<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
is	O
a	O
2016	O
puzzle	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Thekla	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
involves	O
the	O
exploration	O
of	O
an	O
open	O
world	O
island	O
filled	O
with	O
natural	O
and	O
man-made	O
structures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Announced	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
had	O
a	O
lengthy	O
development	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jonathan	O
Blow	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
lead	O
designer	O
,	O
started	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
title	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
releasing	O
Braid	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
financial	O
success	O
of	O
Braid	B-Application
allowed	O
him	O
to	O
hire	O
a	O
larger	O
production	O
team	O
without	O
ceding	O
creative	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
final	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
with	O
later	O
versions	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
Nvidia	B-Application
Shield	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Original	O
plans	O
for	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
were	O
abandoned	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
engine	O
became	O
more	O
demanding	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
ultimately	O
opted	O
for	O
an	O
initial	O
release	O
on	O
Windows	O
and	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
other	O
platforms	O
following	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
received	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
praised	O
the	O
difficult	O
but	O
surmountable	O
puzzles	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
art	O
and	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
week	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
sold	O
over	O
100,000	O
copies	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
about	O
as	O
many	O
copies	O
as	O
Braid	B-Application
had	O
done	O
within	O
a	O
year	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
nearly	O
recouping	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
costs	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
puzzle	O
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mechanically	O
,	O
all	O
puzzles	O
in	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
are	O
solved	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
way	O
:	O
a	O
path	O
is	O
drawn	O
on	O
a	O
grid	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
puzzles	O
can	O
be	O
classified	O
as	O
mazes	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Completing	O
one	O
such	O
puzzle	O
early	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
leads	O
to	O
an	O
alternate	O
ending	O
,	O
which	O
culminates	O
in	O
a	O
live-action	O
sequence	O
,	O
apparently	O
from	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
point-of-view	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
finish	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
take	O
off	O
their	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
(	O
VR	O
)	O
headset	O
,	O
having	O
seemingly	O
been	O
lost	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
several	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
envisioned	O
after	O
Jonathan	O
Blow	O
released	O
Braid	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
that	O
proved	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
basis	O
for	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
a	O
prototype	O
that	O
Blow	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
very	O
ambitious	O
and	O
challenging	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
considered	O
it	O
risky	O
as	O
it	O
would	O
include	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
3D	O
gameplay	O
engine	O
,	O
and	O
feared	O
that	O
he	O
would	O
"	O
fall	O
back	O
to	O
square	O
one	O
"	O
—	O
referring	O
to	O
his	O
lifestyle	O
before	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Braid	B-Application
—	O
should	O
it	O
fail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
these	O
challenges	O
,	O
Blow	O
continued	O
to	O
go	O
forward	O
with	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
as	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
most	O
compelling	O
prototypes	O
he	O
had	O
crafted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maze	B-Application
panel	O
idea	O
came	O
from	O
an	O
earlier	O
idea	O
that	O
Blow	O
had	O
around	O
2002	O
for	O
a	O
game	O
involving	O
wizards	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
cast	O
spells	O
through	O
mouse	B-General_Concept
gestures	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
popular	O
element	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
modify	O
the	O
effect	O
of	O
the	O
spells	O
through	O
slight	O
alterations	O
of	O
specific	O
gestures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
Blow	O
's	O
goals	O
for	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
to	O
explore	O
the	O
types	O
of	O
