Developed by Thekla, Inc. and published by Arc Games and Gamirror Games, Order of the Sinking Star is a puzzle adventure from Jonathan Blow, the designer behind Braid and The Witness. Its ambition is immediately apparent in a campaign built around four distinct worlds, a growing collection of interlocking mechanics and more than a thousand puzzles. Rather than simply offering an enormous collection of isolated brainteasers, the game gradually constructs a connected system in which knowledge acquired in one area can transform the way another is approached. This makes for an experience capable of delivering some remarkable moments of discovery, although its sheer scale and refusal to offer much assistance can also make it an intimidating prospect.
The adventure begins in an enigmatic fantasy realm, where a queen awakens in a strange environment and gradually uncovers the secrets connecting its inhabitants and locations. From a central overworld, players can explore in several directions, each leading towards a different region with its own characters, narrative threads and rules. The stories initially appear largely independent, but their relationships become clearer as the journey progresses and the worlds begin to overlap. There is an appealing sense of mystery in discovering these connections rather than having everything explained upfront. However, the narrative rarely competes with the puzzles for attention, and the characters’ conversations and observations can feel secondary to the business of solving the next challenge. Those looking for a compelling story to drive their progress may find the writing too diffuse, while players who enjoy piecing together fragments of a larger mystery will have more reason to pay attention.
The gameplay is rooted in the familiar principles of Sokoban, the classic puzzle format in which objects must be moved around a grid to reach a particular goal. Order of the Sinking Star expands this foundation into four substantial puzzle systems. In the northern region, a party of fantasy adventurers uses abilities such as pushing objects, pulling them, swapping positions and manipulating other characters or obstacles. The eastern islands revolve around mirrors that enable characters and objects to move between positions, turning spatial awareness into the key to progress. Further south, stones can be bounced across water to generate ripples and move floating plants, creating routes through otherwise impassable terrain. To the west, underground chambers introduce colored gems and beams of light whose different properties unlock paths, alter movement and remove obstacles. Each system has its own identity, and the variety helps the game avoid feeling like a conventional box-pushing puzzler stretched beyond its natural limits.
What makes the design particularly impressive is how these mechanics develop beyond their initial boundaries. Each region introduces its ideas gradually, giving players opportunities to understand the underlying rules before adding new complications. The real ingenuity emerges when characters, objects and systems from different areas begin to interact. A familiar ability can suddenly serve an unfamiliar purpose, or a rule that seemed straightforward in isolation can become the missing piece in a much larger problem. Progress therefore depends on more than memorising individual solutions: players must build a mental library of possibilities and learn to apply that knowledge in unexpected combinations. The overworld itself also becomes part of the puzzle, with routes and obstacles sometimes requiring closer examination rather than simply completing the challenges marked on the map. This interconnected structure gives the adventure a satisfying sense of cumulative discovery, rewarding curiosity in ways that extend beyond any single level.
Freedom of exploration is another significant strength. The four main regions can be approached in different orders, and a difficult puzzle does not necessarily bring progress to a halt. Players can leave a troublesome challenge behind, explore elsewhere, learn a new mechanic and return later with a different perspective. This flexibility makes the enormous campaign more manageable and allows the experience to accommodate different levels of commitment. The game can provide hours of satisfying puzzles without requiring players to see everything, while dedicated enthusiasts have an immense amount of additional content to uncover. At the same time, the scale is not an uncomplicated advantage. With so many challenges and discoveries ahead, progress can sometimes feel almost insignificant, and the prospect of hundreds of hours of potential play may become exhausting rather than enticing. The underlying mechanics also remain recognisably connected to their Sokoban roots, so players who need substantial changes in the fundamental style of interaction may eventually feel that the variety is more about recombination than reinvention.
The difficulty is both one of the game’s greatest assets and its most considerable barrier. Order of the Sinking Star generally introduces its mechanics in a sensible progression, allowing players to learn through experimentation rather than lengthy tutorials. However, it is remarkably reluctant to provide guidance once a puzzle becomes complicated. The grid-based controls are straightforward, and the ability to undo moves, rewind actions or reset a puzzle encourages experimentation without making every mistake permanent. This is essential when a single misplaced object can undermine an entire solution. Yet reversing an error is not the same as understanding what to do next. Some challenges demand extended consideration, precise sequencing and a willingness to abandon assumptions that previously seemed reliable. The option to explore another region helps prevent these moments from becoming complete roadblocks, but players who prefer clearer hints or more consistent reassurance may still find the experience frustrating. Its best puzzles produce genuine moments of insight; its less welcoming stretches risk leaving players unsure whether they are close to a breakthrough or simply missing an idea they have no way of discovering.
Visually, the game adopts an isometric perspective and a clear, grid-based presentation that prioritises readability over technical spectacle. The four regions have distinct identities, with their own environments, colors and visual themes, helping players recognise the different rules at work without making the overall world feel disjointed. Objects and interactive elements are generally easy to distinguish, an important consideration in a game where the precise position of a single item can determine whether a solution works. The presentation is not especially elaborate in terms of modelling or graphical detail, and those expecting a visually lavish fantasy adventure may find it comparatively restrained. Nevertheless, the art direction provides enough variety to sustain an experience that can involve studying the same small area for considerable periods. The larger map also gains visual significance as unexplored territory opens up and the relationships between regions become apparent. Rather than relying on spectacle, the presentation serves the game’s central design and helps communicate the structure of its increasingly complex world.
Audio is similarly functional, although the voice acting gives the characters more personality than the narrative might otherwise suggest. Their dialogue adds atmosphere and occasionally introduces intriguing observations about the world, even if the overall story remains less compelling than the puzzles themselves. The soundtrack and sound effects support the experience without becoming a major attraction in their own right. Given how much time players may spend contemplating individual challenges, the restrained approach is understandable, though it does little to make the audio memorable.
Order of the Sinking Star is an extraordinary undertaking whose most compelling achievement lies not in the number of puzzles available, but in the way its separate ideas gradually become parts of a much larger whole. Its best moments arrive when a mechanic learned long ago suddenly unlocks a solution that once seemed incomprehensible, demonstrating just how carefully the experience has been constructed. The open structure, useful rewind tools and steady introduction of new rules provide some relief from the relentless intellectual demands, but the lack of meaningful hints and the sheer volume of content will not suit everyone. The narrative and audio are less distinctive than the gameplay, and the presentation is functional rather than technically impressive, yet neither detracts substantially from the central appeal. For puzzle enthusiasts willing to experiment, reconsider their assumptions and accept that some problems may remain unsolved for a while, this is a remarkably rich adventure. Those seeking a more guided or compact experience should approach it with caution: its greatest strength is also what makes it so demanding.
Score: 8.8/10