Info about Order of the Sinking Star Demo:

Official game description:
**Steam Next Fest Demo Available Now for a Limited Time! Try the Demo Today**
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Step into an ambitious new puzzle adventure from the creator of Braid and The Witness. This free Steam demo—available June 15–22 during Steam Next Fest—offers a meaningful glimpse of what awaits when Order of the Sinking Star launches later this year. Built for players who love atmospheric exploration and clever, interconnected puzzles, it drops you into a mysterious world full of discoveries waiting to be unraveled. Play the demo now and experience a living puzzle unlike anything else. 
And this is only the beginning. The full game will expand far beyond what’s here, delivering a deeper, more complex, and truly innovative adventure. 
From legendary director Jonathan Blow (_Braid_, _The Witness_) comes _Order of the Sinking Star_, a massive adventure featuring more than one thousand hand-crafted puzzles designed to put your intellect to the test. You are transported to a realm of curious magic, dangerous contraptions, and vicious monsters. Explore four distinct worlds, each with its own mechanics, characters, and stories, and then watch as they all collide. As the worlds merge, and characters meet one another, puzzle systems intertwine, creating surprising new gameplay possibilities. Explore at your own pace, revisit worlds and return to challenges as you see fit. Discover unique playable characters, master evolving gameplay mechanics, and decipher the deep mysteries of a sprawling, interconnected game world. Blending exploration, storytelling, and ever-progressing mechanics, Order of the Sinking Star invites you into a mysterious, living puzzle unlike anything you've played.
Master a Thousand Interwoven Challenges
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Embark on an innovative puzzle adventure with dozens of game mechanics and hundreds of hours of unique gameplay. Each puzzle builds on the last, introducing new game mechanics that reward curiosity and persistence.
Choose Your Path, Roam at Your Pace
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Explore four mysterious worlds, each with its own characters, rules, dangers, and secrets waiting to be uncovered. Come and go as you like, you are free to take on the puzzles you discover at your own pace.
Take the Helm of Some Unlikely Heroes
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A queen, a thief, a warrior, a wizard, and a talking boat are just some of the heroes of this tale. Each character wields complementary abilities and has captivating stories to tell.
Decipher an Epic Tale
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As playable characters begin to meet and worlds collide, the mystery untangles. Through gameplay and notes you collect you learn more about this enigmatic realm. Piece by piece and clue by clue, you’ll uncover the secrets of the Order of the Sinking Star.

Release date: Jun 15, 2026

Categories: Puzzle Solving, Grid-based Logic, Time-based Mechanics, Multiple Playable Characters, Nonlinear Progression, Story-driven Gameplay, Hub World Exploration

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game shows mixed Linux/Proton compatibility. While some users achieve flawless out-of-box performance, many others require specific Proton versions (Experimental, Hotfix, GE-Proton) to run, and a few encounter launch failures or poor frame rates. Overall, tinkering is often needed, placing the experience in the 'Tinkering Required' category.
- Steam Deck: score 75; verdict: Broken; summary: The game suffers from frequent startup crashes, very low frame rates even on minimal settings, and requires manual Proton version selection to run at all. Controller input is sluggish and imprecise, and the visuals become blurry when resolution is lowered. While some users report success with specific Proton versions, the overall experience on Steam Deck is broken for many, with significant tinkering required and poor performance.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: Performance is generally positive for mid-to-high VRAM Windows and Linux configurations, but low-VRAM Windows (<8GB) shows a mixed split where some players report smooth operation while others face severe lag and crashes.
  - Sample size: 108 (28% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample spans multiple hardware setups, but not evenly.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM (mixed, 41 reports): Half of the reports praise smooth performance even on older hardware, but the other half describe severe lag, shader compilation hitches, and very low FPS (<10 fps), making the experience inconsistent.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM (positive, 19 reports): Most players recommend the game despite noting optimization problems like high VRAM usage or fan speed; two reports describe crashes and unplayability, but they are a minority.
  - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (positive, 18 reports): Players report great performance, often with high or locked framerates, though one user notes performance drops and another reports high GPU usage on a 4080 Super.
