Orbitals

While Orbitals loses some momentum toward the end, it's a strong co-op adventure that nails the feeling of a playable ‘90s anime.

Immaculate anime stylings aside, Orbitals doesn't bring an awful lot to the post-It Takes Two co-op renaissance, but switch to Japanese and it's never a bad hang.

Orbitals doesn't quite crash and burn, but its execution leaves a bit to be desired.

Orbitals set out to do something very specific: deliver an action-packed co-operative game while building a new world inspired by anime classics. On those two notes, it smashes it out of the park. The puzzles not only last just the right amount of time, but my friend and I were consistently delighted by the clever ways the strict set of tools were utilised, and the many fun ways you interact with this fantastically realised anime world.My main complaint is that I wanted much more of it, and while the gameplay itself feels perfectly paced, the somewhat abrupt ending only reminded me that I wished we had spent a little more time establishing the stakes and motivations of the story. Ultimately, Orbitals is a truly phenomenal co-operative title and one of the best ways to spend an evening with a friend this year. With its phenomenal visuals, thrilling mechanics, and the brilliant characters and story, this is the new high bar for co-op games.

Orbitals pulls a lot of interesting and familiar elements into a tidy package with a charming pair of heroes and a lengthy array of challenges to put their friendship to the test.

Is the anime-infused cooperative adventure all we've been looking for?

Short and sweet and gorgeous to boot, this co-op adventure while brief actually outshines the two games it takes inspiration from.

With the soundtrack by Falk & Klou and features like GameShare and Global Friend’s Pass, we have a co-op title that may not measure up to the best in the genre, but it knows exactly who its target audience is and generously gives them what they want.

Orbitals is a stunning co-op adventure for retro anime fans (and others too, why not?) that keeps you engaged throughout the entire journey. If there’s ever a sequel, better pacing, a longer runtime, and clearer visual hints would be nice. Even so, this was quite a joyful experience!

Orbitals has a charming art direction in every detail, along with delightful gameplay that uniquely relies on co-op mechanics. However, the experience isn't without its flaws! Most notably, the level design, which is unfortunately hit or miss. Alongside the rushed storytelling and the lack of variety in music. Even so, Orbitals remains a solid co-op game that adds a welcome variety to the Switch 2's library.