Jonathan Blow has spent the past decade designing 1,400 puzzles for you

After dedicating six and a half years to the creation of the acclaimed puzzle-adventure game, The Witness, developer Jonathan Blow felt it was time for a change. In a recent interview with Ars Technica, he explained that his next project was initially intended to be a brief proof of concept, focusing on a new engine and programming language. "I thought it would be a short game that could be completed in about a year and a half or two years," Blow reflected. Fast forward nine years, and Blow is nearing completion of what has now evolved into a complex game titled Order of the Sinking Star, which was recently announced through a trailer at the Game Awards, with a planned release in 2026. This extensive project features an astonishing 1,400 individual puzzles, which could require completionists between 400 to 500 hours to solve. Reflecting on the project, Blow humorously noted, "I don’t know why I convinced myself it was going to be a small game. Once we start things, I just want to do the good version of the thing, right? I always make it as good as it can be.” Similar to The Witness, which revolved around intricate line-tracing puzzles, Order of the Sinking Star centers on 2D, grid-based navigation puzzles that hark back to the early days of video gaming. Players begin their journey from a central point on a vast map, navigating in four cardinal directions to uncover different variations of puzzle-solving. One path introduces players to “the hearty heroes of hauling,” who utilize D&D-inspired abilities to manipulate blocks in specific arrangements. Another path, called “Mirror Isles,” allows players to strategically place mirrors to teleport and clone themselves across the screen. Additionally, players will encounter puzzles where they must skip stones across water to create paths, as well as challenges involving an exoskeleton that acquires new skills when exposed to a moving energy beam.