  - Windows 16GB+ VRAM (positive, 7 reports): The single report states the game runs incredible at 4K.
  - Linux / Proton 8-11GB VRAM (positive, 7 reports): The game runs well on Linux using Proton Experimental, though Proton 9 fails to start; overall playable.
  - Caveats: 108 of 391 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample spans multiple hardware setups, but not evenly.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 7.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Game completion (demo) is estimated from multiple player reports: some finished the entire demo in 9-10 hours, while others completed part 1 in 4-5 hours. The typical total time to finish all available demo content appears to be around 7 hours, based on the midpoint of reported ranges. Session length is derived from phrases like '3 hours melted away' and 'several hours straight', suggesting a typical session of about 2 hours. Story/campaign completion and endgame hours are not clearly reported for the demo, so they are set to null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game has a slow start with a brief tutorial, but opens up into an overworld with varied puzzles and multiple sub-games. Most players find fun within the first hour, though some find the pacing tedious.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Overworld unlocked after tutorial
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: slow start; unengaging tutorial; non-intuitive mechanics; lack of handholding; poor dialogue pacing and quality; repetitive puzzles for some
  - Unlock drivers: variety of mechanics introduced early; multiple sub-games; non-linear progression between worlds; addictive exploration; good difficulty progression and pacing
  - Conditions: patience for slow start; exploration mindset; willingness to switch between worlds; appreciation for puzzle design
- Player Archetypes:
  - Blow-Fan Puzzle Purist (buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking deep, emergent puzzle mechanics that lead to epiphany moments
    - Playstyle: Methodical exploration of puzzle rules, looking for aha moments and meta-puzzles
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: fan of Jonathan Blow games; puzzle game veteran; epiphany seeker
    - Reference games: The Witness; Braid; Stephen's Sausage Roll; Pipe Push Paradise; English Country Tune
  - Sokoban Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoying grid-based logic puzzles with clever mechanics and multi-character control
    - Playstyle: Systematic, methodical pushing and planning, appreciates board-based puzzle design
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Sokoban fan; puzzle board lover
    - Reference games: Sokoban; Snakebird; Lara Croft GO
  - Newcomer Immersion Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Finding an engaging and immersive puzzle experience that doesn't frustrate
    - Playstyle: Casual exploration, willing to get stuck but enjoys the journey
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: puzzle game newcomer; immersion seeker
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Excellent puzzle design (weight 0.99): The puzzles are widely acclaimed as clever, well-designed, and satisfying. Reviewers note that they introduce new concepts, are varied, and provide a rewarding challenge.
- Stunning visual presentation (weight 0.58): Players consistently praise the game's visual presentation, describing it as gorgeous, stunning, and top-notch. The graphics and art style are a major highlight.
- Exceptional overall experience (weight 0.38): Many reviews describe the game as exceptional, fun, and a masterclass in its genre. The overall experience is highly praised.
- Best Sokoban game (weight 0.28): The game is considered the finest Sokoban-style game, with innovative twists that replace the need for traditional Sokoban.
- Great voice acting (weight 0.18): The voice acting is highlighted as amazing and top-tier, contributing to the story's quality.
- Wonderful music (weight 0.18): The music and soundtrack are described as wonderful, phenomenal, and lovely, enhancing the game's atmosphere.
- Smooth performance (weight 0.17): Performance is noted as smooth and running well, with no major technical issues reported.
- Generous demo content (weight 0.14): The demo is praised for its generous amount of content, offering up to 9 hours of gameplay.
- Innovative mechanics (weight 0.14): Mechanics are explored in unexpected ways and have great potential, adding depth to the gameplay.
- Interesting world (weight 0.14): The game's world is described as full of wonders and interesting, with stunning environments.

Common complaints:
- Movement and controls feel unresponsive (weight 0.45): Players report that the movement feels jerky, jittery, and unnatural, with grid-based movement making controller input sluggish and awkward. Additionally, input lag and sticky controls with pre-input issues contribute to an unresponsive feel.