non-verbal	O
communication	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
achieved	O
through	O
the	O
medium	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
an	O
exploration	O
he	O
felt	O
to	O
be	O
important	O
to	O
understanding	O
them	O
as	O
an	O
art	O
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
is	O
derived	O
from	O
the	O
core	O
gameplay	O
aspect	O
of	O
making	O
the	O
player	O
attentive	O
to	O
the	O
surroundings	O
to	O
discover	O
meaning	O
and	O
solutions	O
to	O
puzzles	O
without	O
verbal	O
communication	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
approach	O
taken	O
by	O
Myst	B-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
attributes	O
much	O
of	O
The	O
Witnesss	O
design	O
to	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
citing	O
Myst	B-Application
as	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
inspired	O
him	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
developer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
aspect	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
that	O
Blow	O
desired	O
to	O
correct	O
was	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
"	O
pixel	O
hunting	O
"	O
in	O
some	O
of	O
its	O
puzzles	O
;	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
click	O
on	O
various	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
virtual	O
machinery	O
without	O
knowing	O
what	O
the	O
end	O
result	O
was	O
until	O
sometime	O
later	O
in	O
the	O
puzzle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
,	O
Blow	O
created	O
the	O
maze	B-Application
panels	O
as	O
a	O
unifying	O
mechanic	O
for	O
all	O
the	O
puzzles	O
to	O
avoid	O
this	O
confusion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
basic	O
mode	O
of	O
interaction	O
is	O
the	O
same	O
for	O
every	O
maze	B-Application
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
rules	O
for	O
solving	O
each	O
puzzle	O
differ	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
set	O
of	O
symbols	O
included	O
on	O
each	O
specific	O
maze	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
wanted	O
puzzles	O
to	O
be	O
clearly	O
presented	O
in	O
the	O
open	O
and	O
without	O
any	O
red	O
herrings	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
approach	O
he	O
had	O
taken	O
with	O
Braid	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
audio	O
logs	O
were	O
initially	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
story-driven	O
,	O
but	O
Blow	O
opted	O
later	O
to	O
replace	O
these	O
with	O
more	O
obfuscated	O
and	O
obtuse	O
information	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
text	O
elements	O
used	O
in	O
Braid	B-Application
,	O
to	O
avoid	O
directly	O
relaying	O
the	O
story	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
allow	O
them	O
to	O
figure	O
out	O
the	O
narrative	O
for	O
themselves	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
was	O
also	O
concerned	O
about	O
the	O
immersion-breaking	O
pop-up	O
messages	O
that	O
announce	O
achievements	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
considers	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
a	O
"	O
subtle	O
kind	O
of	O
game	O
"	O
and	O
external	O
cues	O
can	O
be	O
jarring	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
considers	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
to	O
be	O
"	O
anti-Nintendo	O
"	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
if	O
you	O
play	O
a	O
Nintendo	O
game	O
,	O
there	O
's	O
a	O
little	O
character	O
telling	O
you	O
every	O
obvious	O
thing	O
over	O
and	O
over	O
again	O
for	O
hours.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
announced	O
in	O
2009	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Jonathan	O
Blow	O
's	O
previous	O
game	O
,	O
Braid	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
created	O
the	O
Thekla	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
team	O
for	O
the	O
development	O
and	O
publication	O
of	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
incorporates	O
other	O
artists	O
 '	O
and	O
programmers	O
 '	O
contributions	O
in	O
smaller	O
roles	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
David	O
Hellman	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
with	O
Blow	O
on	O
Braids	B-Application
art	O
design	O
and	O
worked	O
on	O
conceptualizing	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
diversifying	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Blow	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
focus	O
more	O
of	O
his	O
time	O
on	O
the	O
core	O
game	O
design	O
,	O
allowing	O
his	O
team	O
to	O
implement	O
his	O
vision	O
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Braid	B-Application
,	O
where	O
he	O
also	O
had	O
to	O
program	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
himself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
took	O
seven	O
years	O
to	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
he	O
put	O
revenues	O
from	O
sales	O
of	O
Braid	B-Application
,	O
totaling	O
around	O
as	O
of	O
April	O
2014	O
,	O
into	O
development	O
costs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
had	O
to	O
seek	O
out	O
additional	O
