Get ready for a trip down memory lane! Orbitals isn’t just another co-op game; it’s a playable slice of ’90s anime, designed to evoke the same sense of wonder and camaraderie you felt watching classics on Toonami. While the puzzle mechanics might not break new ground, the overall experience is an endearing romp that’s well worth your time.
Co-op Chaos: Local or Online?
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Orbitals is strictly a two-player experience, but thankfully offers both local and online play. A “friend pass” lets you share the game with someone who can only play alongside the original owner – a nice touch inspired by Hazelight’s approach to games like It Takes Two. Everything in Orbitals is designed for two people, emphasizing coordination as you see your partner’s side of the screen regardless of whether you’re playing locally or online.
Nostalgia Overload: A Visual Feast
The game makes a stunning first impression. The stylized player select menu captures the charm of ’90s anime, instantly transporting you back to those late nights watching Cowboy Bebop or The 08th MS Team. It’s a portal into a world you might not have fully understood as a child.
Meet Maki and Omura: The Quirky Duo
Orbitals thrives on its ability to evoke that era of animation. You play as two protagonists with fitting archetypes: Maki, the disorganized but optimistic hero, and Omura, the more grounded counterpart. Together, they bounce off each other, creating a dynamic that’s both humorous and endearing.
The I.M. Machine and Existential Questions
After their ship colony is decimated by a storm, Maki and Omura are placed in an I.M. – a machine that reprints their bodies while preserving their thoughts and memories. Orbitals touches on themes of what it means to be reprinted, with Omura occasionally pondering whether he’s truly himself anymore. While these ideas are intriguing, they aren’t fully explored, leaving you wanting more.
Collecting Cassettes: A Mission for Two
Tasked by your leader Togen to collect Cassettes that power your colony’s ship, you’re thrust into a world of adventure. You and your partner will delegate responsibilities, with one person manning the main gun while the other pilots the ship through dangerous corridors.
Exploring the Unknown: Puzzles and Peril
The ship is your primary mode of transportation, allowing you to explore small pockets of freedom. You’re treated to big, bold text reminiscent of VHS tapes as you load up the next episode. Upon landing, you grab weaponry from the ship and head outside to clearly marked hatches, where you find action-adventure levels.
Rhythm and Robots: A Mining Operation
In one memorable level, my partner and I explored a mining operation run by robots with a knack for rhythm. We moved to the beat as we searched for a Cassette in the deepest depths of the mine shafts, pounding drums, hopping across moving platforms, and even encountering alien life screaming along.
The Arsenal: Lasers, Grappling Hooks, and More
Orbitals introduces its base weapons early on, focusing on mastering them rather than constantly reinventing the wheel. Each zone requires two different gadgets, ranging from a laser beam to a grappling gun, adding variety to the puzzle-solving.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Solving Puzzles Together
The game shines when it demands teamwork. Some puzzles are straightforward, like hooking a yellow lever to pull down platforms for your partner to jump across. Others are more involved, requiring you to coordinate movements and use the grappling hook to navigate tight corners.
Communication is Key: Drifting into Success
These tandem challenges force you to tighten up your communication, even if you both think you’re “Pacific Rim drift compatible.” It requires focus as you swirl around seemingly endless mazes, but once you lock in and get your methods airtight, you overcome the obstacle and improve your communication skills.
A Predictable Third Act: The Momentum Slows
While Orbitals introduces its base weapons upfront, it also means fewer new mechanics as you progress. This leads to a predictable third act where you’re exposed to fewer surprises. By the last three hours, I felt like I had seen everything the game had to offer, and an overreliance on ship sections began to wear on me.
Small Moments of Wonder: Capybaras and Mini-Games
Despite the weaker third act, Orbitals makes up for it in its smaller moments. Exploring the ship interior reveals stowaway creatures like capybaras and mini-games with leaderboards, adding personality and whimsy to the world.
Character Depth: A Glimpse Behind the Scenes
The ship also contains details that flesh out Maki and Omura as more well-rounded characters. Stumbling into Maki’s disheveled room contrasts with Omura’s immaculately kept bedroom, adding depth to their personalities.
A Familiar Story: Echoes of Anime Classics
Orbitals emulates the plots of classic ’90s anime, but doesn’t always rise above its inspirations. The early hours focus on the pressure put on Maki and Omura to travel beyond the broken colony, searching for machinery to keep their dwindling colony from extinction. It briefly touches on a larger conflict brewing, alluding to a dangerous storm approaching or differing ideologies on what it means to truly be alive, but waits too long to meaningfully grapple with these ideas.
Isolation in Space: A Missed Opportunity
Despite its cooperative nature, Orbitals can feel isolating. You venture out into the great unknown and are sometimes met with deafening silence. While Maki and Omura acknowledge this silence could spell the end of their way of life, the game rarely brings the stakes to match such a powerful concept.
A Whimsical Soundtrack: Paying Homage to the Past
The eclectic soundtrack from artists like Falk and Klou and Mami Ayukawa strikes a balance between paying homage to ’80s and ’90s anime while finding its own voice. The dynamic music that changes as you explore each zone adds personality to the game.
A Worthwhile Experience: Nostalgia with a Twist
Orbitals has the uncanny ability to pull out long-dormant memories of watching anime, giving that nostalgia a playable form. Its familiar but entertaining puzzles and striking art style make it a strong addition to any co-op library. While it loses momentum toward the end, the world is always exciting to get lost in, if only to let the soundtrack and characters wash over you. This adventure might be over, but I’m excited to see what Shapefarm does next.
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