We were never lucky enough to land a Switch port of the acclaimed 2016 puzzle adventure The Witness, though the hybrid has managed to scratch that itch with a few titles in the years since (Memorrha, Botany Manor, etc.). Taiji is another one that we’d bundle into this group, a 2D open-world puzzler that arrives on the eShop on 25th February.
The game’s solo developer, Matthew VanDevander, was very open about its Witness inspiration when it launched on Steam back in 2022, and we can see why. This is a game where you explore a mysterious world, solving a series of grid-based puzzles as you go. Taiji switches The Witness’ first-person perspective to a top-down, 2D pixel art, but the answers-hidden-in-plain-sight approach is all still present and correct.
Since its launch, this one has gone on to pick up hundreds of ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam, and it will be interesting to see how the puzzle interface translates to Switch. It certainly looks like a good pick-up for fans of the ‘Metroidbrania’ sub-genre.
You’ll find the game’s eShop blurb and a handful of screenshots below:
Taiji is an adventure puzzle-solving game set in a mysterious world full of puzzles. Unlike many adventure games, the puzzles in Taiji all use a consistent interface: a grid of tiles which can be toggled on or off.
Although this might seem simple, the consistency of the interface frees the player from guesswork or pixel hunting that happens in many adventure games. It is always clear what the player must interact with in order to solve the puzzle, but it is never entirely clear what they must do. There are many different areas in the game, each with their own visual and mechanical themes. As you explore this dense world, it is important to think hard and to pay close attention, as vital clues are sometimes hidden in plain sight.
Taiji will launch on the European and North American Switch eShops on 25th Feb (20th for those in Hong Kong, Japan and Korea) for £22 / $24.99.
