01 STEP
Never push the last object into a corner unless the puzzle is already solved. There is usually an undo, but the time cost adds up across a thousand puzzles.
Grid Pushing & Character Abilities
Taught in the North
DOSSIER
What this entry covers
The baseline verb set: objects sit on a defined grid, and characters move them by pushing, pulling or applying a class-specific action. The grid is never hidden, and the art direction deliberately reinforces it so that a move is always readable before you commit to it.
PROTOCOL CHAIN
How to work this entry
02 STEP
Pull is the recovery verb. When a push has gone wrong, pulling from the opposite side is the only way to reposition without restarting.
03 STEP
Read the grid decoration: plants and rocks are placed on grid points on purpose, and they tell you where legal movement is.
04 STEP
When multiple characters are present, decide the order of operations first. Ability chains depend on sequence, not just on which abilities you have.
FIELD NOTES
Reading Grid Pushing & Character Abilities in play
FIELD NOTE 01
Reading the board before you move
Never push the last object into a corner unless the puzzle is already solved. There is usually an undo, but the time cost adds up across a thousand puzzles.
FIELD NOTE 02
Working the chain in order
Pull is the recovery verb. When a push has gone wrong, pulling from the opposite side is the only way to reposition without restarting.
FIELD NOTE 03
How this entry reads in motion
Read the grid decoration: plants and rocks are placed on grid points on purpose, and they tell you where legal movement is.
PLATE WALL
SOURCES
Where this entry comes from
Each record below backs a specific claim on this page. Tier 1 is the developer or publisher speaking in their own words, tier 2 is established press, and tier 3 is creator coverage. Quotations are rendered in written form; the exact spoken wording from the source is kept underneath each one for verification.
- 01 TIER 1 - OFFICIAL Steam (Thekla, Inc. official store description) VERIFIED 2026-10-11
The baseline verb set: objects sit on a defined grid, and characters move them by pushing, pulling or applying a class-specific action. The grid is never hidden, and the art direct
“Each character wields complementary abilities and has captivating stories to tell.”
OPEN SOURCE → - 02 TIER 1 - OFFICIAL Steam store page (Thekla, Inc.) VERIFIED 2026-10-11
Entity identity and official naming for Grid Pushing & Character Abilities
“From legendary director Jonathan Blow (Braid, The Witness) comes Order of the Sinking Star, a massive puzzle adventure featuring more than one thousand hand-crafted puzzles designed to put your intellect to the test. You”
OPEN SOURCE →
GRID RELATIONS
Cross-board links
Dossiers reference each other directly, so no entry is a dead end. Outbound links leave this entry; inbound links arrive from elsewhere in the atlas.
OUTBOUND → 2
INBOUND ← 8
- [WOR] The North - The Hearty Heroes of Hauling Party-based object manipulation
- [HER] The Warrior North party member
- [HER] The Thief North party member
- [HER] The Wizard North party member
- [HER] The Druid North party member
- [HER] The Cleric North party member
- [GOL] Merged Zone: The Hauling Crew + Skipping Stones Dual-combination area
- [STU] Jonah Ostroff Founding designer, the North