- Translation quality is poor (weight 0.21): Multiple reviews mention translation errors and misleading translations, indicating that the localization quality is poor and needs improvement.
- Voice acting is incomplete or annoying (weight 0.18): Voice acting is incomplete or annoying, with some reviews noting that voiceovers are not yet finished and others finding them irritating.
- AI voices feel jarring (weight 0.15): The use of AI-generated voices is jarring and feels out of touch, detracting from the game's immersion.
- Dialogue distracts from puzzles (weight 0.15): Players find it hard to follow character conversations while solving puzzles, as the dialogue is distracting and creates tension between puzzle solving and story progression.
- Puzzles are too easy (weight 0.14): Puzzles are generally easy and repetitive, which may disappoint players seeking a challenge, though some note this is expected for starting areas.
- No skip options for animations or dialogue (weight 0.1): The game lacks options to skip animations and dialogue, which frustrates players who want to move through content faster.
- Demo feels incomplete (weight 0.09): The demo feels incomplete and unfinished, giving a negative impression of the game's current state.
- Linux compatibility issues (weight 0.09): The game fails to boot on Linux Mint with any Proton version, including Proton 9, indicating compatibility issues on Linux systems.
- No volume control options (weight 0.09): There is no volume slider or control for music and sound, which limits player customization.

Gameplay feedback:
- Sokoban-style puzzle mechanics (weight 0.65): The game is frequently described as a Sokoban-style puzzle game, featuring box-pushing mechanics, strict order of operations, and backtracking. It combines multiple Sokoban mechanics across various areas like Mirror Islands, Box Hero, and Promise.
- Narrative-driven puzzle experience (weight 0.65): The game is a puzzle game with a strong narrative component, including story dialogues, voice acting, and lore. It features an open world, characters, and a progressive difficulty curve, providing an immersive experience.
- Gradual mechanic introduction (weight 0.25): The game gradually introduces mechanics, teaching players through self-discovery and creative application of simple rules. Each puzzle builds on previous knowledge, allowing deep exploration of the mechanics.
- Multiple worlds and sub-games (weight 0.18): The game features multiple worlds and sub-games, allowing players to switch between puzzles. It includes an overworld and four distinct worlds, each introducing new ideas per puzzle.
- Time manipulation mechanics (weight 0.14): The game includes time manipulation mechanics such as undo, fast-forward, slow-down, and time reversal. These are integrated into single-screen Sokoban-style puzzles, adding a unique twist.
- Varied and challenging puzzles (weight 0.14): The puzzles are described as varied, challenging, and multi-part, requiring complex solutions. This variety keeps the gameplay engaging and tests different skills.
- Polished and surprising design (weight 0.14): The game is noted for its high polish and unique, surprising level design. This suggests a refined and creative approach to puzzle construction.
- Character ability combinations (weight 0.14): Character abilities mix and combine with each other and the world, creating interesting interactions. This adds depth to the puzzle-solving process.
- Based on PuzzleScript prototypes (weight 0.13): The game's content is based on or modified from PuzzleScript prototypes, indicating a foundation in existing puzzle game design tools. This may influence the mechanics and level structure.
- Demo with 75 puzzles (weight 0.13): The demo offers 75 puzzles, which is 7.5% of the final game. This provides a substantial preview of the content.
- Mirror reflection mechanic (weight 0.09): The game features a mirror reflection mechanic, which is a key element in some puzzles. This adds a spatial reasoning challenge.
- Three-character control (weight 0.09): Players control three characters with different abilities, and these abilities interact in various ways. This multi-character control adds strategic complexity.
- Overworld hub design (weight 0.09): The game includes an overworld hub that connects different puzzle areas. This hub design provides a sense of progression and exploration.
- High difficulty progression (weight 0.09): The game is compared to Baba Is You in terms of high difficulty, but also has good difficulty progression. This suggests a steep but fair learning curve.
- Influenced by classic puzzles (weight 0.09): The game combines ideas from Stephen's Sausage Roll and The Witness, offering mastery and exploration. This blend of influences creates a unique puzzle experience.
