Thekla’s Ambitious Puzzle Epic Arrives on PlayStation 5

Thekla’s eagerly awaited puzzle-adventure game Order of the Sinking Star is heading to PlayStation 5 later this year, promising an compelling mix of complex brain-teasers and narrative depth. Developed by Jonathan Blow’s indie studio – the creative minds responsible for celebrated games Braid and The Witness – the game represents a significant evolution for the studio, introducing character-focused narrative elements alongside its signature puzzle design. Hands-on experience with the game uncovers a expansive setting where players navigate linked puzzle spaces across separate areas, each introducing unique mechanics connected to controllable characters with distinctive skills. The result is a multifaceted design that builds upon Thekla’s established foundation whilst charting fresh creative territory.

A Decade of Growth Bears Fruit

This title represents the pinnacle of years of meticulous development and polish from the studio Thekla, a developer recognised for its uncompromising approach to puzzle design. The game develops from the conceptual principles established by Braid and The Witness, yet ventures into genuinely new territory by weaving story-rich elements across its expansive puzzle spaces. Rather than relegating story to the background, Order of the Sinking Star weaves storytelling naturally into gameplay, with character interaction and world detail acting as subtle signposts through increasingly complex mechanical challenges. This deliberate pacing allows players to take in story elements and puzzle systems at their own pace.

The breadth of Order of the Sinking Star is evident right away upon starting the demo. Numerous unique regions – including The Hearty Heroes of Hauling, The Promise, and the Mirror Isles – each present wholly separate puzzle vocabularies connected with character abilities. This architectural approach reshapes what could have been a sequential journey into something far more exploratory and player-driven. The three-route layout following the tutorial fosters personal discovery and experimentation, permitting players to tackle challenges in their desired order. It’s a design philosophy that honours player choice whilst upholding the meticulously balanced difficulty curve Thekla has refined over its prior games.

• Valens propels blocks; Tif pulls them; Isidore magically swaps positions
• The explorer harnesses coloured gem beams to navigate underground challenges
• The merchant employs reflective surfaces across waterlogged islands
• Rewind feature essential for reversing errors and exploring solutions

Multiple Worlds, Related Enigmas

The Robust Heroes of Haulage

The Mighty Movers’ Mission section introduces players to a set of notably talented adventurers, each possessing unique problem-solving skills that substantially change how players approach puzzles they encounter. Valens the warrior commands brute strength to shift stationary barriers, whilst Tif the thief uses dexterity to draw things toward her from a distance. Isidore the wizard bypasses ordinary restrictions through spellcasting, exchanging places with obstacles in an instant. Initially separated within the puzzle space, these characters must eventually coordinate their efforts to overcome progressively complex obstacles.

What makes this starting zone particularly effective is how it gradually imparts puzzle language through character mechanics rather than explicit instruction. The distribution of powers across three distinct personalities creates organic advancement, where players gradually comprehend how various mechanics combine to solve complicated spatial challenges. The ability to rewind proves essential here, permitting experimentation without consequence as players discover perfect orders of pushes, pulls, and magical exchanges needed to move forward through the intricate palace passages.

Different Spheres and Their Operating Principles

Beyond the palace walls exists a trio of distinct regions, each presenting fundamentally different puzzle vocabularies tied to their respective characters and environments. The Promise guides an explorer through shadowy mine networks where colored gemstone beams unlock passage and trigger mechanisms, whilst the Mirror Isles test a prosperous merchant to navigate flooded island chains using reflected doubles and dimensional shifting. This architectural diversity ensures Order of the Sinking Star avoids settling into familiar formulas, instead providing players real agency about which mechanical systems they engage with first.

• Coloured gems emit beams to solve mine-based puzzles and open passages
• Mirror reflections enable traders to exchange positions across islands
• Each region features separate challenge levels and puzzle vocabularies

Stratified Complexity and Character Skills

Order of the Sinking Star expertly designs its puzzle design around character-specific mechanics that serve as both narrative device and gameplay foundation. Rather than displaying abstract blocks and switches, Thekla’s puzzle design grounds each puzzle within the personality and capabilities of its cast. The Queen’s early progression through the palace demonstrates this approach gracefully, introducing players to the principle that solving environmental obstacles requires grasping what each character can distinctly do. This design philosophy transforms what could be rote mechanical puzzles into opportunities for genuine discovery, where players learn the rules through organic exploration rather than tutorial prompts.

As players advance into Order of the Sinking Star’s interconnected regions, the complexity escalates dramatically through combining various character powers within individual puzzle areas. The separation of pushing, pulling, and magical swapping across Valens, Tif, and Isidore creates situations where no individual character can progress independently. This enforced cooperation requires players to think spatially across three distinct toolsets simultaneously, forming complex sequences of interconnected moves. The generous rewind mechanic acknowledges this escalating difficulty by permitting fearless experimentation, converting possible disappointment into rewarding instances of success when puzzle answers eventually become clear.

The Critical Juncture: Realities Merging

As Order of the Sinking Star develops across its three separate regions, the puzzle architecture gradually reveals an interconnected framework that binds these ostensibly isolated worlds together. What begins as isolated character journeys through The Hearty Heroes of Hauling, The Promise, and the Mirror Isles progressively interweaves their narratives and mechanics. The game’s structure prompts players to navigate freely between these areas, finding that solutions in one region often shed light on methods necessary elsewhere. This integrated design ethos enriches the experience beyond a series of separate puzzle rooms, transforming it into a cohesive tapestry where each character’s skills become essential to unlocking the broader mystery.

The blending of these worlds is far more than mechanical—it’s profoundly narrative in nature. Voice-over dialogue and environmental storytelling slowly uncover how the Queen, the explorer, the trader, and the warrior band are bound together by something much more significant than chance displacement. As players navigate progressively intricate puzzle sequences that call for knowledge from multiple character abilities, the story’s central mystery begins taking shape. This synthesis of gameplay and narrative produces the kind of narrative depth that characterised Jonathan Blow’s previous works, suggesting Order of the Sinking Star represents a true advancement in puzzle-adventure design.

What Players Can Expect In the Coming Year

Order of the Sinking Star PS5 release marks a significant milestone for independent puzzle design, introducing Thekla’s ambitious vision to a broader audience. The game’s release later in 2026 is set to offer a expansive experience that builds meaningfully upon the studio’s track record of intricate, intellectually demanding experiences. With multiple expansive areas to discover and a collection of characters whose powers unlock increasingly challenging puzzle mechanics, players can expect dozens of hours spent unravelling the enigma of the Sinking Star. The PS5’s processing power should guarantee smooth operation during the game’s demanding puzzle sequences and world changes.

Early hands-on impressions suggest Order of the Sinking Star effectively combines accessibility with depth—newcomers can understand the fundamental block-pushing mechanics within minutes, whilst experienced puzzle solvers will face genuine challenge by the later, interlocking puzzle designs. The game’s dedication to understated narrative through environmental details and character dialogue establishes an compelling story structure that supports extended play sessions. For those who cherished Braid and The Witness, this constitutes a logical progression in Jonathan Blow’s design philosophy, combining the intellectual depth of his earlier games with a stronger focus on character that will appeal with players seeking substantive gameplay.

• Three distinct regions with distinctive puzzle mechanics and character abilities
• Sophisticated undo and rewind systems for testing out solutions without risk
• Interwoven narrative uncovering stronger links between isolated characters
• Escalating difficulty that appeals to both casual and serious puzzle enthusiasts