Orbitals Review: Gorgeous Co-Op That Plays It Safe

Orbitals is exactly the kind of game I want more of on Switch 2: a strictly two-player, couch-first adventure with an art style you can recognise from across the room. Developed by Shapefarm and published by Kepler Interactive, it launched on September 3 as a Switch 2 exclusive. It is also a reminder of how easy Hazelight makes this genre look - and how hard it actually is.

What it is

You play Maki and Omura, two young adults from an isolated space station who head out on a scrappy ship to recover reactor cassettes from abandoned stations before a supernatural cosmic storm wipes out their home. The presentation carries a lot of weight: a retro anime look, hand-crafted cutscenes from Studio Massket and full voice acting in English, Japanese and six other languages. I switched to the Japanese track after an hour and never looked back.

How it plays

It is co-op only and almost always asymmetric. Each player carries different gear - some combination of a laser, a grappling hook and a water cannon - and the puzzles are built around mixing those tools. When it works, it is the good kind of couch shouting: one of you swings across a gap, the other clears the way, timings get called out loud and there is a small high-five when it clicks. Between stations you take the ship out, with one player flying and the other on the turret, and the ship slowly fills up with creatures you collect and little mini-games. A settlement acts as a mini hub you keep returning to.

The highs

- It looks and sounds wonderful. Few games on the system have this much personality per frame. - The Friend's Pass is a genuinely pro-player move. Only one person needs to own the game; your partner grabs the free pass, locally or online, and GameShare even lets someone on an original Switch join locally. The pass also includes a free demo of the opening chapter, so any two Switch 2 owners can try it before paying. - The tone is warm and cozy, a nice palate cleanser after a month of soulslikes.

The lows

- Too many puzzles boil down to taking turns: I fire, you pull, I fire again. Real communication is needed far less often than the design promises. - Space combat is the weakest part. Fast homing missiles and awkward dodging turned those sections into chores. - The story is thin and derivative, and it wraps up before Maki and Omura become more than likeable sketches. - It is short - roughly six to eight hours - and it still runs out of fresh ideas before the end.

Price and availability

The US eShop price is $39.99, and in European retail the standard edition has been sitting at around 40 euros. Since one copy covers two players, the per-head price is fair for a weekend or two of play - a pleasant surprise in our region, where Nintendo's own Switch 2 releases regularly cost 70 euros or more. Just remember that online co-op needs Nintendo Switch Online on both ends.

Verdict

Orbitals is a lovely weekend for two rather than a genre milestone. If you have a regular co-op partner and a Switch 2, it is an easy recommendation, and the Friend's Pass removes most of the risk. If you have already played It Takes Two and Split Fiction, you will see the seams - and the missing ambition.

Score: 7/10

Image: Crisco 1492 / CC BY-SA 4.0, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo_Switch_2_in_Docking_Console.jpg