It took more than 10 years for Thekla to finish its latest puzzle game, Order of the Sinking Star.

For creator Jonathan Blow, leading the small team of 10 or so people has been a long journey to make the biggest puzzle game ever with as many as 1,500 puzzles. The maker of Braid (2008) and The Witness has taken progressively longer to make each of his games, but he has done so in his own unique and uncompromising way.

The game has no microtransactions or other fees beyond the $30 price. It shipped last Thursday and, in a crowded gaming market, it’s among the most unique and original titles you’ll find in the gaming market.

The journey was not without struggle or worry. A couple of years ago, Thekla was in danger of running out of money, despite the riches from the success of The Witness, and Blow didn’t necessarily want to use all of that money on the new game. So Thekla secured a publishing partner in Arc Games,

That enabled the indie game studio to get to the market and come up with something polished in time for the fall season. Blow said he thinks of the game as a “game design supercollider” because it has four worlds within the game and it takes inspiration from earlier puzzle games.

Blow recognized the contribution those games made to the puzzle genre, but he felt he could add to their experience and secured permission to use them in his title.

Source link