Every once in a while, a game comes along which redefines what video games can achieve; which changes the way people think about games and interactivity; or which challenge our notions of genre.

The Witness appears to be aiming for those lofty goals, but falls tragically short.

Launching players straight into the "action" (in as much as that word applies to a pure puzzle game) with neither tutorial nor menu, the Witness demonstrates both the best and worst about interactively teaching players game mechanics. There is no game with a more satisfying "Aha!" moment when you (as a player) finally grasp what is being conveyed by a puzzle mechanic. Sadly, a large part of that is because there is no clearly conveyed difficulty curve of which puzzles to try in which order -- you will find yourself facing a puzzle for which you are not yet equipped to solve multiple times.

The Witness masquerades as a straightforward puzzle game, which would build, one layer at a time, a dazzling array of challenges. Like many great puzzle games before it, it then exhaustively explores this field until you may feel that every nook have been explored... and then you are perplexed by an unexpected, new possibility. Yet if you scratch this surface, you will find hidden layers within the game (but which sadly resolve themselves, with careful study and reasoning, to be the same elements as the surface presentation).

Everything in The Witness is present because of, and in support of, the puzzle elements of the game. Without any decision made somewhere in the game, at least one puzzle would not be solvable.

All of the above should make it the next Portal, or Tetris-- with the power to reshape the way gamers play and are challenged for years. But ultimately it feels like some critical element was missed-- with the tragic result that the game, while beautiful and engaging, has no lasting vitality.

The Witness is undoubtedly in the top 10 pure puzzle games released this year, but maybe only because there are so few contenders in that category. If you want a challenging (and frankly mind-blowing) puzzle experience which develops at your pace and you can overlook the lack of narrative, even rudimentary explanations, or a clear guide for progressing, play The Witness.