What the first ending means
You do not need to solve every puzzle in Order of the Sinking Star to reach a satisfying ending. The first ending is designed to count as completing the game, while further challenges give dedicated players reasons to continue. If you are already in the ending sequence and the South puzzle has no lily pad, players have reported a workaround using Undo.
Jonathan Blow described three endgames, each intended to provide a worthwhile stopping point. In his Gamereactor interview, he explained that the game's size made it important to offer closure without requiring everyone to tackle its entire puzzle collection.
| Completion point | What it means for players |
|---|---|
| First endgame | A deliberate finish that players can regard as completing the game. |
| Two further endgames | Additional completion points for players who want to explore more deeply. |
| All three | Described by Blow as satisfying outcomes, rather than a bad ending followed by a better reward. |
That distinction matters when deciding whether to keep playing. Reaching the first ending does not mean you failed to earn the proper conclusion. The additional material exists for players who still want more, and its partly concealed presentation is intended to keep the initial finish satisfying.
The interview describes the overall structure, rather than a complete unlock checklist. It does not establish named ending variants, specific puzzle totals for each ending, or a branching dialogue route.
Preparing for the ending sequence
Players discussing the ending level describe an opening set of four relatively straightforward puzzles, each using one world's mechanics. That makes familiarity with the four main realms useful preparation, even though completing every optional puzzle is unnecessary.
The realms extend from the Crossroads in four directions. Their basic mechanics are summarized in the SmashPad review.
| Direction | Realm | Mechanics to understand |
|---|---|---|
| North | Heroes of Hauling | Characters move objects in different ways, with abilities that become more useful when combined. |
| West | Vault of the Beamcasters | Crystals power colored beams that grant abilities; overlapping colors can combine their effects. |
| East | Mirror Isles | Angled mirrors reposition characters and objects, helping players cross gaps and create routes. |
| South | Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes | Stones and lily pads interact with island layouts to make paths across water. |
Use the earlier puzzles to learn why an interaction works. A solution that introduces an unfamiliar ability may prepare you for a later challenge, even when that individual puzzle is optional. Both the separate realms and their combined mechanics contribute to the broader game.
Before making a sustained attempt at the ending:
- Review mechanics you still find unpredictable. Pay attention to how objects move, how abilities interact, and which actions change a route.
- Work through useful teaching puzzles. Optional puzzles can introduce an idea that becomes important later, so skipping everything difficult may leave gaps in your understanding.
- Check the starting layout when something seems impossible. The reported South puzzle issue concerns a missing or submerged lily pad.
- Keep completion goals separate from preparation. Learning enough to progress does not require treating every unfinished room as a mandatory obstacle.
There is no universal realm order established by these accounts. One player's successful sequence is an example of how they explored, rather than a required route to the ending.
How long reaching the ending can take
The first ending can take dozens of hours, but reported playtimes vary with puzzle experience and how thoroughly a player explores. Two accounts provide useful context without establishing a reliable average.
| Account | Reported time | What that time covered |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Game Hotspot reviewer | Around 40 hours | Reaching the first ending, with substantial harder content still available. |
| Reddit player retrospective | Roughly 60 hours | Completing all available overworld puzzles before reaching the ending they described. |
The Adventure Game Hotspot review explicitly distinguishes the first ending from the tougher material beyond it. Its roughly 40-hour experience is one reviewer's result, not a deadline or a requirement.
The Reddit retrospective describes a more exhaustive approach: finishing nearly every puzzle encountered before moving on, including the combinations of the four worlds. That player's longer run reflects a different goal.
Choose which kind of run you want before using either number as a benchmark. Reaching the first conclusion and clearing every available overworld puzzle are different milestones. Spending longer on a difficult mechanic does not, by itself, indicate that you have missed an ending trigger or encountered a bug.
Fixing the missing lily pad in the South puzzle
A Steam Community discussion describes an apparent problem in the ending sequence's South puzzle. The original poster entered the Skipping Stones challenge and found two skipping stones but no lily pad. Other players reported encountering the same issue, with one describing the pad as underwater.
The accepted response reports that holding Undo far enough to load an earlier puzzle restored the lily pad when the player entered the South puzzle again. Additional replies reported success with similar backtracking.
Try the community workaround in this order:
- Hold Undo to rewind out of the affected puzzle. Continue until the game loads a previous puzzle in the ending sequence.
- Enter the South puzzle again. Check whether the lily pad has appeared before attempting another solution.
- Rewind farther if necessary. One player recommended returning to the beginning of the entire ending level.
- Replay the opening puzzles and inspect the South layout again. This repeats the broader backtracking approach described in the thread.
| Action | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Undo until a previous puzzle loads, then reenter | The accepted answer says the lily pad appeared. |
| Undo to the end of the preceding puzzle | Another player reported that this was sufficient. |
| Backtrack to the beginning of the ending level | A player who found the lily pad underwater recommended this approach. |
| Verify game files and restart the computer | The original poster said neither attempt resolved the issue. |
The useful detail is crossing back into an earlier puzzle. Simply reversing a few moves inside the affected South puzzle is not the workaround described by the accepted answer.
These are community reports, so the method is not guaranteed to resolve every instance. They also do not establish that every difficult South puzzle is bugged. The particular symptom is the ending challenge appearing without the expected lily pad, alongside the two skipping stones.
What comes after the first ending
There is additional content beyond the first conclusion. Adventure Game Hotspot describes tougher challenges after its reviewer reached that point, while Blow's explanation places the first finish within a broader structure of three endgames.
An exhaustive overworld run also does not necessarily mean you have seen everything. The Reddit player reported filling the overworld's gold room meters and completing the available puzzles before reaching an ending, yet still found that further discoveries remained.
Decide whether to continue based on what you enjoy about the game:
- Continue for more demanding puzzles if combining familiar mechanics remains rewarding.
- Explore further for discoveries if you want to understand more of the game's structure and unexplored material.
- Pause after the first ending if you feel satisfied with the journey so far. That stopping point is part of the intended design.
Avoid using a completed room meter as proof that the entire game is exhausted. The player's account demonstrates a distinction between finishing the available overworld challenges and discovering everything beyond that stage. It does not provide a full checklist for the later endgames.
FAQ
Does the order of the sinking star ending require every puzzle?
No. Reaching the first ending does not require solving every puzzle. The game contains more than 1,000 handcrafted puzzles, and its completion structure is designed to let players finish a substantial journey without exhausting the entire collection.
How many endings are there?
Jonathan Blow described three endgames. He presented all three as satisfying completion points, with the first providing closure and the others offering more for players who want to continue. That description does not establish three conventional story branches selected through dialogue choices.
Is the first ending a bad ending?
No. Blow specifically rejected a structure in which players receive an inferior ending and must work harder to earn a good one. The first endgame is intended to feel complete, even though further challenges remain available.
What should I do if the ending's South puzzle has no lily pad?
Hold Undo until a previous puzzle loads, then enter the South puzzle again. Several Steam players reported that this restored the missing pad. If that does not help, another reported approach is to rewind to the beginning of the ending level and replay its opening puzzles.
Must I spend 60 hours before attempting the ending?
No. The roughly 60-hour account came from a player pursuing all available overworld puzzles before their ending attempt. A reviewer reached the first ending in around 40 hours. Neither figure is an unlock condition, and your own time will depend on how you solve and explore.