Despite all the fire creator Jonathan Blow has come under, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that he’s pretty damn good at making puzzle games. He’d previously made Braid and The Witness — both very successful indie puzzle games — and is now set to ship Order of the Sinking Star, yet another puzzle game that looks poised to continue his legacy.
Order of the Sinking Star was originally unveiled during The Game Awards 2025. It features many Sokoban-style puzzles and while the trailer itself boasted over 1,000 puzzles for players to tackle, Blow mentioned that the game actually has over 1,400 already. Order of the Sinking Star has been in development for over a decade at this point, so it should be pretty exciting to see what sort of puzzly goodness it has in store for players.
From June 15-22, players will be able to download a playable demo of Order of the Sinking Star via Steam Next Fest. According to the press release, the demo will allow players to experience a meaningful slice of the game, even kickstarting theories about the game’s central mysteries.
“Built for players who crave atmospheric exploration and clever puzzles, Order of the Sinking Star drops you into a sprawling world filled with interconnected puzzles, and revelations waiting to be uncovered. The Steam Next Fest demo will deliver a meaningful slice of the experience — enough to challenge, surprise, and even spark theories of the game’s overarching mystery. Rumor has it that the initial launch of the demo will just be the beginning… more details will be revealed when the time comes!”
Truth be told, while Blow’s personal politics irk me, it’s still difficult not to at least be intrigued by his new project, especially given his pedigree and how promising this looks. As much as possible, I’d prefer to separate the art from the artist, though we’ll see if that’s possible here.
Order of the Sinking Star is set to be released for PC and Switch 2 this year.
