During Summer Game Fest I was in-between appointments at the Nintendo booth, halfway perched on a chair frantically scribbling down notes, when I was asked to join someone’s Orbitals demo because they needed a second player.
I couldn’t shove that notebook into my backpack fast enough.
Seeing as Orbitals is a cooperative-only game where your success depends on your ability to clearly (and I’d say respectfully) communicate with another human being, I was kinda taking a gamble agreeing to play with a complete stranger, but eh, YOLO or whatever the kids say. So I was led to an adorable demo station that resembled an ancient historical landmark – a bedroom from my youth – complete with an iconic bunk bed and squishy beanbag chairs. There I met my demo partner, a lovely human named Erin.
<insert heroic cheesy background anime music with an even cheesier narrator voice> In Orbitals, you and your partner step into the shoes of Maki and Omura, two explorer BFFs who must scramble to protect the space station they call home from a devastating cosmic storm that threatens to shred everything they love into millions of teeny tiny inconsequential smithereeeeeeens! <end cheesy background heroic anime music>
Damn. I mean that’s just like, so tragic or whatever BUT THE ART. THE AAAART. OH MY GOD THE ART. Orbitals features the MOST kickass retro anime aesthetic I’ve ever seen in a video game. I’ve literally never seen anything like it. Every trailer you see and every screenshot you have the honor of laying your eyeballs on is an accurate representation of how Orbitals actually looks and runs in-game. Even the characters themselves felt like they were plucked out of my favorite anime, and just, MAN, the vibes are 10/10. Nailed. Knocked out of the park.
I’m telling you, the first time I moved Omura I had this, like, incredibly visceral transcendent moment where I was suddenly 13 again, glued to my CRT TV, shoveling ungodly amounts of chips in my mouth while eagerly awaiting Toonami’s afternoon block. (Which, if I remember correctly, was Yu Yu Hakusho, Tenchi Muyo and DBZ. Oh, the sweet, sweet nostalgia.)
Even though Orbitals is very much visually its own thing, it’s almost impossible to avoid comparing it to Hazelight’s highly regarded co-op darlings, It Takes Two and Split Fiction, both of which have enjoyed industry-wide praise for their gameplay, art direction and game design. (Fun fact: Orbitals’ game director Jakob Lundgren worked at Hazelight as a level designer!) I really don’t want this to turn into a pissing match between the three, and honestly, even if I did I haven’t played enough of Orbitals to make an argument one way or another, but there are a few differences I want to touch on.
A much welcomed difference between Orbitals and Split Fiction is that players aren’t locked into specific abilities and roles because of the character they chose. (HALLELUJAH!) In Orbitals, skills are linked to tools and weapons, which can be freely equipped between Maki and Omura. This is SO MUCH BETTER. Why, you ask? Well, let’s just say I still hold onto a teensy bit of frustration from Split Fiction after being forced into a certain driving/flying role and MAYBE (maybe) I ultimately and begrudgingly waved my white flag after the umpteenth time of crashing into buildings and had to throw – er, I mean, gently swap controllers with Jayson so HE could fly the damn car and I could angrily shoot things.
I’d also say Orbitals’ puzzles seem to require more critical thinking and intentional communication. Like, I don’t think my partner and I ever hit a “flow” state where we were just casually running and jumping and vibing while solving puzzles. Instead, we were constantly chatting and exchanging info that sounded more like, “Okay, this is what that does – wait, let’s try this. Now, I’ll go here, you go there, we have to time this perfectly, my bad for killing you again” etc. And despite Erin and I not knowing each other from a hole in the wall we managed to solve the pesky puzzles that stood in our way, and I think that’s a testament to how wonderfully designed and approachable Orbitals appears to be.
Man, I’m so happy I was unexpectedly yoinked into that demo with Erin.
Developed by Shapefarm and published by Kepler Interactive, Orbitals is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 3rd, 2026.