Arc Games and Thekla have released a new trailer for Order of the Sinking Star as the game approaches its Nintendo Switch 2 launch.
From Jonathan Blow, the award-winning designer behind Braid and The Witness, the title is billed as a "massive narrative adventure" built around more than 1,000 hand-crafted puzzles.
Order of the Sinking Star arrives digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 worldwide on 8 October 2026.
Order of the Sinking Star centers on an open Overworld hub that lets players choose their own approach to progression.
The publisher explained that the Overworld functions as a sprawling central hub with no single "right way" to proceed; four distinct paths branch out from the starting point and each path offers unique mechanics, characters, hazards and secrets.
If players become stuck on one path, they can backtrack freely and explore other regions, and as they progress the Overworld expands—removing fog and revealing larger, more interwoven puzzle systems.
The game features four themed regions, each with its own ruleset and narrative tone:
- The North (The Hearty Heroes of Hauling): A band of fantasy adventurers run a moving company; each character has a unique object-manipulation ability and players must chain those abilities together to solve multi-hero puzzles.
- The East (The Mirror Isles): A Trader uses magic mirrors that swap him with his reflections.
Players treat reflections as active tools, mastering angles and spatial positioning to project across distances.
- The West (The Promise): A lone Explorer navigates subterranean caverns using giant gems that channel colored light beams to unlock powers such as phasing, smashing, and long-distance teleportation.
- The South (Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes): A marooned Sailor travels between islands by planning routes that use massive skipping stones and rideable lily pads to traverse open water.
Developer notes emphasize breadth and depth: the game promises dozens of mechanics across four interlocking worlds, hundreds of hours of puzzle gameplay, and a narrative that unwraps as characters meet and worlds collide.
Players will assume control of varied protagonists—a queen, a thief, a warrior, a wizard, and even a talking boat—each contributing complementary abilities and story beats.
With its October 8 eShop release on Nintendo Switch 2, Order of the Sinking Star will be a notable arrival for puzzle-adventure fans and followers of Jonathan Blow’s design work.
The new trailer offers the clearest look yet at how the game’s many systems will interact at launch.
From Jonathan Blow, the award-winning designer behind Braid and The Witness, the title is billed as a "massive narrative adventure" built around more than 1,000 hand-crafted puzzles.
Order of the Sinking Star arrives digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 worldwide on 8 October 2026.
Order of the Sinking Star centers on an open Overworld hub that lets players choose their own approach to progression.
The publisher explained that the Overworld functions as a sprawling central hub with no single "right way" to proceed; four distinct paths branch out from the starting point and each path offers unique mechanics, characters, hazards and secrets.
If players become stuck on one path, they can backtrack freely and explore other regions, and as they progress the Overworld expands—removing fog and revealing larger, more interwoven puzzle systems.
The game features four themed regions, each with its own ruleset and narrative tone:
- The North (The Hearty Heroes of Hauling): A band of fantasy adventurers run a moving company; each character has a unique object-manipulation ability and players must chain those abilities together to solve multi-hero puzzles.
- The East (The Mirror Isles): A Trader uses magic mirrors that swap him with his reflections.
Players treat reflections as active tools, mastering angles and spatial positioning to project across distances.
- The West (The Promise): A lone Explorer navigates subterranean caverns using giant gems that channel colored light beams to unlock powers such as phasing, smashing, and long-distance teleportation.
- The South (Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes): A marooned Sailor travels between islands by planning routes that use massive skipping stones and rideable lily pads to traverse open water.
Developer notes emphasize breadth and depth: the game promises dozens of mechanics across four interlocking worlds, hundreds of hours of puzzle gameplay, and a narrative that unwraps as characters meet and worlds collide.
Players will assume control of varied protagonists—a queen, a thief, a warrior, a wizard, and even a talking boat—each contributing complementary abilities and story beats.
With its October 8 eShop release on Nintendo Switch 2, Order of the Sinking Star will be a notable arrival for puzzle-adventure fans and followers of Jonathan Blow’s design work.
The new trailer offers the clearest look yet at how the game’s many systems will interact at launch.
