Orbitals is an attractive two-player co-op platform puzzler with a strong anime identity, but its best ideas are stretched too thin. Shapefarm clearly understands the appeal of games such as It Takes Two and Split Fiction, yet this space adventure struggles to sustain its momentum through the final stretch.
The game draws heavily from landmark 1990s anime, particularly Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop. Visually, that influence is handled with impressive confidence. The two protagonists move through environments that look like they belong to a science-fiction anime broadcast on a CRT in 1997, while cinematics produced by Japanese anime company Studio Massket capture the period’s look remarkably well.
There is often very little separation between the animated scenes and the world experienced during play. That consistency is a significant artistic achievement. Many games borrow anime styling, but Orbitals recreates the era’s visual language with unusual depth, contrast and attention to detail.
The problem is that the line between influence and imitation is frequently too faint. The game’s voyage through space recalls Bebop, while its existential concerns and later conflicts resemble ideas that Evangelion explored decades earlier. These references are so prominent that Orbitals can feel more like a polished collection of familiar anime ingredients than a work with a fully developed identity.
Maki is energetic and Omura is reserved, giving the pair a workable contrast, but the writing rarely gives either character enough room to grow. Their personal conflicts remain underdeveloped, and both tend to function as recognisable anime types rather than fully realised people. The ambition is evident, but the storytelling feels like a compressed outline of a more substantial narrative.
Co-op mechanics do the heavy lifting
With the story unable to carry the entire experience, the two-player puzzles become especially important. They are generally successful, although the game’s pacing is more steady than exhilarating. Orbitals divides its campaign between piloting a spacecraft and exploring space stations on foot.
During ship sections, one player controls the vessel while the other operates the turret mounted above it. Neither role is especially complicated, which makes communication straightforward when both players understand their responsibilities. The strongest sequences arrive when the game disrupts that arrangement.
One boss encounter, for example, requires the pilot to keep moving through incoming danger while the turret operator leaves the weapon station to repair sabotaged systems inside the ship. It is a smart variation on the usual structure, and moments like this show that Orbitals is capable of surprising players when it pushes beyond its basic formula.
On foot, Maki and Omura carry one of a small selection of tools, including a grappling hook, laser beam and space hose. These gadgets are used to navigate varied environments and solve environmental puzzles. The best challenges demand genuine coordination: one player might pull an object with the hook while the other uses the hose to push it into position.
When both players find the right rhythm, the results are satisfying and naturally social. Repairing a ship engine together or solving a problem through perfectly timed teamwork can produce the kind of shared success that makes couch co-op so rewarding. The difficulty is that the game returns to similar solutions too often. As the campaign progresses, players rely increasingly on established routines instead of regularly confronting fresh problems that force them to rethink their approach.
Orbitals review summary
- Developer: Shapefarm
- Genre: Two-player co-op platform puzzler
- Platform: Switch 2
- Release date: September 3, 2026
- Play time: Approximately eight hours
- Best feature: Striking anime-inspired presentation and effective puzzle-platforming
- Main weakness: Repetitive ideas and an underdeveloped, derivative story
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Shapefarm’s game is competent and often enjoyable, particularly when its puzzle design demands close cooperation. Its visual recreation of classic anime is the clear standout, but that strength also highlights the weaker writing and borrowed themes. After completing the final challenge, the lasting urge may be to revisit Evangelion rather than unpack what Orbitals itself has to say.
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