capital	O
in	O
February	O
2015	O
after	O
exhausting	O
the	O
Braid	B-Application
revenues	O
,	O
but	O
believed	O
that	O
regardless	O
of	O
the	O
costs	O
of	O
extra	O
development	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
debt	O
would	O
be	O
justified	O
in	O
the	O
long	O
run	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Blow	O
considers	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
to	O
be	O
an	O
indie	O
game	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
funding	O
or	O
support	O
from	O
a	O
major	O
publisher	O
,	O
he	O
also	O
feels	O
that	O
the	O
scope	O
of	O
the	O
project	O
by	O
time	O
and	O
cost	O
is	O
closer	O
to	O
what	O
a	O
AAA	O
studio	O
would	O
produce	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
represents	O
a	O
new	O
type	O
of	O
game	O
development	O
in	O
the	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
uses	O
its	O
own	O
engine	O
developed	O
by	O
Blow	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
,	O
which	O
took	O
a	O
significant	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
was	O
insistent	O
on	O
using	O
his	O
own	O
game	O
engine	O
instead	O
of	O
an	O
existing	O
solution	O
such	O
as	O
Unity	B-Application
,	O
as	O
he	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
fully	O
control	O
every	O
element	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
engine	O
that	O
he	O
created	O
himself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
compact	O
game	O
world	O
compared	O
to	O
open-world	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
whole	O
of	O
the	O
island	O
of	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
treated	O
as	O
one	O
zone	B-General_Concept
,	O
simplifying	O
the	O
gameplay	O
and	O
engine	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
presented	O
a	O
secondary	O
challenge	O
to	O
the	O
team	O
,	O
because	O
to	O
concurrently	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
project	O
,	O
they	O
needed	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
means	O
to	O
allow	O
multiple	O
developers	O
to	O
edit	O
areas	O
without	O
resorting	O
to	O
using	O
locking	B-Operating_System
on	O
their	O
version	O
control	O
system	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
work	O
without	O
being	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
central	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
had	O
incorporated	O
support	O
for	O
upcoming	O
VR	O
hardware	O
within	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
,	O
following	O
a	O
November	O
2013	O
meeting	O
between	O
Blow	O
and	O
two	O
Valve	O
developers	O
demonstrating	O
their	O
upcoming	O
SteamVR	O
technology	O
,	O
which	O
Blow	O
found	O
to	O
help	O
enhance	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
explore	O
the	O
island	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
technical	O
support	O
for	O
VR	O
is	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
released	O
game	O
,	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
not	O
designed	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
,	O
as	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
puzzles	O
could	O
be	O
"	O
cheated	O
"	O
if	O
the	O
head	O
movement	O
could	O
be	O
separated	O
from	O
the	O
body	O
movement	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
programmer	O
Andrew	O
Smith	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
and	O
layout	O
of	O
the	O
island	O
in	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
has	O
been	O
nearly	O
consistent	O
since	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
team	O
working	O
on	O
populating	O
the	O
world	O
with	O
specific	O
puzzles	O
,	O
and	O
detailing	O
the	O
landscape	O
and	O
other	O
art	O
assets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Antonio	O
,	O
they	O
took	O
inspiration	O
for	O
simplification	O
from	O
real-world	O
photography	O
,	O
from	O
artwork	O
,	O
and	O
from	O
the	O
environments	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
Journey	B-Application
,	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Mirror	B-Application
's	I-Application
Edge	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
's	O
team	O
also	O
engaged	O
with	O
Fourm	O
Design	O
Studio	O
,	O
a	O
real-world	O
architecture	O
firm	O
,	O
and	O
Fletcher	O
Studio	O
,	O
a	O
landscape	O
architecture	O
team	O
,	O
to	O
help	O
develop	O
the	O
environments	O
for	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
quietly	O
revealed	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
by	O
Blow	O
at	O
the	O
2010	O
Penny	O
Arcade	O
Expo	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
independent	O
developers	O
Chris	O
Hecker	O
and	O
Andy	O
Schatz	O
,	O
who	O
were	O
sharing	O
booth	O
space	O
for	O
demonstrations	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
games	O
,	O
SpyParty	B-Operating_System
and	O
Monaco	B-Application
:	I-Application
What	I-Application
's	I-Application
Yours	I-Application
Is	I-Application
Mine	I-Application
;	O
the	O
two	O
provided	O
a	O
table	O
for	O
demonstrating	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
without	O
any	O
signs	O
or	O
other	O
