Jonathan Blow’s new puzzle game features 1,500 challenges and 500 hours of play
Jonathan Blow, creator of the acclaimed puzzle-platformer Braid, has spent ten years developing The Order of the Sinking Star, which he describes as the "biggest puzzle game ever made". The game, releasing Thursday, features around 1,500 puzzles estimated to take 500 hours to complete, exemplifying Blow's philosophy of prioritising innovative design over commercial practicality.
The game operates as a "game design supercollider", combining mechanics from four pre-existing free puzzle games (with creators' permission) to generate novel brainteasers that wouldn't exist independently. Blow developed a custom programming language, Jai, and bespoke engine for the project, and deliberately excluded AI from the development process, though he expressed concern that overreliance on AI by newer developers could create programming shortages within the industry.
- 1,500 puzzles, ~500 hours to complete, releasing Thursday
- Combines other designers' game mechanics into new puzzle experiences
- Custom language built, AI deliberately avoided in development
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Jonathan Blow is a video game designer known for creating Braid, a critically acclaimed puzzle game from 2006. His latest project, The Order of the Sinking Star, contains approximately 1,500 puzzles and an estimated 500 hours of gameplay, making it what Blow describes as the largest puzzle game ever made.
The game combines puzzle mechanics from four existing free games, licensed with permission from their creators, to create new puzzle types that would not be possible from any single system alone. Blow created a custom programming language and game engine for the project and deliberately did not use artificial intelligence during development.
This design approach reflects Blow's belief that innovative puzzle design should take priority over commercial considerations. He has also expressed concerns about the video game industry's growing reliance on artificial intelligence, worrying it could affect employment prospects for programmers.
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Originally published by BBC Technology as “Braid-creator Jonathan Blow on making the ‘biggest puzzle game ever’”.