Order of the Sinking Star will arrive on PlayStation 5 later in 2026, bringing a large puzzle-focused adventure from Thekla, the independent studio founded by Jonathan Blow. A PlayStation Blog hands-on report detailed how the game builds on ideas associated with Braid and The Witness while adding a cast of controllable characters, a more direct story, and several interconnected worlds.
The game begins with the Queen trapped inside what looks like a strange palace. That opening area teaches the basics of pushing objects across grid-based stages, along with an undo mechanic that lets players reverse their actions when a puzzle goes wrong. Story details arrive gradually through dialogue, narration, and environmental clues rather than long stretches of exposition.
After the introductory section, players can choose between three areas. The Hearty Heroes of Hauling introduces Valens, Tif, and Isidore. Each character handles obstacles differently. Valens pushes blocks and crystals, Tif pulls them, and Isidore swaps places with objects along his line of sight.
Other regions introduce their own puzzle rules. The Promise follows an explorer through a mine filled with gems that produce colored beams and grant different abilities. In the Mirror Isles, a wealthy trader uses mirrors to exchange places with a projected reflection while crossing a flooded archipelago.
The roster grows as the adventure continues. A druid can transmute blocks, while a bard can charm groups of monsters. A priestess later joins the party with immunity to enemy attacks, allowing her to shield nearby characters. These abilities gradually combine, turning early mechanics into larger puzzles that require several characters to work together.
Monsters Add Pressure Without Adding Combat
Order of the Sinking Star includes goblins and fire-breathing creatures, but there is no conventional fighting system. Instead, enemies become part of the puzzle design. Goblins can kill characters standing next to them, while other creatures attack along a line of sight. Some gates only open after the monsters in an area are dealt with.
Players can manipulate enemies so they attack one another, use the bard’s area-of-effect charm, or rely on the priestess to protect adjacent allies. The result is a puzzle system where positioning matters just as much as moving blocks.
Separate Worlds Eventually Interlock
The game’s larger turn comes when characters from different worlds begin working together. One puzzle required switching between a merchant and a wizard across realms, using their abilities in combination rather than treating each area as an isolated campaign.
That structure supports a considerable amount of content. Thekla has been developing the game for roughly a decade with a team of around 20 people. The finished adventure is expected to include more than 900 levels, over 1,000 puzzles, and multiple endings. Some challenges can be completed in different orders, giving players another route forward when one puzzle proves too difficult.
A fourth region, Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes, was not available in the demo described in the report. It will feature a stranded sailor, enormous stones, lily pads, and rivers that can be redirected.
Order of the Sinking Star will come to PS5 later in 2026. The release date and pricing were not provided in the available announcement.
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