Quarry to go to, followed by the Town. After that, I head up the mountain to see what happens. I have 9 lasers on at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/57 "2016-03-01T13:25:31Z")
I think I’ve been playing this game too much. Sitting at my desk at work, I noticed that the semicircular aperture at the edge where cables go, paired with the same aperture in the adjacent desk, formed a circle, and the small gap between the desks formed a line emerging from that circle… I’m seeing these things everywhere now 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/58 "2016-03-02T13:55:21Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [Here is my map updated with what I have done.](http://imgur.com/bMqqptI) > > I have the Quarry to go to, followed by the Town. After that, I head up the mountain to see what happens. I have 9 lasers on at this point. Progress report?! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/59 "2016-03-03T03:35:34Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Progress report?! 😛 Took a day off, but played most of the Quarry the last two days. Stuck on what appear to be the final two puzzles, but have barely attempted them. I can see the end. It is not far. Loved every second of this game. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262/60 "2016-03-06T22:29:51Z")
If anyone still cares, I am now inside the mountain, solving puzzles in there. It’s been a long month playing this game, but I will be very sad to see it end. I turned on all 11 lasers, used only the tiniest amount of help. Two puzzles did not display properly in low graphics(shadow related, if you care), so I ended up solving them 95% without help, but needing a picture online to discover the proper image needed. Few tiny hints needed here or there. I still don’t know how I solved the elevator in the arboretum. This is definitely in the top 5 for all-time puzzly-adventure games. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-witness-from-jonathan-blow-open-spoilers-edited-title/744262.md?page=4)