Orbitals Review: A Co-op Puzzle Adventure That Doesn’t Frustrate

Orbitals is a co-op adventure available on Nintendo Switch. I am a huge fan of co-op games with puzzles, and it’s probably my favorite genre. I love playing games such as It Takes Two or Split Fiction, and that’s one of the reasons why I chose to buy Orbitals and try it out.

My honest review of Orbitals is that I really enjoyed it, and if you want to get into the co-op puzzle genre, Orbitals is a good entry point, as it isn’t frustrating and is only “sufficiently” hard in a few sections. Now let’s get into a detailed review of Orbitals for those who want to know everything about it.

Gameplay 7/10

Orbitals is a split-screen game where, in a few sections, the camera angle changes. The game has two major characters, Omura and Maki, and the gameplay doesn’t change much regardless of who you choose.

Both can openly do each other’s jobs, and there is no specific ability tied to one of them specifically so you need to just pick the character that looks better to you. The gameplay is honestly quite straightforward and not complex, but don’t get me wrong, it’s not a cakewalk either.

There will be sections that are a bit complex, and you may find yourself confused about what to do next. However, as the chapters progress, I feel you get more used to the systems, and there aren’t many complex mechanics in the game. After a certain point, the puzzles and gameplay can start to feel monotonous. However, even with its simplicity, I did fall in love with the game.

If I had to rate the difficulty, I would say the puzzles are somewhere between easy and intermediate, but that may also be because this is a genre I have played a lot, so I am quite familiar with how it works. But yes, I really enjoyed the game because sometimes in puzzle-based games, certain sections can get difficult to clear, and that can turn the fun into frustration. That was never the case with Orbitals.

One area where I feel Orbitals could have done much better is the boss fights, and that is probably my biggest complaint about the game. If I am not mistaken, the whole game only has two main boss fights, while the rest is mostly puzzles. I feel that is a bit too few, and there was definitely room for more boss fights and more interesting encounters.

But even if I ignore the quantity of the boss fights, their quality didn’t impress me either. Both boss fights work on nearly the same principle, with the bosses being affected by the mines they spawn before eventually transitioning into another phase.

The depth was missing. It never really felt difficult to defeat the bosses, and even when the phase changes, the boss’s complexity or difficulty doesn’t really scale. Usually, phase two or phase three of a boss fight is where things become more challenging, but that wasn’t really the case here.

How long to beat: The game isn’t really that long. I tried to finish Orbitals twice. The first time, it took me around 5 hours and 35 minutes, while the second time I completed it in less than 4 hours. The game can easily be completed within 6 hours, even on your first playthrough.

Co-op Experience 10/10

This is probably one of the most important aspects of the Orbitals review. The co-op experience is GREAT! I really loved playing it with both my friend and my wife. The first time I played the game was with my friend, and the second time was with my wife. Both runs were amazing, and I guess that’s the beauty of this game.

The co-op experience never turns into a blame game or becomes so “too difficult” for one of the players that it stops being fun. Another thing that is really important to me when describing the co-op experience of a game is whether both players feel “useful,” and that is definitely the case with Orbitals. At no point does one person feel like they are doing too much while the other isn’t doing enough. Both of you need to coordinate, as the puzzles are dependent on each player’s actions, and communication is really important.

Graphics and Art Direction 9/10

This is one of the strongest points of Orbitals. The first time I saw the trailer for the game, I knew I wanted to get it, and the major reason was the retro-anime-style graphics. Even during cutscenes and throughout the gameplay, the visual quality never drops, and I really can’t pinpoint anything wrong when it comes to the graphics. The world is beautiful, the cutscenes are well done, and the character animations are good.

Don’t expect anything extraordinary, though. AAA games these days have a crazy level of detail, and the art style here is completely different. That’s what makes it so appealing. The character designs are great as well, and I really don’t see any major flaws with the graphics or art direction throughout the game. One section I want to point out is during the last boss fight, where “memories” play in a frame-like format. They were really beautiful!

Story 9/10

I have always been someone who loves the lore and stories of games. I love the narrative as much as I love playing the game, and the narrative of Orbitals, in a nutshell, is pretty simple — two people trying to save their settlement. There is character development for both protagonists, Omura and Maki, and we also get to see a little twist in the last chapter.

The story flows smoothly, and there is one particular scene at the end that makes you realise how beautiful it is to respect other people’s perspectives and the choices they make. If you have played the game, I am sure you already know which particular section I am talking about. If you haven’t played it yet, I won’t spoil it for you.

But believe me when I say this: the story is not something extraordinary or vast. It is a pretty simple story; the characters have their own arcs, and the story ends well.

Replayability and Side Content 5/10

Orbitals doesn’t really have any side missions. You do get to unlock Train and Rec, which give you mini-games to play with your friends back at the spaceship, but that’s really it. The mini-games themselves are short and feel more like a bonus than actual side quests. Most of them aren’t even hidden and can easily be obtained during your first playthrough.

That brings me to replayability. I wouldn’t suggest playing the game again, as I don’t really see much of a reason to do so. There isn’t much to explore on a second playthrough, so once you have unlocked all the Train and Rec mini-games, I would rather suggest spending your time on another game.

Performance and Platforms

The game launched exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, which feels a bit sad, as games like this deserve to be available to more players. The game is very well optimised for Nintendo Switch 2. We didn’t experience any noticeable heating, frame stutters, or performance issues during our playthroughs. I really hope the game comes to other platforms as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game, and I would definitely recommend it to people who love co-op games or want to get into the genre. The price of the game is fair as well, in my opinion. It isn’t too expensive or too cheap, and for around $40, getting around six hours of gameplay for two people feels justified.

Orbitals Review

8.0Overall

Gameplay7.0Co-op Experience9.0Graphics and Art Direction9.0Story8.0Replayability and Side Content5.0Performance and Platforms10.0

Verdict

A great game if you love co-op games. I especially recommend it to beginners who want to get into the genre.

What we like

• +Excellent co-op experience
• +Fun and approachable puzzles
• +Beautiful retro-anime art style

What could be better

• −Boss fights lack depth
• −Puzzles can become repetitive
• −Very little replayability and limited side content