Order of the Sinking Star launches to “Very Positive” reviews: Jonathan Blow's new game, nearly ten years in the making
Order of the Sinking Star, the new puzzle game from Jonathan Blow, who made Braid and The Witness, was released on PC (Steam) on October 9. According to Dengeki Famitsu Gamer, the game passed 470 Steam reviews shortly after launch, with 97% positive, a "Very Positive" start.
The game is a top-down puzzle adventure with more than 1,000 puzzles. Characters such as a queen, a thief, a warrior, a wizard and a talking ship appear, and the game moves through four worlds. It costs 3,400 yen (tax included), and a Japanese-language version for PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 is said to be coming from PLAYISM before the end of the year.
What interests me most personally is the development time. It has been roughly ten years since The Witness. A small team staying with one game for a decade, without relying on the funding of a big publisher, is a fairly rare choice even within indie development.
Whether it succeeds is a separate question, which is why the high opening reviews feel like a reassurance. With puzzle-heavy games I wonder whether they keep up their pace in the later stages, but I will be watching to see whether the reviews keep climbing.
For indie developers, this may also be a useful case study in how to decide the scope and length of a project. If you are curious, first check the official announcements to see the status of Japanese support.
Source: Dengeki Famitsu Gamer
The game is a top-down puzzle adventure with more than 1,000 puzzles. Characters such as a queen, a thief, a warrior, a wizard and a talking ship appear, and the game moves through four worlds. It costs 3,400 yen (tax included), and a Japanese-language version for PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 is said to be coming from PLAYISM before the end of the year.
What interests me most personally is the development time. It has been roughly ten years since The Witness. A small team staying with one game for a decade, without relying on the funding of a big publisher, is a fairly rare choice even within indie development.
Whether it succeeds is a separate question, which is why the high opening reviews feel like a reassurance. With puzzle-heavy games I wonder whether they keep up their pace in the later stages, but I will be watching to see whether the reviews keep climbing.
For indie developers, this may also be a useful case study in how to decide the scope and length of a project. If you are curious, first check the official announcements to see the status of Japanese support.
Source: Dengeki Famitsu Gamer
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