Order of the Sinking Star Demo Walkthrough

Match the June demo and the four covered rooms

The public Steam demo began on June 15, 2026 and received extra content on June 19. Its official FAQ described around 110 levels plus parts of the overworld, with three initial worlds and later content combining their rules. The announced availability window was extended to June 26 at 10am PT. Those dates describe the historical demo; use the demo information page for availability rather than treating this route as a download offer.

The route uses the red-clad Warrior. He can push a line of crystals together, which is essential in the six-chamber and three-button rooms. If you are controlling the green Thief or the Wizard, you are on another course even when the architecture looks similar.

Sources: Arc Games / Thekla — Steam Next Fest demo announcement and FAQ · Arc Games / Thekla — demo availability extension · PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough

Enter the northern course

From the Crossroads, follow the northern castle route to the courtyard with THE HEARTY HEROES OF HAULING written across its floor. Enter through the doorway at the top of that courtyard. In the June recording, the Queen becomes the Warrior inside the opening corridor.

Left, right, up and down below mean the directions on the shown overhead board. Start each room with its original crystal positions. If an earlier experiment has changed the arrangement, undo it or restart that room before following a sequence.

Sources: PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough

Room 1 — clear the corridor beneath the pillars

Identify the narrow three-row corridor: the Warrior starts on the left, a blue crystal blocks the lower passage near the first stone pillar, and a pink crystal sits beyond the second pillar. The yellow circular goal is on the right. The useful hint is to clear the lower route first, then approach the last crystal from its left.

1. Open the lower passage

   Approach the blue crystal from the left and push it right along the bottom row until you can pass beneath the first pillar and walk up into the central open space.

2. Use the upper route

   Walk around the upper side of the second pillar. Approach the pink crystal from its left and push it right, leaving the square above the goal clear.

3. Reach the goal

   Walk down onto the yellow circle beside the right wall.

   Completion signal: The Warrior occupies the goal and the next room loads. In PairingPears' recording this position is visible at about 5:02.

Sources: PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough

Room 2 — cross the six chambers clockwise

This room has three chambers across the top and three across the bottom. You enter at the upper left; the green portal is in the lower-left chamber. Crystals block the connections, so take the upper route to the right, descend, then work left along the lower row. The Warrior can push the connected crystal row together; you do not need to move each crystal separately.

1. Enter the upper-middle chamber

   From the upper-left chamber, push the pink-and-blue crystal line right once through the first passage. Walk above the blue crystal and push it down one square, clearing the upper-middle chamber's route to the right.

2. Descend on the right

   Walk into the upper-right chamber and use its downward passage. Push the pink crystal in that passage down into the lower-right chamber so you can follow it.

3. Open the lower route

   Get to the right of the crystal row crossing the lower chambers. Push the row left through the narrow connection until you can enter the lower-middle chamber. Use its clear upper row to get above the crystal blocking its left-hand route, then push that crystal down into the chamber's bottom row.

4. Clear the portal

   Walk left into the lower-left chamber and push its horizontal crystal line left until the blue crystal reaches the left edge. The pink crystal is now on the green portal. Walk below the pink crystal and push it up one square.

5. Step onto the exposed portal

   Move onto the green circle you just uncovered.

   Completion signal: The portal changes as the Warrior stands on it, and the single-button room follows. The accepted portal state is visible around 5:21–5:22 in the recording.

Sources: PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough

Room 3 — leave a crystal on the flower button

The flower button is at the left, a pink crystal is in the middle, and a yellow barrier separates you from the green portal at the right. The crystal must stay on the button while you cross.

1. Push from the right

   Walk around the crystal using the upper row. Stand immediately to its right and push it left through the passage until it rests on the flower button.

2. Cross the open barrier

   Leave the crystal there. Walk right across the room and through the now-open yellow barrier.

3. Use the green portal

   Step onto the green circle in the right-hand chamber.

   Completion signal: The crystal remains on the left button, the barrier is open and the Warrior occupies the right portal, as shown around 5:31–5:37.

Sources: PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough

Room 4 — fill the right, middle and left buttons

Match the three-crystal room with a vertical patch of thorns in the middle, three flower buttons near the bottom and a yellow exit barrier at the upper right. Initially, two pink crystals and an orange crystal form a bent group to the left of the thorns. You need one crystal on every button.

Keep the very bottom strip of floor usable. It lets you get underneath the last crystal and bring it back up; placing crystals on the buttons too early can leave you on the wrong side of them.

1. Make a straight column

   Push the left pink crystal down one square. Walk to its left and push it right once, placing it immediately below the orange crystal. The three crystals now form a vertical line just left of the central thorns.

2. Move the column down

   Walk above the top pink crystal and push the whole line down one square. The lowest pink crystal is now in the row containing the three flower buttons.

3. Fill the right button

   Walk around the left side to stand left of the lowest pink crystal. Push it right three squares onto the rightmost flower button. Leave it there.

4. Fill the middle button

   Return above the two remaining crystals and push their column down once. Walk to the left of the orange crystal and push it right once onto the middle button.

5. Recover room to move the last pink crystal

   Push the remaining pink crystal down to the button row, then walk underneath it along the lowest strip of floor. Push it back up its column to the clear row above the thorns, where you can walk around to its right side.

6. Fill the left button

   Stand to the right of that pink crystal and push it left once into the left button's column. Walk above it and push it down until it rests on the left button.

7. Leave through the upper-right exit

   With all three buttons occupied, walk around the thorns to the right-hand exit and step onto its purple marker.

   Completion signal: The yellow barrier clears while the three crystals remain on the buttons. The Warrior reaches the exit around 6:52–6:55; the recording returns to the northern world entrance at about 7:00.

Sources: PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough

The covered route ends at the world entrance

The open three-button exit and return to the Hearty Heroes courtyard mark the end of this Warrior course. They do not mark completion of the entire June demo. The same recording next enters a green-clad Thief course, whose pulling ability requires different moves even in familiar-looking rooms.

The northern course is a starting route, not a compulsory order for all worlds. The developer's June announcement described a non-linear overworld and allowed players to come and go between its available worlds.

Sources: PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough · Arc Games / Thekla — Steam Next Fest demo announcement and FAQ

Find the remaining areas in the June recording

These are remaining branches beyond this written starter route. The June 19 update added content where worlds combine, but the supplied evidence does not establish that you must complete every earlier area in the recording's order to reach it.

For a different historical board with a fire dragon and two heroes, use the room identification in dragon puzzle help. For a current full-game opening route, use the separate Mirror Isles walkthrough. The demo duration page explains why an edited recording length and a player's completion time are different measures.

Sources: PairingPears — Next Fest Demo Full Walkthrough · Arc Games / Thekla — Steam Next Fest demo announcement and FAQ