This is the starting point for every puzzle solution on the site. Order of the Sinking Star has more than a thousand puzzles spread over one connected map, so the walkthrough is split by the area names the game itself uses on its map screen. Pick the area you are stuck in below, or read the short route guide first if you have just reached the Crossroads.
The in-game map with area names switched on. The Crossroads sits at the centre-bottom, the Heroes areas stack up the north, The Mirror Isles fill the east and the Vault of the Beamcasters lies to the west. Heroes and Water and Heroes and Mirrors sit in the north-east.
The Crossroads and where to go first
After the tutorial you arrive at the Crossroads, a hub with a road in each compass direction. The map item is just above where you arrive, so grab it before you leave. The tutorial teaches the core controls: pushing rocks, running, slowing time while moving, undoing single moves, restarting a puzzle and unlocking cages.
All four worlds are open from the start and nothing forces an order. Guides that have finished them agree on a difficulty order of North, East, South, West. Into Indie Games calls the West the hardest place to start.
| Direction | World | What you do there | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | The Hearty Heroes of Hauling | A party of heroes who push, pull and swap crystals | Heroes of Hauling, Heroes 2, Heroes 3 |
| East | The Mirror Isles | Teleport and clone yourself with mirrors | Mirror Isles |
| South | Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes | Skim stones across water and ride lily pads | Skipping Stones |
| West | Vault of the Beamcasters | Power coloured beams with gems | Vault of the Beamcasters |
Each of the four starting worlds gives an achievement when you finish it. Into Indie Games says the starting missions take about ten hours, after which the worlds begin to blend together.
Puzzle counts by area
| Area | Puzzles |
|---|---|
| Heroes of Hauling | 21 on the first two screens, plus one more that opens after Heroes 3 |
| Heroes 2: Monsters | 30 |
| Heroes 3: Bard, Druid | 24 (one video guide numbers 25) |
| The Mirror Isles | 27 |
| Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes | Level 1 (13 screens), Level 2 (12 screens), a Screen 3 puzzle and a 6-puzzle series |
| Vault of the Beamcasters | Level 1 (20 gems) and Level 2 (22 gems) |
| HxM Gold Room | 1 room puzzle plus a 2-puzzle series |
| Heroes and Water | 26 |
| Heroes and Mirrors | About 34 over 7 screens |
The map also shows an area called Heroes Together at the far north, which this guide does not cover.
Gold Rooms
Gold Rooms are the second layer of the game. Each one links two worlds and opens areas that mix their rules. The first one most players reach is the HxM Gold Room in the north-east, which leads to Heroes and Water and Heroes and Mirrors. To open it you need progress in both the Heroes worlds and The Mirror Isles.
Reading the overworld
- Pink flowers mark unsolved puzzles you can reach right now. Some flowers sit in places you cannot get to yet.
- Large pink flowers inside gold rooms mark the first puzzle of each new area.
- The overworld is full of one-way tunnels, teleport points and hidden spots. If an area looks locked, it may be reachable with some creative pushing.
- You can leave any area to the overworld from the menu and go back to the Crossroads to try another road.
How to read our solutions
How to read the steps: a direction on its own means one square. "x3" means three squares. "All the way" means keep moving until something stops you. Heroes are named by cloak colour, the way the game shows them: red pushes, green pulls, purple swaps places with whatever he presses toward.
Every solution on this site comes from published walkthroughs and solution videos, which we checked against each other. We rewrote the steps in plain language. If a step does not match your screen, press undo and compare with the video embedded on that area's page.