As we quickly exit out the back door of summer and set foot into the (hopefully) cooler months of autumn, Orbitals kicks off the rather healthy avalanche of games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 for the remainder of the year. If it’s any indication of things to come, then 2026 is looking like it’s going to end very well indeed.
Orbitals is no doubt going to be compared a lot with developer Hazelight’s co-operative adventures It Takes Two and, more recently, Split Fiction. After all, they have a lot in common, including but not limited to starring two protagonists, a similar asymmetric gameplay style, strong emphasis on teamwork, and even the ability for two to play together using just one copy of the game. That is not an indicator that this is a mere copycat, however. Orbitals does more than enough to help set itself apart, create its own identity, and in many ways exceed what those games before had done.
That starts with the game’s story, as you and a partner take on the roles of inseparable best friends Maki and Omura, two space explorers with a hunger for adventure. With their space colony under threat from an approaching cosmic anomaly known as the Storm, it is up to them to venture out through perilous asteroid fields in search of a way to save them and their people. It’s a pretty familiar setup, but one layered with a rather unsettling undertone courtesy of some mysterious technology capable of uploading the consciousness of a living being – and thus what brings the heroes back to life any time they succumb to a nasty death.
I’ve already voiced my dampened opinion on Hazelight’s cooperative outings in the past, my biggest complaint is their rather unlikeable and cringey characters coupled alongside a pretty trite and predictable narrative that is wrapped around otherwise fun and enjoyable gameplay. Orbitals doesn’t fall victim to the same pitfalls, leaning heavily into its retro-styled inspirations which results in a tale that’s equal parts charming, nostalgic and silly. Where I quickly grew to dislike the tedious conversations between the leads of Split Fiction or the awful talking book in It Takes Two, in Orbitals, I couldn’t get enough of every quirky little bit of banter between the ever-giddy Maki and reserved Omura or the game’s rich supporting cast.
You’ll spend most of your time either piloting and firing from your spaceship or exploring one of many stops along your journey. The former is used sparingly between major locations, one of you steering your ship along a linear route while the other using weapons to fend off any dangerous enemies. These segments act as a nice change of pace between lengthier on-foot missions, placing emphasis on teamwork as your try to coordinate your dodges and weaponry together.
Often before setting foot outside your spaceship, each of you will be instructed to pick up one of your handy pieces of gear vital to getting through the next puzzle-filled location; the scrap hook, liquid launcher and beam cannon. A quick spaceship fix introduces you to each of their primary uses; the scrap hook able to grab far off things, the liquid launcher cool things down and the beam cannon firing off a powerful and precise laser. Their use is relatively simple, a quick point in the right direction and job done. It’s as you start to fly your repaired ship out into the depths of space and explore its various pitstops that these trio of devices reveal their surprisingly versatile uses especially when the game calls on you to make use of them together.
In fact, throughout the game, you’ll be forced to work together, with very little time seeing anyone going rogue or solving things purely on their own. One segment later in the game for example sees the pair of you trying to figure out how to keep a chain of explosions going between explosive berries using a combination of liquid launcher and scrap hook. Another meanwhile splits you between two floors, the player above trying to navigate a fiery hellscape while the one below uses their liquid launcher to shoot upward and create a safe passageway. Yet another will switch the perspective to a side scroller view, both players making use of their tools to help the other in some fashion so they can progress through a gravity altering obstacle course. There is an abundance of these cooperative heavy scenarios scattered throughout the game constantly surprising the player and constantly entertaining too.
What I appreciate about Orbitals is how seamless and organically stitched together everything feels. While sure, the likes of Split Fiction would throw genre after genre and theme after theme at the player to surprise and introduce new mechanics, I much prefer how Orbitals does so in much more subtle and connected way. Sure, it isn’t trying to be a lot of different genres and sub-genres, but instead it excels at developing its mechanics throughout the adventure, providing plenty of surprises along the way.
From a presentation standpoint, Orbitals is quite simply fantastic, an immediate eye-catcher that soon reveals it isn’t merely just a cheap visual gimmick but instead an entire vibe. Everything from the slightly grainy filter to the movement of the characters or the highly ’80s style sci-fi soundtrack accompanying you every step of the way is just an all-round sensory delight. It’s clear, the inspiration behind the game, nary a pixel wasted in reproducing the retro anime styles of the likes of Cowboy Beebop and more. Then you have the game’s opening theme song, a perfect way to kick off your next exciting session and quite easy one of the catchiest tunes in any game this year.
Of course, Orbitals being a cooperative game means you’ll need someone to play with. Orbitals offers numerous ways in which to do this, and all work great. Locally in split screen, the game runs and looks great or if you prefer you can use GameShare or have someone download the Global Friend’s Pass app. You heard right, you won’t need two copies of the game to enjoy the adventure, which is a huge bonus.
So, you may be wondering to yourself why the game is sitting at an eight and not something higher? After all, everything so far has been heaping mountains of praise at the game. Well, while I really was tempted to award a nine, I must admit I was disappointed with the game’s runtime. Even with a lesser experienced gamer as a partner, we were able to reach end credits within six or seven hours, a revelation that actually caught me off guard at the time as it felt as though Orbitals had plenty more to give. Plenty more mileage to be had from its collection of interactive tools and plenty more unexplored space to venture. Even hidden collectables or challenges or anything to incentivise another playthrough were missing. You can unlock side games on your spaceship, but these are minor distractions and not something you’ll want to sink your teeth into. On the one hand, you might argue that being left wanting more just goes to show the quality on offer here, but at £34.99 ($39.99), I was hoping to be exploring the great void a couple of hours longer at least.
Orbitals is just a pure delight, every episode of its adventure presenting us with something new and exciting to accomplish together that kept the smiles firmly plastered on our faces. It goes without saying, but the presentation is magical, heaped in nostalgia and taking me right back to the Saturday mornings as a child watching cartoons all those years ago. Maki and Omura’s journey through space did feel a little shorter than I’d have liked, but as far as these types of cooperative asymmetric adventures go, Orbitals ranks top in my book.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy Provided by Kepler Interactive
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