- Comparable to Braid and Witness (weight 0.09): The game is compared to Braid and The Witness, suggesting similar puzzle design philosophies. These comparisons highlight the game's quality and depth.
- Beautifully crafted puzzles (weight 0.09): The puzzles are described as beautifully crafted and high-quality, indicating careful design and execution. This contributes to a satisfying player experience.
- Demo version available (weight 0.09): The feedback mentions a demo version, indicating that the game is available for trial. This allows players to test the game before purchase.
- Characters and lore (weight 0.09): The game includes characters and lore, adding narrative depth. This enhances the puzzle-solving context and player engagement.
- Grid-based map puzzles (weight 0.09): The game features grid-based puzzles with zoomed-out maps that require square counting. This adds a spatial and mathematical element to the puzzles.

Performance notes:
- Good performance on many systems (weight 0.7): A significant number of users report smooth performance, stable high FPS (120-180), fast loading, and no issues on various PC setups, including older hardware and 4K resolutions.
- Poor optimization and high GPU usage (weight 0.6): Many users report poor optimization leading to high GPU usage, loud fans, overheating, and frame drops even on high-end hardware like RTX 5070, 4080 Super, and 5080. Issues include stuttering, severe frame drops, and high power consumption.
- Steam Deck performance issues (weight 0.38): Steam Deck performance is inconsistent: some find it smooth, but many report low FPS (20-30), blurry textures, startup crashes, and need for optimization. Users expect 90 FPS but get 30 FPS or less.
- Crashes and visual glitches (weight 0.35): Various bugs include crashes on startup, black screens, flickering, visual glitches, shader compilation lag, and freezing, affecting stability.
- Mixed Linux compatibility (weight 0.24): Linux compatibility varies: some users report smooth performance via Proton or native, while others face startup failures with Proton 9 or specific versions. Overall, many find it runs well on Linux.
- Performance drops in specific areas (weight 0.23): Performance drops occur in specific areas like the overworld map, 'The Promise' level, and when zoomed out, with frame rates dropping from 120 to 60 FPS or lower.
- Need for overall optimization (weight 0.19): General calls for performance improvements and optimization, especially at launch, indicating the game needs further polish.
- Input lag and responsiveness issues (weight 0.17): Some users experience input lag, delayed animations, and poor responsiveness even at lowest settings, affecting gameplay feel.
- Fast loading times (weight 0.16): Loading times are very fast, with no noticeable loading screens, which is praised by users.
- Limited graphics settings (weight 0.16): Lack of graphics options like FPS limiter, vsync, and limited settings (only Performance and Balanced) frustrate users who want more control.
- Good controller and display support (weight 0.12): Positive notes on controller support (wired DualShock 4), ultrawide monitor compatibility, and ability to tab out without issues.
- Lag on some setups (weight 0.08): Some users report general lagginess on certain setups without specific details.
- High VRAM usage (weight 0.05): The game uses approximately 9GB of VRAM, which may be high for some systems.
- Freezes when VRAM full (weight 0.05): If VRAM is full, the game freezes with only audio, indicating a memory management issue.
- Shader compilation lag spikes (weight 0.05): Shader compilation causes lag spikes, which can be disruptive during gameplay.
- Performance similar to other games (weight 0.04): One user compares performance to 'The Artisan of Glimmith', suggesting similar optimization levels.
- Average optimization (weight 0.04): One user rates optimization as average, indicating it is not terrible but not great.
- Windows crash on first run (weight 0.04): One user experienced a Windows crash on first run, suggesting potential compatibility issues.
- Top-down view should run smoother (weight 0.04): One user expects a top-down view game to run smoother, implying optimization could be better.

Recommendations:
- Not recommended by some (weight 0.37): Some players do not recommend the game, citing better alternatives like Jelly no Puzzle or other Sokoban games. Others mention lack of credits for original creators or poor optimization.
- Strong recommendation for puzzle fans (weight 0.36): The game is highly recommended for puzzle game enthusiasts, including both casual and hardcore fans. It is seen as a great entry point for newcomers and appeals to those who enjoy artsy or board-based puzzle mechanics.
