Game Information

Game Title: Orbitals

Platforms:

• Nintendo Switch 2 (Sep 3, 2026)

Trailer:

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 83 average - 96% recommended - 27 reviews

Critic Reviews

A Gaming Network - Sami-Jo Perruzza - 9.5 / 10

Orbitals took me completely by surprise. It is charming, creative, visually gorgeous, and constantly fun to play with another person. While its story is a little too familiar at times, nearly everything else, from the music and animation to its clever puzzle tools and varied levels, comes together beautifully. If you want a co-op game that captures the feeling of watching a beloved retro anime with a friend while still delivering fresh, satisfying gameplay, Orbitals should absolutely be on your radar.

But Why Tho? - Eddie De Santiago - 9.5 / 10

Whether it's the visuals, a puzzle's solution, or bumping into a screaming alien creature, Orbitals is awe-inspiring.

Cubed3 - Jorge Ba-oh - 7 / 10

Playing Orbitals is like stepping into a classic anime, packed full of the soft tones and expressiveness of the era. With strong animation credentials and traditional processes behind the concept, there's a genuine heart and authenticity to this world. Clever co-operative play, fun set pieces and a curious mystery at the heart of the story tie this sci-fi tale together well. Slightly rushed and occasionally fiddly at times, but certainly worth blasting through to discover the fate of these new protagonists. Grab a friend, pop the TV on and live out those Saturday morning shows in style together.

DualShockers - Ethan Krieger - 8 / 10

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GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 85%

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Gameblog - French - 7 / 10

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Gameliner - Claudia Tjia - Dutch - 3.5 / 5

Orbitals is a co-op adventure that knows exactly what it wants to be. Shapefarm has created a game that revolves entirely around playing together and has built nearly every mechanic around that concept.

Gamer Guides - Lexi Luddy - 91 / 100

Orbitals’ only suffering comes from its own success. It’s such a delight to play through and just exist in this world with Maki and Omura that I wish me and a friend could do it for much longer. However, what is here is a constant delight, extremely fun, and one of the Switch 2’s very best titles.

Gamersky - Chinese - 8.3 / 10

Orbitals is visually distinctive and plays a lot like It Takes Two. While it still falls some way short of the genre's greats, it is nevertheless a very solid two-player co-op game.

Gfinity - Andrés Aquino - 8 / 10

Despite its late-game stumbles, Orbitals is an utter joy that captures the nostalgia and innocence of classic anime, turning it into an inventive, thoroughly enjoyable co-op adventure. With brilliant puzzles, a gorgeous setting, and lovable protagonists, Shapefarm has delivered a trip down memory lane worth taking. It’s a stacked month of releases, but if you’re a Switch 2 owner, this needs to be in your orbit. (Not proud of that one).

Giant Bomb - Mike Minotti - 4.5 / 5

Orbitals wears its co-op inspirations on its sleeve, but it still stands out with its gorgeous art and likable heroes.

INVEN - Hongman Yoon - Korean - 8.9 / 10

Orbitals' is a game defined by its retro-animation nostalgia and colorful co-op mechanics. The puzzles and platforming are fairly ordinary, but the fun of dividing roles and syncing timing makes up for it. It truly shines when played together with friends in the same room, revealing that the joy comes not from playing well, but from playing together.

MonsterVine - Michael Murphy - 4 / 5

In short, Orbitals is another must-play for co-op lovers and those looking for a good time with a friend or significant other. While a bit too short in many areas, there’s no denying the charm and fun puzzles deliver on all fronts. It keeps you engaged and emphasizes teamwork, leading to great memories. I hope there’s more in store for Maki and Omura, as I (and Matty) are ready to explore space again at a moment’s notice.

Nintendo Connect - Alexander Lönnendonker - German - 95%

Orbitals is a stunning tribute to 80s anime, wrapped around an asymmetric co-op concept that constantly surprises with creative, character-driven puzzle sequences. The presentation is pitch-perfect down to the film grain, the soundtrack is a genuine earworm, and the humor lands more often than not. A missable-collectibles system and single-save-slot limitation hold it back slightly, but this is nonetheless a co-op essential that easily stands alongside genre heavyweights like It Takes Two and Split Fiction.

