There are a few things to note before I begin my review of Orbitals. If you read my Split Fiction review last year, then you’ll know how much of a sucker I am for a good cooperative experience. For one, I love getting my wife, who is not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination, to play these games, which is equal parts frustrating and hilarious, in addition to the fact that, even if she won’t admit it herself, an experience she rather enjoys.
Secondly, while not a massive anime fan, Cowboy Bebop is one of the best things to ever grace a television screen. Having watched this later in life, I instantly fell in love with the stylish soundtrack, memorable characters and gorgeous art style. Wait, I guess I am an anime fan.
So where on Earth am I going with these sentiments? Well, given that Orbitals marries that late 80s/ early 90s anime art style with the cooperative play that encourages me to work as a team with my other half, you can see where this is going.
Now, while I generally loved Orbitals, I will say that it’s not a perfect experience. The story can, at times, take a back seat to the gameplay, which can also feel relatively repetitive given the lack of any real combat or deeper traversal. But if you’ve got someone to play with locally or even online, it’s certainly worth a crack.
Orbitals is a dedicated cooperative experience that can be enjoyed either locally or online with another player. It’s also worth noting that, much like the Hazelight games in Split Fiction, It Takes Two or A Way Out, a friend can play with you online for free, as long as one of you owns the game.
See You, Space Friends
Orbitals takes place largely on a space station and follows two childhood friends, Maki and Omura, caught in a cosmic storm with no escape. As a last resort, they are put into I.M. or One Mind, a machine that essentially reprints their bodies, with their appearance, thoughts and consciousness intact.
It’s a great introductory sequence that really gets you invested, even if you don’t initially feel like you know what’s going on. Cut to years later, and the pair have grown up, still caught in this cosmic storm, trying to scavenge parts of nearby shipwrecks to keep their own aging ship alive.
Orbitals is generally fun, upbeat and easy to follow, but so many of the interesting ideas raised earlier in the narrative, poignant and thoughtful as they are, feel a little lost and watered down as the story progresses. Just as the pair begin to question their own identity, and what it means to even be yourself, given you are technically the same being mentally, yet physiologically new, it soon fades away again.
Without spoiling the greater narrative, things do come full circle, but I just wish there was a little more meat in the middle of it all. Maki and Omura as characters are fantastic, and bounce off each other incredibly well, so you wouldn’t be blamed for mistaking them as siblings.
Sorting It Out
Most of Orbitals sees you heading from one wreckage to another to harvest parts and VHS cassettes alike, in order to power your ship. You’ll need to get things moving as one player heads to the ship’s controls and the other heads to the ship’s guns, before exploring each environment.
While Orbitals isn’t an open-world experience, it is a little disappointing how it appears in such a way, giving you the impression that you can simply fly off into distant areas. Navigating and controlling the ship is generally straightforward, but given you’re only able to move forwards, backwards, left and right on a single plane, it feels rather limiting.
Once you’re parked and ready, you’ll be able to exit the ship and experience the core of the gameplay, which revolves around third-person platforming and puzzle-solving. Players will be able to choose one of four tools to take with them, including the Beam Cannon to cut through materials like metal and glass, the Liquid Launcher to create paths, cool lava and work machinery, the Scrap Hook to pull objects and the Spirit Microwave to control other robots.
Each has access to a couple of functions, both of which are generally required to progress. While the game prompts you on which tools to bring, it’s also really nice to see all of the puzzles here requiring you to work as a team, using both tools in succession or even at the same time, to get the job done.
As you can imagine, this requires a decent amount of timing and coordination, and while the experience never outwardly feels difficult or unfair, it does pose a decent challenge, much like Split Fiction or It Takes Two. The puzzles feel creative, unique, and always engaging, but I wish Orbitals included more third-person combat elements instead of the smaller encounters while flying around the ship, as it would have added more variety to the gameplay and tools.
Maki and Omura will also have a little bit of downtime in between runs, which allows players to explore the ship and even take part in smaller minigames like Jump Rope and Laser Tag. They’re relatively basic, but they do bolster the chemistry between the protagonists.
Orbitals could have been a more challenging and versatile experience with the addition of higher stakes through combat, but it also feels like it’s walking that line of challenge and accessibility quite well.
Look the Part
I’m surprised I haven’t really mentioned it yet, but I actually can’t get over how good Orbitals looks. The art style is already incredible, but it’s the grain that accompanies it, along with the slightly choppier frame rate, that, while intentional, really captures that feeling of moving a 2D figure in a 3D space. You really do feel like you’re watching an anime from 30 years ago, and if you had told me it was a revival of an older show or property, I would be inclined to believe you. It’s about as faithful to that era and style as you can get.
The Nintendo Switch 2 limits the experience to 30 FPS in both docked and handheld modes, but there are really no glaring performance issues to speak of. Frame rate drops do occur now and then, but not nearly enough to detract from the overall experience.
Final Thoughts
While I would have loved a little more of the story throughout, along with some extra opportunities for combat, there’s no denying how good Orbitals looks, on top of how fun it is to play.
While a friend is required for the ride, protagonists Maki and Omura help make it one worth taking.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fun puzzles; Incredible visuals; Charming protagonists; Engaging premise
Lowlights: Could have used a little more variety; Story takes a back seat for most of the runtime
Developer: Shapefarm
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Review conducted on Nintendo Switch 2 with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
