Jonathan Blow has spent the past decade crafting an astonishing puzzle experience that looks set to challenge even the most seasoned problem solvers. For those unfamiliar, Jonathan Blow is the creator of indie classics like Braid and The Witness, games that not only innovated intellectually but influenced many developers aiming to merge immersive narratives with meaningful gameplay mechanics. His latest project, Order of the Sinking Star, isn’t just another game. It’s a testament to what happens when vision meets dedication and an investment of years.
Let’s break it down. Blow has revealed that this isn’t a simple puzzle game but a sprawling world made up of over 1,400 puzzles. That’s more puzzles than most franchises offer cumulatively over ten years. If you’ve ever spent hours pondering solutions in The Witness, know that Blow now offers an experience that might require hundreds of hours to master fully.
What makes Order of the Sinking Star monumental?
1. A new engine built from scratch
Blow didn’t stop at designing puzzles; he created the entire foundational architecture. This decision allowed his creative process to extend far beyond the constraints of ready-made systems. His intention was to craft a game engine that supported intricate puzzle combinations.
The game looks at how players interact with grid-based puzzles but evolves into increasingly complex mechanics as worlds combine together. Imagine walking into a scenario where suddenly what you learned about one mechanic adjusts how you approach the next, the game becomes a tool that deepens thought processes.
2. Puzzle combinations you've never seen before
The puzzle worlds offer unique experiences individually but later weave together in a “combinatoric explosion.” Think block-moving mechanics paired with teleportation puzzles and mechanical suits that interact with beams of energy, each piece intricate on its own but surprising when fused.
Players will begin solving isolated puzzles but eventually uncover layers of interconnected solutions. According to Blow during his announcement at the Game Awards, this mixing creates gameplay no developer has adequately explored before.
3. Completing this game takes time and effort
Completionists looking to immerse themselves fully might need close to 500 hours to unlock every secret and achieve every solution. The first logical endpoint for many players may happen around the 60 to 100-hour mark, but, here’s the remarkable insight, even after reaching what looks like completion, there are deeper secrets and challenges waiting for discovery.
This isn’t just a game, it’s practically an investment one makes in intellectual exploration.
How does this impact founders and entrepreneurs?
Shifting gears to the lessons embedded in this development milestone, Order of the Sinking Star reflects key principles relevant to anyone running their own business or bootstrapping a startup.
Think bigger
Jonathan Blow started this project intending to demonstrate technical capabilities in a year or two. He ended up expanding his vision substantially. Entrepreneurs often aim to stay lean, but when passion propels the project, scaling up isn’t just optional, it’s necessary. Blow proved commitment to a bigger goal often stretches resources but results in truly meaningful output.
Master complexity one layer at a time
No one successfully tackles layered challenges by rushing. Startups often face challenges juggling business models. Blow’s approach, crafting isolated puzzle “worlds” before combining them, represents an incremental methodology that founders can mirror. Master one concept before introducing new variables into the ecosystem.
Invest in your unique IP
Jonathan Blow’s financial liberty after The Witness ensured he could afford time and help build something unprecedented. Entrepreneurs aiming for sustainability should create intellectual assets that generate long-term passive income. For instance, building a protected invention or patent could let you afford future freedom when expanding other ventures later.
Mistakes founders should avoid based on Blow’s puzzle philosophy
Overcrowding ideas early in development
One major lesson from Blow’s process is that good strategy means pacing complexity. Entrepreneurs getting lost in their original ideas tend to complicate pitches, offerings, or scalability too soon. Simplify your deliverables initially, then amplify.
Ignoring the importance of testing
Playtesting isn’t just useful, it’s essential. Jonathan Blow admitted that while testing his puzzles wasn’t intuitive to his personal process, the game benefited massively from outsider feedback. Female founders often face greater scrutiny but can transform this into positive feedback loops via market tests.
A female entrepreneur’s takeaway from Blow’s decade-long creative marathon
The lesson isn’t the 1,400 puzzles alone, it’s what creating them conveys about patience, expertise, and the capacity for staying the course. Jonathan Blow teaches us commitment over time can unearth results no one anticipates. Here’s the truth: as women entrepreneurs, many of us face pressure to offer quick results or demonstrate rapid profits. Very few people will tell you your breakthroughs come precisely after sustained, unhurried effort.
Like Blow, take your time and design something profound enough to have a real impact. And trust me, giving yourself room to do your best work doesn’t mean failure, it means wisdom.
FAQ
1. Who is Jonathan Blow and why is he significant in the gaming industry?
Jonathan Blow is a prominent indie game developer known for creating Braid and The Witness, which revolutionized puzzle gaming with intricate designs and deep narratives. His work has influenced developers worldwide. Read more about Jonathan Blow
2. What is Order of the Sinking Star?
Order of the Sinking Star is Jonathan Blow's upcoming game, featuring over 1,400 handcrafted puzzles combined into a “combinatoric explosion” of complexity. It’s expected to take completionists up to 500 hours to fully explore. Preview Order of the Sinking Star
3. How long did it take to develop Order of the Sinking Star?
Blow spent nearly a decade crafting this game, starting its development in 2016 after The Witness.
4. What makes Order of the Sinking Star unique?
The game incorporates intricate, interconnected puzzle mechanics that evolve as the player progresses, making it a deeply intellectual and innovative experience. Explore what makes it unique
5. What are the major themes or mechanics in Order of the Sinking Star?
The game includes four main puzzle worlds, each with distinct mechanics. These include block-moving with RPG twists, teleportation puzzles, stone-skipping paths, and energy-beam-powered mechanical suits. Learn about the puzzle worlds
6. Why did Jonathan Blow create a new engine for this game?
Blow designed a new engine from scratch to ensure that the game could support complex and innovative puzzle mechanics unrestricted by existing platforms. Learn about the game engine
7. How does Order of the Sinking Star reflect Jonathan Blow’s design philosophy?
The game emphasizes non-linear learning, patient exploration, and incremental mastery, embodying Blow’s belief in meaningful intellectual gameplay. Understand Blow's philosophy
8. What can completionists expect from Order of the Sinking Star?
Completionists will find a treasure trove of challenges, with over 1,400 puzzles requiring an estimated 500 hours to master fully, including hidden secrets post-completion. Preview the puzzles
9. How does Jonathan Blow's financial success influence his work?
The financial success of The Witness gave Blow the freedom to dedicate years of development to ambitious projects like Order of the Sinking Star. Read about Blow’s work sustainability
10. When is Order of the Sinking Star expected to release?
The game is slated for a 2026 release according to recent announcements at The Game Awards. Stay updated on the release
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
