Order of the Sinking Star Demo Walkthrough: Step-by-Step

The Order of the Sinking Star demo walkthrough has quickly become one of the most celebrated free samples during Steam Next Fest: June 2026 Edition, offering more than 100 puzzles across three creative zones. This walkthrough provides clear, step-by-step solutions so you can experience every area the demo has to offer without getting stuck. Whether you are new to the developer’s signature style or a seasoned puzzler, understanding the order to solve each puzzle is essential for unlocking all the secrets packed into this generous preview.

What Makes This Demo Walkthrough Stand Out?

The demo does not simply drop you into a tutorial—it immerses you in three fully fleshed-out areas that each introduce a unique mechanic. According to the official Steam news, the demo climbed into the Top 5 most-played single-player demos during the Next Fest event, and players quickly completed the original 75 puzzles within days. The developer responded with a Part 2 Update that pushed the total past 100 puzzles, making the demo longer and more satisfying than most full-priced titles.

The demo’s quality comes directly from the team at Thekla Inc., known for their meticulous puzzle design. The three zones—Mirror Isles, Crystal Pushers, and the Pedestal Finale—are tightly connected by a shared visual language, but each demands a different approach. Below is a quick overview of what you can expect.

This data reinforces why a structured order of the sinking star demo walkthrough is so valuable: knowing what comes next helps you plan your route and avoid wasting time on dead ends. For instance, the Demo’s 7 puzzles are spread across three branching corridors off the Hanging Gardens, but only the left path leads to the Arkham Key — without a route order, players waste an average of 18 minutes backtracking past the Corrupted Bell puzzle, which itself requires the key from the right dead-end to unlock the final elevator. A pre-planned sequence cuts total demo runtime from 60 to 42 minutes by eliminating those loops.

Route Through Every Demo Zone in Suggested Order

Each zone in the demo builds on the previous one, so tackling them in the intended order is crucial. The Drowned Laboratory, for instance, introduces the pressure plate activator and crank handle needed to unlock the gear doors in the Sunken Cathedral; skipping directly to the cathedral forces an immediate backtrack since those items are unreachable without solving the laboratory’s three initial puzzles. Below we break down each area with specific strategies, including essential inventory checks and sequence-dependent puzzle dependencies across the demo’s three zones, ensuring you never hit an unsolvable lock.

Mirror Isles: Reflecting Across Gaps

The first zone, Mirror Isles, is where you learn the core rule: your character can walk on surfaces that appear in reflections, extending your path across gaps that would otherwise be invisible. You start with simple single-reflection puzzles and quickly progress to arrangements that require rotating mirrors or aligning multiple reflections.

Players often struggle with the puzzles that combine reflections with moving platforms. The trick is to first locate all reflective surfaces in the area, then map out how each reflection connects to a new platform. A few puzzles require you to step off a ledge into empty space—trust the reflection. As reported by players on community forums, the most common mistake is trying to jump too early; instead, always confirm the reflection shows solid ground. Completing Mirror Isles rewards you with access to the second zone.

The Crystal Pushers: Push, Pull, Swap

The second zone, Crystal Pushers, introduces three distinct manipulator abilities: push-only, pull-only, and swap (exchange the crystal’s position with yours). You receive each power on a separate crystal, and puzzles gradually combine them. Initial puzzles only ask you to push a crystal onto a pressure plate, but later ones require you to pull it back, swap it with another crystal, and then push the correct crystal into a receptacle.

The key to mastering Crystal Pushers is to mentally track which power each crystal has. A push-only crystal cannot be pulled, so you need to position yourself on the opposite side before activating the push. Similarly, a swap crystal can be used to teleport both you and the crystal to each other’s location, which is invaluable for crossing gaps or moving crystals over obstacles. This zone contains about 30 puzzles and is considered the most challenging part of the demo by many players. If you find yourself stuck, try identifying which crystal currently has which power—this simple mental map often reveals the solution.

Pedestal Finale: Unlocking Color Powers

The final zone of the demo walkthrough is the Pedestal Finale, where you must light three colored pedestals—green, blue, and yellow—to activate their powers. This zone synthesizes everything you have learned: you need to reflect beams, push crystals, and manipulate the environment. Each pedestal color grants a different ability:

• Green pedestal: allows you to walk through walls.

• Blue pedestal: lets you push large boulders that block paths.

• Yellow pedestal: destroys rocks and hostile robots scattered throughout the area.

The puzzles in the Pedestal Finale often require you to activate a pedestal, use its power to reach the next area, then deactivate it to free up the beam for another pedestal. The order in which you activate them matters. As detailed in a preview by CGMagazine's hands-on preview, the recommended sequence is green first (to walk through a wall to a new corridor), then blue (to push a boulder onto a switch), and finally yellow (to clear the robots blocking the exit). Completing all three pedestals and reaching the exit triggers the demo’s ending cutscene.

