Braid developer wants you to witness The Witness
We’re big fans of Jonathan Blow, whether for his no-nonsense views on the gaming industry or for a little gem of a game called Braid.
With the time-bending title now confirmed for a PS3 release, and hopefully even more extolment from a new set of fans, we can happily turn our attention to Blow’s next project – the intriguingly named “The Witness.”
Commenting on his official blog, it would appear that The Witness has some lofty aspirations. Taking minimalism to the ultimate level, the site simply consists of one image (called tao.png – we checked) which austerely presents some esoteric words from the ancient Taoism text Tao Te Ching to the inquisitive enquirer. For those who have yet to enjoy the product of Blow’s mind with Braid, get ready for the existentialist musings of The Witness.
“Something amorphous and consummate existed before Heaven and Earth. Solitude! Vast! Standing alone, unaltering. Going everywhere, yet unthreatened. It can be considered the Mother of the World. I don’t know its name, so I designate it, ‘Tao’. Compelled to consider it, name it ‘the Great’.”
Paging Dr. Freud … OK, who are we to question the man’s genius but that does sound odd for a game that is apparently set on an uninhabited island populated with puzzles. What could this all mean? We don’t know. We’ll give Jonathan a call to see if he’s feeling chatty regarding his new baby. We just pray our fragile minds can handle the cosmic onslaught.