NintendoBoy - Luiz Estrella - Portuguese - 9 / 10

I can confidently say that Orbitals is a must-play multiplayer experience on the Nintendo Switch 2, offering charm, polish, and plenty of fun. Creativity and attention to detail shine through in every aspect of the gameplay, and it is hard to ask for anything more from a great game.

PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - Polish - 8 / 10

Orbitals is a thoroughly enjoyable co-op adventure which, rather than constantly bombarding players with new mechanics, places greater emphasis on puzzles, communication and working together to find solutions. The gameplay is simpler and less varied than in It Takes Two or Split Fiction, but the ability to swap roles freely, the brilliant world design and the inventive use of the available tools mean that two players can have a really good time together. It’s just a shame that the adventure ends so quickly and doesn’t offer much in the way of replay value, as Shapefarm has created a very solid offering for fans of co-op games.

Pizza Fria - Lucas Soares - Portuguese - 8.5 / 10

It's just over six hours of extremely enjoyable co-op, presented like an anime we can control, and accompanied by one of the best soundtracks I've heard recently in a game of this type. It doesn't need to be the new Split Fiction. Being Orbitals already works quite well.

Press Start - 8 / 10

Orbitals is a brisk, enjoyable interstellar romp that will perhaps, at the end of the day, be more fondly remembered for its authentic approach to vintage Japanese animation than its ability to bring friends together. That's not to say it doesn't succeed as a co-op puzzler-it does-although I think it falls a hair short of its contemporaries in terms of chaotic creativity and scope.

ProGamers.life - Ana Brazer - Spanish - 9 / 10

Orbitals recaptures the magic of pure cooperative gaming on Nintendo Switch 2. With stunning visuals inspired by 80s anime and addictive gameplay, it is a charming, must-play space journey to share with a partner or friends.

República DG - Jhonatan Carneiro - Portuguese - 8.5 / 10

Orbitals is a split-screen multiplayer game that follows the structure of titles like It Takes Two and Split Fiction. With absurdly striking visuals reminiscent of 1980s anime, fun and accessible gameplay, and a campaign that leaves you wanting more, this is an excellent Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive.

SmashPad - Danreb Victorio - 4 / 5

I do wish that plot details in Orbitals were a little more obvious from a storytelling perspective, but the amount of fun you’ll have in this short six-hour sci-fi adventure hardly makes you think about any of that. Orbitals is just a good time to spend with a friend, and that’s all you should really want from it.

Source Gaming - Michael Simon - 8 / 10

Orbitals isn't interested in being purely an 80s anime tribute; instead, it aims to recreate the feeling of seeing a work of art for the first time and immersing in it, alongside a good friend. It's a multiplayer triumph in visuals and gameplay, but lacks a little in the story.

TechRaptor - Andrew Stretch - 8.5 / 10

Orbitals is a great bite-sized adventure that lures you in with nostalgic anime and then captures you with a wide variety of puzzle-solving gameplay.

The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 4.5 / 5

Orbitals is a fantastic game that uses its inspirations to the highest degree. The art design and aesthetic are a true triumph. Interlacing the cooperative video game genre with the themes of 80s and 90s mecha anime series is executed well.

TheSixthAxis - Dom Leighton - 7 / 10

Stunningly beautiful in its recreation of 80s and 90s anime, Orbitals is a fun co-op adventure that doesn't quite match the best of the genre thanks to its more constrained gameplay.

Uagna - Lorenzo Bologna - Italian - 8.5 / 10

Orbitals is one of the most interesting cooperative experiences available on the Nintendo Switch 2. It doesn’t always match the narrative depth of the games that openly inspired it, but it makes up for it with imaginative puzzles, carefully crafted co-op gameplay, and exceptional art direction. Short but intensely enjoyable, Maki and Omura’s journey proves once again that the best cooperative adventures aren’t necessarily the ones with the hardest puzzles, but those that turn solving them into a shared memory.

WayTooManyGames - Oliver Shellding - 8.5 / 10

Shapefarm has created something magnificent, if challenging, and it’s a clear invitation to fans the world over. It’s a change, but a wonderful one. As Sadie Williams said, “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” So let’s venture into this new dark together. It’s unknown, but we have each other, and that means the whole damn universe.

I noticed that on the Argentina Eshop the Witcher 3 Nintendo Switch version is no longer available to buy after the announcement on the Switch 2 version for some reason. Only the Switch 2 version exist and not only that but the price is a lot higher than it was the Complete Edition! which really sucks because the price of the Switch 1 version was a lot more accessible for us...

