Puzzle games and the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 go hand in hand. The genre is perfect for portable gaming, and one of the names that consistently comes up in conversation of the genre is Jonathan Blow, thanks to his work on Braid and The Witness. With Order of the Sinking Star, Blow is back with his development studio, Thekla Inc, and publisher ARC Games, has brought forward a narrative puzzle game that is as deep as the Mariana Trench.
During Summer Game Fest Play Days, Order of the Sinking Star had a demo spot during the Nintendo Partner Preview. As we sat down for our demo, the developer and PR explained that the game was on a timer and that it was better explored with more time, visibly frustrated with the situation. And to be honest, I understand why.
Order of the Sinking Star is vast, with nearly endless puzzles and worlds to explore.
Order of the Sinking Star sets players on an adventure of navigating various magic realms, solving puzzles with new and different mechanics in each one. Filled to the brim with realms and choices to make in progression, each realm will have its own set of mechanics, characters, and stories.
The puzzle structure is uniquely developed for each new area, with some needing you to move pieces of the environment to trigger walls or magic, or line up mirrors to move from island to island, and so much more. While each world has its own set of identities and characters, players will enter the world as a sandbox, choosing their paths and experiencing the realms until the overarching narrative becomes clear.
In our demo, we got to see four different worlds, each with its own unique character and set of challenges. It’s important to point out that each of these realms isn’t just a realm of one area. Instead, each one has its own unique aesthetic, while the overall art direction holds it together. While you do use some puzzle mechanics that you learn across each of the realms, they do start to come together.
For example, when you learn that you can move a mirror, or rather have to move mirrors, in one world, you then know that you can interact with the environment beyond just walking or navigating a maze. Mechanics in one area allow you to see how much you can interact in the world in the next one you travel to.
Order of the Sinking Star’s openness is its selling point, and flexibility is key. During our time with the game, they shared that they wanted players to be able to hop in and out of these worlds and solve puzzles at their own pace and in the order that calls to them. This allows players to leave areas they may be struggling with and try something new before returning.
The larger problem with my time with Order of the Sinking Star was how badly the strict 20-minute demo format that the Nintendo Partner Preview insists is not how anyone should preview this game. Right when I would start getting excited to play a level I had just figured out, the developer would rush me along and make me go to a new area. The density of the game’s puzzles and the intricacy and diversity of the mechanics made the demo feel like I saw nothing at all.
Order of the Sinking Star was let down by its demo format, but it does offer promise.
While part of this is a testament to the game’s robust content that I want to see more of, the rest of it gets right on the edge of feeling extremely convoluted. Order of the Sinking Star is begging you to approach it like eating an elephant, and take it one piece at a time. But in the Nintendo Partner Preview, we were rushed to unhinge our jaw and swallow it whole.
Order of the Sinking Star is a game that is perfect for the Nintendo Switch 2, especially for losing yourself in a robust, magical world with new puzzles to solve and a story to explore, especially on the go. But this was the wrong format, and depth is the issue.
Writing my impressions is difficult because this is a game that, despite my wanting to know more about and experience more of it, was the sourest of experiences at Play Days. It was clear that the rush was to make sure that we saw multiple levels, however, the brevity of each of them could have been handled by showing us a trailer highlighting the various puzzles, while letting use get lost in one or two of our choosing.
Still, with over 1000 interconnected puzzles, Order of the Sinking Star is vast in a way that makes sense, even if its demo format didn’t. There is excitement to be found for people who love puzzles as I do; it just needs to be without a strict time restriction, and upon release, we’ll get that chance.
Order of the Sinking Star has no official release date but will launch on PC and Nintendo Switch 2.