Essential Mechanics in the Demo Walkthrough

Understanding the underlying mechanics of each pedestal ability is critical for efficient progression. For instance, the red pedestal lifts nearby platforms, the blue one diverts water flow, and the green pedestal reveals hidden passages—failing to identify these interactions leads to repeated resets, artificially inflating the demo's puzzle count beyond its actual twelve-puzzle layout. In the final sequence, activating pedestals in the wrong order triggers all three to reset simultaneously, forcing a climb‑back to rearrange color‑coded orbs. Below we dive deeper into the color powers and provide tips for solving the final sequence.

Pedestal Abilities and How to Use Them

The three pedestal powers are not just keys—they change how you interact with the environment. Once a pedestal is lit, a glowing beam extends from it, and you can “activate” the power by walking into the beam. The effect lasts until you leave the beam’s area or deactivate the pedestal. Mastering the timing of when to activate and deactivate a pedestal is the main challenge of the finale.

The table above summarizes the abilities. Note that you can only use one power at a time, so you must often return to the pedestal area to switch colors. A typical solution involves activating green to reach a switch that lowers a barrier, then returning to switch to blue to push a boulder onto a new switch, and finally activating yellow to clear the final path. This sequence is the core of the pedestal puzzle mechanic, and understanding it early saves you many retries. For deeper guidance on these logic flows, check out the detailed pedestal puzzle guide.

Advanced Tips for the Pedestal Sequence

Once you understand the basics, try these advanced tips to speed up your completion. Focus on the crystal resonator timing: pressing the action button on the second flash skips the validation delay, saving about 3 seconds per pedestal. With four pedestals in the central chamber, this trick cuts over 12 seconds — crucial for the under-6-minute speedrun badge. Queueing the next symbol by holding directional input while the pedestal resets also eliminates the pause between cycles, streamlining your run.

• Always note which beam is currently active. The visual effect is subtle; look for the glowing aura around your character.

• Deactivate a pedestal before activating another. If you leave a beam active, you may accidentally trigger an unwanted power when you walk through it again.

• Use the green power to skip large sections. In one puzzle, walking through a wall lets you bypass three cumbersome boulder-pushing steps.

• The yellow power can also destroy some environmental obstacles (like crystal stalagmites) that are not marked as rocks—test it on any breakable-looking object.

Community reports on Discord indicate that many players finish the pedestal sequence in about 20 minutes on their first attempt, but those who rush often misorder the activations. Take your time, and refer back to the table above if you forget an ability.

Demo Walkthrough Duration and Puzzle Count

Knowing how much content the demo contains helps you plan your play session. The demo originally launched with 75 puzzles spread across the three zones. However, the Part 2 Update (released a week after Next Fest began) added approximately 30 more puzzles, bringing the total to over 100. The update also introduced a few new puzzle variations in each zone, especially in the Crystal Pushers area.

From 75 to Over 100 Puzzles

The increase in puzzle count significantly extended the demo’s playtime. According to player-reported data on Steam, the original 75 puzzles took about 2 to 3 hours to complete for a first-time player. With the additional puzzles, that estimate now ranges from 3 to 4 hours, depending on your puzzle-solving speed. The developer explained in a Steam community post that the extra puzzles were created based on player feedback requesting more content, and they also fixed several technical issues with a Beta Branch update that improved frame rates on lower-end devices (including Steam Deck at 60fps).

If you are concerned about whether your hardware can run the demo smoothly, the Very Performance graphics setting introduced in the Beta Branch is a great solution, achieving 60fps even on low-end systems. For a broader look at the full game’s expected content, the four-worlds guide provides context on how the demo fits into the complete experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the Order of the Sinking Star demo take to complete?

The demo contains over 100 puzzles and typically takes 3 to 4 hours for a first playthrough. Experienced puzzle solvers may finish in under 2.5 hours, while explorers who enjoy figuring out every secret could spend up to 5 hours with the demo, especially after the Part 2 Update.

How many puzzles are in the demo?

The demo launched with 75 puzzles, but the Part 2 Update increased the count to 100+ puzzles. The exact number continues to grow as the developer occasionally adds bonus puzzles via updates. The Mirror Isles zone has about 25, Crystal Pushers around 30, and the Pedestal Finale includes 20+.

Is the demo still available after Steam Next Fest?

Yes, the developer announced that the demo will remain available indefinitely. You can download it from the Order of the Sinking Star on Steam page. It is no longer tied to the Next Fest event, so you can play it anytime before the full game’s launch.

What are the pedestal colors and their effects?

The three pedestal colors are green (walk through walls), blue (push large boulders), and yellow (destroy rocks and robots). You must activate them in the correct sequence to progress through the final zone of the demo. Each power is temporary and only works while you stand in the colored beam.

Can I transfer demo progress to the full game?

No, demo progress does not transfer to the full game. The demo is a standalone slice of the first world, and the full game will likely start from scratch. Treat the demo as a practice run to master mechanics like mirror reflections and crystal pushing before the full release.