Orbitals review – A visually stunning co-op adventure

A deadly storm is brewing, and all hope rides on you finding the equipment required to face it. But much like It Takes Two and the other games developed by Hazelight Studios, this isn’t an adventure you can take alone. Orbitals by Tokyo-based developer Shapefarm is one of a growing number of games that can only be played in co-op, with platforming challenges and more that can only be overcome by working as a team. And it sets itself apart from the competition thanks to its gorgeous anime stylings.

That’s perhaps the first thing that will strike you about Orbitals, in fact: its impeccable presentation. If you love classic anime such as Ghost in the Shell and Perfect Blue, chances are you’ll find this co-op experience at least a treat for the eyes. Though the good news is that its gameplay is pretty great, too. Just perhaps not quite as great as Hazelight’s titles.

Being a co-op only game, there are two protagonist here, Maki and Omura, though beyond their witty exchanges, there’s nothing that differentiates them from each other gameplay-wise. It doesn’t matter who plays as who, then, but rather the choices you make when it comes to which tools to pick up, and who wants to be the pilot of your spaceship versus the gunner.

With its story spread across multiple bite-sized chapters, you’ll fly through space and explore a range of locations, overcoming a range of challenges and obstacles in each. Sometimes one player might need to use a grabbing tool to pull a cover open while another shoots an exposed object with a laser beam, or perhaps one player will need to control a platform-carrying robot while the other uses it to negotiate a tricky environment. In any case, there are multiple tools and abilities to make use of, each requiring players to work together in various ways.

When exploring space, you might even find yourself under attack, putting pressure on both players to communicate with other in order to identify threats, dodge incoming attacks, and launch successful assaults. Whoever’s in control of the guns will need to repel enemy missiles and shoot targets with the ship’s guns, and the pilot will need to avoid lasers and other attacks while making use of a electric cannon to momentarily disable enemy shields.

It makes for a riveting co-op adventure for the most part, but there are some sequences where the controls might not feel quite as tight as you’d like, or it might take a you little while to figure out exactly what you’re supposed to do. These are admittedly quite rare, though, so while they do cause a little frustration, it won’t make you think less of the game too much.

Like It Takes Two and Split Fiction, you can play Orbitals in co-op either locally or online, with a free Friend’s Pass being available so that only one copy needs to be purchased to enjoy it with a friend or family member. There’s another option available thanks to the Switch 2 as well: GameShare. This works brilliantly, with the invited player not even having to download the game to jump in. Though as usual with GameShare, it does mean both players have to play with borders on their screens.

It might make you turn the air blue at times, then, but if you enjoy playing games in co-op, Orbitals is very easy to recommend. What’s more, if you happen to love classic anime and have someone like-minded to play it with, I’d say it’s essential. Maki and Omura are instantly likeable and only grow on you more as you play. And though its gameplay isn’t quite as finely-tuned or inventive as you might find in, say, Split Fiction, it’s still very impressive on the whole.