Order of the Sinking Star Review – Moving Stones, Sinking Brains

When I first saw Order of the Sinking Star, I honestly didn't know what to think. A game where you push stones around small patches of land? That sounded like something I'd play on my phone while waiting for the bus, not a full release coming to PS5, PC, and Switch 2 at the same time. Block pushers, or in this case stone pushers, are usually small games, and I expected this one to be small and insignificant too.

Then I did a bit of online digging. The game comes from Thekla, the studio of Jonathan Blow, the man behind Braid and The Witness. On top of that, it brings together ideas from some well-known puzzle designers, such as Alan Hazelden and Jonah Ostroff. Once I saw those names, I immediately knew this one might hit differently, and to be completely honest, I was very right.

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Four worlds, four sets of heroes, and one secret group pulling the strings.

Story – Secrets Below the Surface

The story of Order of the Sinking Star is very hard to follow, but luckily, it isn't something the game depends on heavily, so the story is definitely a secondary thing here. The story revolves around a secret group called the Order of the Sinking Star. The game is split into four worlds, and each has its own heroes and its own small tale. You'll meet a queen, a thief, a warrior, a wizard, and even a talking boat. At first, these stories seem to have nothing in common, but as you play, the worlds start to intertwine, and the characters begin to cross paths. Somewhere behind it all stands the Order, the mysterious group that ties everything together.

I was glad to see that the characters have proper voice acting. Many puzzle games wouldn't even bother, and they will just integrate speech bubbles for you to deal with, but here the heroes actually talk, and their voice acting is no small feat. It gives the game much more life than I expected.

The story is very cryptic. The game explains very little and seems to enjoy keeping you in the dark. Conversations are short, clues about the Order are scattered around, and the big picture comes together very slowly. It's mysterious, which I liked at first, but sooner rather than later, you'll find yourself with a huge question mark above your head: 'Who the hell are those people, and what do they do here?' If you like piecing a story together from small hints, you'll have fun. If you want a clear story with head and tail, and all that, I'll have to disappoint you; you won't find one here.

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The story in Order of the Sinking Star is very cryptic and hard to comprehend.

Gameplay – Push, Skip, Repeat

At its core, the gameplay is very simple, but it can be very engaging. Each world has its own rules, and the one I spent most of my time in is all about stones. You land on a small island, and your job is to push the stones around you into the right spots to build little bridges. These bridges let you reach the next patch of land. Also, all remaining worlds depend on similar mechanics; everything revolves around pushing the stones into correct positions, with the signature mechanics tied to that particular world.

In the Skipping Stones world, the trick is that stones behave differently depending on where they end up. On land, a stone moves one step at a time as you push it. Push it into the water, though, and it starts skipping across the surface until it reaches the next shore. You also need to think about where your character stands. If you push a stone into a corner or leave no room to get behind it, you won't be able to push it again. You know, the usual stuff for this type of game.

Then there are water lilies. A lily can hold a stone and turn it into a stepping spot, but it will also drift away if a stone passes right next to it. That one small rule opens up a lot of tricks, and the game keeps adding twists like this as you move on, so things never stay the same for long.

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Every world features its own set of rules.

Each level or island or whatever in each world is a puzzle, and some of them gave me real headaches. At one point, I got completely stuck in one world and simply couldn't find the solution to a puzzle. I won't blame the game for that. I'm sure the answer is there, and I just didn't see it. Thankfully, you can move freely between the worlds, so I left that one alone and went exploring the others, each with its own heroes and rules to learn.

My favourite of the bunch is the Mirror Isles. Here, you place mirrors in combination with stones and switch between your character and its reflection. The real fun starts when you have to figure out how to multiply your character and get every copy into the right position, since they all move at once. When it clicks, it feels brilliant, but until that happens, expect tonnes of frustration.

The Promise is a different beast. You use different powers tied to different gems, and it's complicated as hell. The game even warns you not to go in until you're confident in your skills, and trust me, that warning is there for a reason. Hearty Heroes of Hauling is easier to get into. You control a small team of heroes, such as a warrior, a wizard, and a thief, and each one moves and pushes things in their own way. Most puzzles only work when they help each other out, so the challenge is figuring out who does what, and in which order.

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Every island is a small puzzle box, and some of them are much tougher to open than they look.

This is where I have to mention the biggest thing missing: there is no hint system. If you get stuck, you're on your own. With no online guides around yet, I had nowhere to turn for even a small push in the right direction. I get that puzzle fans love a good struggle, but an optional hint would make the game much friendlier for the rest of us.

Mistakes, on the other hand, never cause a problem. One button press takes you a step back, and you can keep pressing it to rewind as far as you want. If you've made a complete mess, another button resets the whole area. This keeps frustration low, because you can test ideas without any fear.

Level design is where the game shines. Each island is built to keep you busy and entertained, and some paths lead to extra areas with hidden treasures, a nice reward for curious players. Every time you reveal a new piece of land, the fog lifts from that part of the map, and watching the world slowly open up is very satisfying. You play from an isometric view, but you can also zoom the camera out to a wider, top-down view, which helps a lot when planning your next moves.

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In Every Order of the Sinking Star, the level design is the true star of the show.

Visuals and Sounds – Calm Waters, Calmer Dungeons

[Featured image] Caption: The bright, clean look is more than pretty, since it lets you read every puzzle at a glance.

Visually, the game keeps things clean and simple, and it looks really amazing in both open and close sections. The islands are bright and colourful, the water looks calm and soothing, and that's just how the game looks in the open areas. Inside Hearty Heroes of Hauling, you'll explore temples and dungeons, and the design in these is so stunning, I couldn't get enough of it. In a puzzle game, everything is about small details, and Order of the Sinking Star really thrives in this segment. From shiny crystals, perfectly designed skipping stones, crystal-clear water, and everything in between, the game gives a very strong visual impression.

The music is fantastic. It's soft and relaxing, and it has a soothing effect on you, which is exactly what you need when a puzzle is starting to get seriously on your nerves. More than once, I just sat there and listened while thinking about my next move, and while I'm writing this review, the game is running on my PS5 and the background music in the menu is helping me think more clearly. Kudos to the composers. The voiceover deserves praise too. Giving real voices to the characters of a stone-pushing game is quite a feat, and it adds a lot of charm.

I played the game on PS5, and performance is as good as anyone could expect from a game like this. It runs smoothly, and I didn't run into any technical issues.

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Order of the Sinking Star can look really amazing. Look at all the details of this level.

Conclusion

Order of the Sinking Star surprised me. I came in expecting a small, mobile-style stone pusher and found a big puzzle adventure with lovely music, real voice acting, and level design that keeps pulling you forward. The story is far too cryptic for its own good, and the lack of any hint system can leave you stuck with nowhere to turn. Still, if you enjoy puzzles and don't mind a headache or two, Order of the Sinking Star is much more than its simple look suggests.