These games are the starting point, but the bulk of the game is new puzzles combining mechanics from different games together. I haven’t played the game but I have faith it will be interesting, and the world can always do with more great puzzle games.

That said, I hope the game will get a more nuanced label than “new Jon Blow game”. While the creative vision is his, he didn’t make any of the original games and there are a lot of talented people at Thekla who also deserve credit.

I was disappointed to see the store page description put his name front and center while not mentioning any of the creators of the original games. This industry’s obsession with auteurs is not healthy.

Additionally, in recent years it has become increasingly clear that Jon’s beliefs/priorities and mine are not aligned. He’s adversarial to people talking about privilege and representation, is dismissive of diversity efforts, has dabbled in covid trutherism, and is pro-MAGA.

I believe Trump is a self serving authoritarian who's dismantling democracy, trying to make trans people illegal, and wanting to set up concentration camps for immigrants - whereas Jon in February called him "the best President we have had in my entire life".

Similarly, I believe Musk is a self serving disinformation peddler - whereas Jon has been loudly supporting him, before and after the nazi salutes. I find Jon’s support of these people and these beliefs to be harmful, distasteful, and a waste of a platform.

I intend to use my profits from the game to fund and uplift creators less privileged than he is. I’ve already begun that effort with the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant: https://grants.draknek.org/

Followup: Sean Barrett (the creator of the Promesst series, another of the games Order of the Sinking Star is based on) cosigned the sentiment of this thread:
https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@nothings/115704420859870435