- Day one purchase for many (weight 0.35): Many players are committed to buying the game on day one or pre-ordering, indicating strong confidence in the product. Some even call it a Game of the Year candidate.
- Demo is worth trying (weight 0.31): The demo is well-received and considered worth trying. Players encourage others to check it out, as it costs nothing and provides a good experience.
- Performance and control issues (weight 0.29): Several players report poor controls, lag, jerky movement, and optimization issues, especially on low-end PCs and Steam Deck. These problems lead to not recommending the current demo.
- Highly recommended by many players (weight 0.26): Multiple players give the game a high recommendation, calling it a must-play and a lifetime game for puzzle fans. The demo is praised as great.
- High anticipation for full release (weight 0.19): Players are very excited about the full release and anticipate it could be a Game of the Year contender if the quality continues. The demo has generated significant hype.
- Positive word of mouth (weight 0.18): Players are recommending the game to friends and expressing positive experiences. Some will buy the full version based on the demo.
- Some waiting for full release (weight 0.18): Some players are waiting for the full release before buying, either to see if issues are fixed or to get the complete experience. This indicates cautious optimism.
- Appeals to The Witness fans (weight 0.15): Fans of The Witness and Jonathan Blow games are likely to enjoy this title. It is an easy recommendation for those who appreciate similar puzzle design.
- Worth the wait (weight 0.1): Some players feel the game was worth the long wait, with one mentioning a decade. This suggests high expectations were met.
- Added to wishlist (weight 0.09): Some players are adding the game to their wishlist, indicating interest but not immediate purchase.
- Recommended for Sokoban fans (weight 0.06): The game is recommended specifically for fans of good Sokoban games, indicating it may not appeal to a broader audience.
- Recommended for all (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for everyone, including passersby and fans, suggesting broad appeal.
- Desire for more depth (weight 0.05): One player hopes the second phase shows world intersection to improve the rating, suggesting a desire for more depth or clarity in the game's design.
- Hope for improvement (weight 0.05): One player hopes to see massive improvement in the full release, indicating the demo has potential but needs work.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Players reported significant frustration due to unresponsive controls, input lag, and movement issues that caused repeated failures. Technical problems like Linux boot failure, Windows crashes, and UI issues (text scaling, pause menu, controller mapping) further compounded the negative experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.15): Players expressed excitement about the engaging puzzles and variety, looking forward to more content and the full game. The puzzle design was praised for being positively surprising and challenging.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Disappointment stemmed from the game not meeting expectations compared to other puzzle games, with developers known for good puzzle backgrounds failing on basic movement feel. Audio cues were also not well-received.
- Anticipation (weight 0.08): Players anticipated high difficulty comparable to Baba Is You and were excited to try phase 2 of the east and north regions, indicating strong interest in future content.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Players found the puzzles fun and not annoying, leading to a positive emotional response.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Appreciation was expressed for the animations and visual details, highlighting the game's aesthetic appeal.
- Concern (weight 0.04): Concern arose from map performance degradation, indicating technical issues that could affect gameplay.
- Confusion (positive) (weight 0.04): The Promise area was confusing in a good way, encouraging experimentation and positive engagement with the game's design.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy came from playing with a fiance and having good times, emphasizing the social enjoyment of the game.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.04): Satisfaction was derived from the game working flawlessly on Arch Linux, indicating technical reliability for that platform.
- Desperation (weight 0.04): Desperation was evident from players repeatedly asking for help, suggesting difficulty or frustration with certain aspects.
- Love (weight 0.04): Love was expressed for quality of life features that made experimentation easy and fun, enhancing the overall experience.
- Annoyance (weight 0.04): Annoyance was caused by unskippable dialogue when waiting at the exit point, disrupting gameplay flow.
- Confusion (weight 0.04): Confusion resulted from a lack of inventory view and unclear overworld pickups, hindering player understanding.
- Derision (weight 0.04): Derision was directed at the art and music considered tacky, and the story described as terrible, indicating strong negative reactions to these elements.}