Orbitals arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 with a clear idea of what it wants to be. Rather than stretching a solo adventure into multiplayer, Shapefarm builds everything around two people working together. The result is a compact co-op journey with clever puzzles, excellent presentation and enough variety to keep its short runtime moving. It does not reach the mechanical heights of the best games in the genre, but it gets surprisingly close.
The adventure follows Maki and Omura, two young explorers trying to save their station home from a supernatural cosmic storm. Their journey takes them through strange facilities, damaged machinery and colorful corners of space.
Story is not the main attraction, though. Orbitals works best when it puts both players in front of a problem and gives them just enough information to figure things out together.
Co-Op Is at the Center of Everything
Orbitals is designed specifically for two players. There is no traditional single-player campaign built around controlling both characters alone. Most puzzles rely on communication and timing. One player may need to activate or reposition something while the other prepares the next step. Other sequences ask both players to perform different actions at the same time.
The game revolves around a small collection of tools, including the Scrap Hook, Liquid Launcher and Beam Cannon. Their individual functions are simple, but puzzles gradually begin combining them in more interesting ways.
Importantly, Maki and Omura are not locked into completely separate roles. Players can often swap responsibilities and decide who handles a particular tool or task. This keeps one character from feeling like a permanent supporting player. There are occasional moments where one person has little to do while the other completes a section. However, they do not dominate the experience.
Puzzles Keep Teamwork Moving
Orbitals understands that co-op puzzles can become frustrating when they overstay their welcome. Most challenges introduce an idea, develop it for a short period and then move on. Some sections focus on machinery, while others introduce platforming, environmental interaction or more unusual objectives.
The game also breaks up puzzle solving with spaceship sequences. One player can pilot the ship while the other operates its weapons. Later moments add extra responsibilities, forcing both players to communicate while the situation becomes increasingly chaotic. These sections add welcome variety, although the space combat itself is fairly simple.
That simplicity reflects Orbitals as a whole. The game is accessible enough to play with someone who may not spend every evening holding a controller, yet several puzzles still require proper coordination.
A Retro Anime World That Actually Works
Orbitals makes its strongest first impression through its visual direction. Shapefarm has built the game around the appearance of Japanese anime from the 1980s and 1990s. Character designs, spaceships, environments and even the way movement is presented support that style. This is not simply a modern 3D game covered with a retro filter. The presentation deliberately uses animation techniques associated with older anime, while cinematic sequences were produced with Studio Massket.
At certain points, the transition between a cinematic and playable scene is remarkably smooth. The visual direction carries across both parts instead of making cutscenes feel disconnected from the game itself. Audio does plenty of work as well. Orbitals includes full voice acting in English, Japanese and six additional languages, alongside an original soundtrack designed around the same retro inspiration. For a game that constantly leans on its anime identity, it rarely feels like it is simply copying one specific series.
It Does Not Have Endless New Ideas
Orbitals inevitably invites comparisons with It Takes Two and Split Fiction. That comparison helps explain both what Orbitals does well and where it falls short. Shapefarm makes clever use of its core tools, but the game does not constantly throw away its mechanics and replace them with entirely new ones. Instead, familiar abilities return in different combinations. That creates consistency, but it also means the campaign lacks some of the wild unpredictability found in Hazelight’s best co-op adventures.
The story faces a similar problem. Maki and Omura are immediately likeable, and their relationship gives the adventure plenty of charm. However, some character motivations and larger story elements do not receive enough time to develop before the ending arrives. The result is a world that sometimes feels more interesting than the story taking place inside it.
Switch 2 Performance Holds Up Well
Orbitals is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, and the console suits its split-screen structure well. Reports from local and online play have been largely positive, without widespread performance problems interrupting the core experience. Minor bugs and occasional performance drops have been reported, but they do not appear to define the Switch 2 version.
The presentation is naturally easier to appreciate on a larger display, especially when the screen is divided between two players. Orbitals nevertheless supports TV, tabletop and handheld play. Nintendo lists the estimated download size at approximately 9.8 GB.
One Copy Can Be Enough
One of Orbitals’ best Switch 2 features has nothing to do with graphics. Local co-op only requires one copy of the game. GameShare also allows the owner to share the experience locally with compatible Nintendo Switch systems. Two Switch 2 owners can use online GameShare as well. In addition, the free Global Friend’s Pass lets someone who does not own Orbitals join a player who owns the full game.
The Friend’s Pass also includes a local co-op demo covering the opening chapter. Online play requires Nintendo Switch Online for both players. For a game that cannot be experienced properly without a partner, removing the need to purchase two copies is an important decision.
Verdict
Orbitals knows exactly where its strengths are. Its puzzles encourage genuine cooperation rather than simply putting two characters on the same screen. Maki and Omura are fun to spend time with, the central tools work well together, and the retro anime presentation gives the game an identity of its own.
There are limitations. The story could use more development, space combat remains simple and the campaign does not have the endless mechanical surprises found in the very best co-op games.
Those weaknesses rarely erase what Orbitals gets right. For Nintendo Switch 2 owners looking for something to play with a friend, Orbitals Switch 2 is easy to recommend. The strong GameShare support and Global Friend’s Pass make that recommendation even easier.
Score: 8.5/10
Pros
- Excellent retro anime presentation
- Clever puzzles built around real cooperation
- Maki and Omura are an enjoyable duo
- Strong use of a small set of tools
- Local and online co-op options are flexible
- Global Friend’s Pass means only one player needs to own the game
Cons
- Story and character motivations need more development
- Some sections leave one player waiting
- Space combat is fairly basic
- Less mechanically ambitious than the best games in the genre
