Orbitals Is The Best Co-Op Game Since It Takes Two And The Best Platformer Since Astro Bot

The landscape of pure co-operative gaming is notoriously sparse, a surprising reality given the immense commercial success of the genre. Swedish developer Hazelight has long dominated this space, with its 2021 hit It Takes Two achieving a staggering 30 million copies in sales. This massive commercial footprint highlights a significant market imbalance: a high consumer demand paired with a very low supply of dedicated two-player experiences. Now, Tokyo-based developer Shapefarm is stepping into this arena to challenge Hazelight's monopoly with its upcoming release, Orbitals.

Shapefarm was co-founded by Marcos Ramos and Jakob Lundgren, the latter of whom previously worked as a designer at Hazelight. Lundgren openly acknowledges that Orbitals operates within the same design traditions and philosophies as his former studio. However, rather than simply copying the established formula, Shapefarm has raised the bar. Released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, Orbitals delivers a sharper, more visually focused, and idea-dense experience that keeps players constantly engaged.

One of the most striking aspects of Orbitals is its distinct visual presentation, which serves as a loving tribute to 1980s anime. The game features faded pastel colors and a soft, nostalgic aesthetic that mimics the look of hand-scanned animation gels projected onto old cathode-ray televisions. While Shapefarm cites iconic series like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop as primary influences, the game's artistic direction also evokes classic European-Japanese co-productions, blending Western direction with Japanese artistry.

The narrative of Orbitals begins in media res, dropping players directly into the action without heavy-handed exposition. The story follows Maki and Omura, two young residents of a space station threatened by an impending cosmic storm. Having survived a previous space-time collapse by having their consciousnesses uploaded into regenerating artificial bodies, the duo is uniquely equipped to handle fatal hazards, which serves as the in-game explanation for instant player respawns. Their quest involves exploring unstable space ruins to scavenge and reactivate old machinery to save their home.

In terms of gameplay, Orbitals requires two players to work in tandem, starting with piloting a retrofuturistic spaceship where one person steers and the other operates the weaponry. Once on foot in various space junkyards, players utilize a simple yet versatile toolkit consisting of a grappling hook, a water hose, and a laser. The game constantly invents new ways to combine these tools, such as using the laser to keep a self-destructing robot powered on one side of a glass partition while the other player navigates a complex grapple obstacle course.

While Shapefarm designed Orbitals to respect players' time by keeping the overall length manageable and avoiding frustrating penalties through instant respawns, the game does not shy away from offering a healthy challenge. Players will encounter demanding platforming sequences that require precise timing, alongside puzzles that demand creative thinking. The core appeal lies in the constant friction and eventual synchronization between the two players as they navigate these obstacles together.

Designing a successful co-op game is an incredibly difficult and specialized task, which explains why so few studios attempt it. Unlike single-player games that can rely on repetition and gradual progression, a great co-op title must continuously introduce fresh collaborative mechanics to keep both players engaged. Orbitals succeeds wildly in this regard, offering a masterclass in pacing and creativity that represents the most exciting development in the family action-adventure genre since Astro Bot.