markings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fact	O
that	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
playable	O
at	O
the	O
Expo	O
was	O
only	O
fully	O
revealed	O
after	O
the	O
Expo	O
by	O
both	O
Blow	O
and	O
Stephen	O
Totilo	O
of	O
Kotaku	O
,	O
who	O
saw	O
and	O
played	O
the	O
game	O
but	O
did	O
not	O
mention	O
its	O
presence	O
until	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
tried	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
PAX	O
or	O
saw	O
footage	O
of	O
it	O
from	O
the	O
Kotaku	O
article	O
afterward	O
became	O
concerned	O
that	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
would	O
simply	O
be	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
mazes	B-Application
to	O
solve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
reiterated	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
more	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
than	O
mazes	B-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
he	O
encountered	O
similar	O
problems	O
when	O
trying	O
to	O
promote	O
Braid	B-Application
,	O
since	O
seeing	O
videos	O
of	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
does	O
not	O
serve	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
"	O
what	O
happens	O
in	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
mind	O
during	O
the	O
puzzle-solving	O
process	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
2010	O
reveal	O
,	O
Blow	O
had	O
anticipated	O
releasing	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
on	O
Windows	O
and	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
an	O
unspecified	O
set	O
of	O
consoles	O
,	O
including	O
possibly	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
progressed	O
and	O
its	O
engine	O
become	O
more	O
complex	O
,	O
Blow	O
opted	O
to	O
forgo	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
seventh-generation	B-Application
console	I-Application
versions	O
,	O
citing	O
their	O
"	O
relatively	O
low	O
system	O
specs	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
2012	O
,	O
development	O
of	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
for	O
the	O
next	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
with	O
improved	O
hardware	O
capabilities	O
became	O
a	O
possibility	O
,	O
and	O
Blow	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
started	O
looking	O
at	O
this	O
opportunity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
discounted	O
the	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
,	O
again	O
citing	O
low	O
specs	O
,	O
and	O
decided	O
to	O
choose	O
between	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
also	O
sought	O
out	O
independent	O
developers	O
like	O
Blow	O
to	O
learn	O
about	O
the	O
upcoming	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
preparation	O
for	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
while	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
not	O
yet	O
released	O
firm	O
specifications	O
for	O
their	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
later	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
had	O
difficulties	O
working	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
previously	O
explained	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
issues	O
he	O
had	O
to	O
go	O
through	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
release	O
his	O
earlier	O
game	O
Braid	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
had	O
been	O
planned	O
as	O
a	O
launch-window	O
title	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
2013	O
,	O
a	O
limited-time	O
console	O
exclusive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	O
and	O
iOS	B-Application
versions	O
,	O
at	O
that	O
point	O
,	O
were	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
alongside	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
barring	O
any	O
development	O
delays	O
that	O
Blow	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
encountered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
remained	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
missing	O
the	O
planned	O
2013	O
release	O
while	O
Blow	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
continued	O
to	O
improve	O
and	O
fine-tune	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Blow	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
was	O
set	O
for	O
January	O
26	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
simultaneously	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Windows	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
to	O
follow	O
shortly	O
thereafter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
ESRB	O
rated	O
the	O
title	O
for	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
just	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
Blow	O
clarified	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
no	O
plans	O
for	O
release	O
on	O
that	O
platform	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
and	O
were	O
only	O
acquiring	O
the	O
ESRB	O
rating	O
for	O
that	O
console	O
platform	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
as	O
the	O
other	O
confirmed	O
versions	O
