Orbitals: A Nostalgic Anime-Inspired Co-op Adventure for Switch
Shapefarm's debut blends Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion into a bite-sized couch co-op experience.
1Vintage Anime Inspiration
Orbitals wears its anime influences proudly, blending visual elements from Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion and Sailor Moon into its sci-fi narrative. The game features lovingly crafted animated cutscenes and character designs that directly reference these classics. Main characters Maki and Omura embody familiar anime archetypes, from magical girl aesthetics to nerdy pridefulness. While this creates immediate nostalgic appeal, the game struggles to evolve these references into truly original characterizations, remaining more homage than innovation.
2Hazelight Legacy
Developed by ex-Hazelight talent, Orbitals inherits DNA from award-winning co-op games like It Takes Two. Game Director Jakob Lundgren consciously integrated Hazelight's successful formula while attempting innovations. The game improves on one common co-op frustration by ensuring both players remain constantly engaged in action, eliminating prolonged waiting periods. However, comparisons to Hazelight's superior level diversity are inevitable, with Orbitals offering mostly variations of broken spaceship environments rather than radically different worlds.
3Sci-Fi Survival Premise
Players control young space colonists Maki and Omura, stranded in a radiation-ravaged colony kept alive by high-tech respawn machines called IMs. The story follows their scavenging mission across dangerous space sectors to save their found family. While the high-concept setting shows promise, the narrative execution remains formulaic, taking significant playtime to become engaging. The IM technology hints at deeper philosophical questions about existence and mortality, reminiscent of Evangelion, but these themes remain largely unexplored.
4Co-op Gameplay Mechanics
Orbitals shines in its kinetic puzzle platforming that requires constant coordination between players. Unlike many co-op games where one player might be inactive, both participants remain continuously engaged in navigating challenges. The game introduces surprisingly difficult coordinated movement sequences that test partnership dynamics. While this creates thrilling moments of cooperation, it may frustrate casual players, as some sections demand precise timing and communication to progress through environmental obstacles.
5Environmental Design
The game offers visually striking space environments including asteroid mining settlements, frozen power plants, and lava-filled factories. While thematically consistent, the predominance of derelict spaceship settings causes locations to blend together over time. The art direction excels in small details and charming Easter eggs, like a Studio Ghibli-inspired alien species and a lovable purple companion cat. These touches provide welcome distractions from the main platforming challenges.
6Bite-Sized Adventure
Completable in about three play sessions (6-8 hours total), Orbitals offers a more accessible commitment than Hazelight's lengthy titles. This condensed format ensures no environment overstays its welcome, with players quickly moving between locales. The game includes engaging unlockable minigames, notably a Space War-inspired versus mode with absurdly recoiling blasters. These diversions provide fun alternatives when players need breaks from the main story's platforming sequences.
7Target Audience
Orbitals best suits couples who enjoy anime aesthetics but may have struggled with longer co-op games' time commitments. Its shorter runtime lowers the barrier to completion, though the challenging coordination sections may still frustrate casual players. The game particularly appeals to those who value constant interaction over puzzle-solving that separates players. While not surpassing Hazelight's masterpieces, it offers a respectable alternative with stronger anime influences and more active gameplay.
8Industry Implications
As Shapefarm's debut, Orbitals demonstrates how new studios can enter established genres by combining proven formulas with distinct aesthetics. The game's anime-inspired approach carves a niche in the co-op market dominated by western styles. Its development by ex-Hazelight talent highlights the growing specialization in cooperative game design. While not revolutionary, Orbitals contributes to diversifying co-op experiences beyond the current market leaders, potentially inspiring more stylistically bold entries in the genre.
Original article: CNET — Orbitals: A Nostalgic Anime-Inspired Co-op Adventure for Switch