Orbitals, the anime-themed co-op game from Shapefarm, presents a striking visual package that initially captivates, but ultimately reveals a story that struggles to keep pace with its own ambition. While the game delivers a charming aesthetic and engaging cooperative gameplay, its narrative elements fall short, leaving a mixed but mostly positive impression.
The game's greatest strength lies in its presentation. Cutscenes are rendered in a beautiful retro anime style, complemented by a pleasing 3D aesthetic during gameplay. The soundtrack, particularly the title theme, evokes an electrifying throwback feel. This whimsical presentation is further enhanced by engaging banter, interaction with alien creatures, and environmental designs inspired by cassette futurism.
Players step into the roles of Maki and Omura, two young inhabitants of an isolated space station threatened by a deadly storm. To protect their community, they must collect three crucial reactor cassettes, embarking on expeditions to abandoned space stations. This premise serves as a functional, albeit simple, driver for the game's core mechanics, which lean heavily into cooperative puzzle-solving over extensive narrative development.
However, the narrative focus shifts dramatically in the final half-hour, inundating the player with story content. This abrupt conclusion feels rushed and unsatisfying, a stark contrast to the game's otherwise deliberate pacing. The emotional payoff of the story lacks sufficient setup, leading to moments that fail to resonate. The reviewer noted a desire for the game to have focused more on the protagonists' connections to their community, as these relationships were more spoken of than experienced, diminishing the impact of the overarching mission.
Maki and Omura themselves are highlighted as engaging leads. They share a playful, sibling-like dynamic, characterized by synchronized speech, puns, and silly songs. This refreshing portrayal of player characters who enjoy each other's company stands out, fostering a positive in-game atmosphere for cooperative play.
Gameplay is exclusively co-op and largely asymmetrical. Players typically wield different tools, such as lasers, grappling hooks, and water cannons, to collaboratively solve puzzles. The game impresses with its variety in puzzle design, introducing new ways to utilize these tools across different sections. While some puzzles were found to be overly simplistic, requiring little more than a sequential application of tools, the game's whimsical tone elevates the experience. For instance, the act of blasting flower petal platforms onto a soil wall, while mechanically simple, becomes more enjoyable due to the charming visual presentation.
Traversal between stations involves piloting a home base spaceship, which evolves over time with new critters and minigames. The space combat sequences within this piloting mechanic, however, proved to be a source of frustration, particularly the challenge of dodging fast-homing missiles and a late-game segment described as overwhelming.
Despite its shortcomings, Orbitals does not entirely falter. The game's execution leaves room for improvement, especially concerning its narrative arc and certain gameplay elements. Nevertheless, the lingering appeal of its title theme and the cheerful protagonists contribute to a sense of sentimentality, making the experience ultimately more positive than negative. The game's playful and cozy atmosphere is undeniable, even if a deeper connection to its story and systems was not fully realized.