to	O
avoid	O
having	O
to	O
redo	O
that	O
step	O
prior	O
to	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
journalists	O
believed	O
the	O
price	O
was	O
justified	O
given	O
the	O
estimated	O
100-hour	O
playtime	O
Blow	O
had	O
stated	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
a	O
similar	O
puzzle	O
game	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Talos	I-Application
Principle	I-Application
(	O
2014	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
Windows	O
version	O
was	O
updated	O
to	O
provide	O
support	O
for	O
Nvidia	O
's	O
Ansel	O
extension	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
compose	O
shots	O
to	O
be	O
rendered	O
in	O
ultra-high	O
resolutions	O
or	O
for	O
3D	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Sony	O
's	O
announcement	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
Pro	O
,	O
Blow	O
said	O
they	O
would	O
patch	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
that	O
console	O
to	O
support	O
4k	B-Architecture
resolution	I-Architecture
without	O
sacrificing	O
framerate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blow	O
is	O
also	O
working	O
to	O
support	O
devices	O
with	O
high	B-General_Concept
dynamic	I-General_Concept
range	I-General_Concept
(	O
HDR	O
)	O
for	O
both	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
4	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
13	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Android	B-Application
version	O
for	O
the	O
Nvidia	B-Application
Shield	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
16	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brenna	O
Hillier	O
from	O
VG247	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
to	O
present	O
what	O
otherwise	O
could	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
simple	O
series	O
of	O
puzzle	O
boards	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
impressed	O
by	O
the	O
steep	O
learning	B-General_Concept
curve	I-General_Concept
that	O
the	O
puzzles	O
presented	O
,	O
"	O
impossible	O
,	O
incomprehensible	O
puzzles	O
melt	O
into	O
simple	O
exercises	O
after	O
you	O
’ve	O
visited	O
nearby	O
locations	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
theories	O
have	O
been	O
proposed	O
as	O
to	O
the	O
meaning	O
of	O
the	O
story	O
in	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
attempting	O
to	O
analyze	O
the	O
meaning	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
David	O
Roberts	O
of	O
GamesRadar+	O
said	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
about	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
epiphanies	O
within	O
the	O
scope	O
of	O
epistemology	O
,	O
the	O
theory	O
of	O
knowledge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Roberts	O
stated	O
that	O
as	O
one	O
proceeds	O
through	O
the	O
puzzles	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
begins	O
to	O
recognize	O
other	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
island	O
setting	O
as	O
puzzles	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
obtain	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
credit	O
sequence	O
(	O
the	O
"	O
true	O
ending	O
"	O
as	O
described	O
by	O
Roberts	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
solves	O
such	O
an	O
environmental	O
puzzle	O
built	O
into	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
puzzles	O
they	O
would	O
encounter	O
on	O
the	O
island	O
:	O
"	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
your	O
journey	B-Application
becomes	O
the	O
beginning	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
beginning	O
leads	O
to	O
the	O
end	O
–	O
the	O
very	O
cycle	O
of	O
epiphany	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
week	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
Blow	O
stated	O
that	O
sales	O
of	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
had	O
nearly	O
outpaced	O
what	O
Braid	B-Application
had	O
done	O
during	O
its	O
first	O
year	O
of	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
later	O
specified	O
that	O
first-week	O
sales	O
were	O
over	O
100,000	O
copies	O
,	O
with	O
gross	O
revenues	O
over	O
,	O
on	O
track	O
to	O
break	O
even	O
with	O
development	O
costs	O
,	O
with	O
which	O
Thekla	O
would	O
start	O
considering	O
porting	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
other	O
platforms	O
,	O
potentially	O
including	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
Blow	O
observed	O
that	O
the	O
Windows	O
version	O
of	O
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
downloads	O
through	O
illegal	O
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
sites	O
,	O
comparable	O
to	O
what	O
he	O
had	O
seen	O
for	O
Braid	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
is	O
widely	O
regarded	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
2010s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Witness	I-Device
has	O
inspired	O
the	O
parody	O
The	O
Looker	O
by	O
Subcreation	O
Studio	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
puzzle	O
game	O
Taiji	O
by	O
Matthew	O
VanDevander	O
,	O
both	O
released	O
in	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