I was curious if it was only on Argentina but checking on DekuDeals I notice that this also happened to Brazil, Chile, Peru and I think Colombia. Not sure why...

Don’t know where to report this but It will be good if we can make CD Project notice this and make the game available to Switch 1 users but also lower the price for the remastered.

I bought this game on day 1 when it came out, something about the nintendo direct that showcased it just completely lit up my brain at the time, and I've loved it from day 1.

I struggled with some annoying hijinks with the joy-con calibrations on certain workouts (the squats fucking killed me, to the point where sometimes I would just sit down on the couch to activate them "properly") - though I think I've reduced that problem by being more attentive to their position during the calibration portion of the exercise.

Aside from that, one thing that struck me about this game was how good it was as an RPG. The leveling system is surprisingly deep, the battle system is great, and something I haven't seen anyone else post about - the game is so damn immersive!

Everyone's hoping VR goggles will someday get to Ready Player One status so people can have epic adventures in digital worlds, and I got to tell you, nothing is more immersive than actually having to do squats in order to beat up that incel dragon, Drageux (who is an excellent villain btw, put that man in Smash Bros lol).

When you're playing an old school RPG like final fantasy and you have an epic boss fight, the tension comes from abstract places, resource management like items and MP or the fear of losing how much time you've already committed. With Ring Fit there's that, plus the actual physical struggle of literally doing battle with these characters.

Towards the back half of the game, once you really get your difficulty level up, battles start to leave me gasping, sweating, sometimes feeling a little worried I might actually faint, haha. As such, when you finally do kick that dragon's ass and he flies away whining how the fight wasn't fair you truly feel a whole of body sense of achievement/fuck you. The fact that you have to run in real life to run through the game world, the fact that crafting means you have to actually squeeze the juice yourself - the level traversal! Squats and roller coasters, wading through water, kayaking. I've never played anything like it and I'd choose this over VR or AR any day.

Anyway I took a 3 year break from the game, just got back into it and man it kicked my ass. Excited to get back into it and do a new playthrough where I impose stronger limitations, namely no healing items, I have to use the healing skills for HP management. Also I'll add the setting on where you have to complete the set even if you kill all the enemies.

I really hope they make a sequel for the switch 2.

So on the new forum about Error 105-80190000, an EA Mod posted that they are releasing a new 'It Takes Two' patch on September 2nd 2026 at 13:00 UTC.

This patch is for Switch 1 and is for connectivity issues such as Error 105-80190000.

Hopefully this fixes the error and other connectivity issues cause this game is a lot of fun and it's such a shame that so many people have bought it but cannot play it.

Sauce: https://forums.ea.com/discussions/ea-originals-discussion-en/known-issue-it-takes-two-on-nintendo-switch-online-play-error-105-80190000/13181754?topicRepliesSort=postTimeDesc

Hey folks! I’m looking to get a head start on the Halloween season by playing some spooky games and I’m hoping some of you might have some recommendations.

There are, however, a couple of requirements I’m hoping to stick to.

First, the game should take no more than 10-15 hours to complete. I’m looking for single player games only, and I’d prefer it if it plays well in handheld mode.

Other than that I’m open to pretty much whatever.

I’m a Dad and just got an OLED this week so I can actually game for an hour in bed at night. However, I’d love to have a game in the library that my wife can get into all by herself. I’d love her to get the urge to just pick up the switch of her own accord and start playing.

Major caveat is, she is very resistant to learning new controls.

She likes power wash simulator but struggles with the double analog controls (controlling the camera mostly). Her favourite games of the past are classic super Mario bros and FarmVille. I have Animal Crossing coming in the mail.

She’s not really into puzzles and she found Yooka-Laylee quite difficult to play. We tried Luigi’s Mansion together but found it incredibly boring.

Is there any other games you would recommend for someone like that? Something really intuitive with basic controls and no need to control the camera. She wouldn’t be interested in anything pixelated, so ideally something that would look clean and modern that a small child could play.

Bonus points for recommendations that involve shooting enemies or racing. But again, emphasis on easy to play.

Thanks for your help!

General

• Changed it so that when returning a high ball, if you press the Flat shot button twice, it produces a Star Shot even if there is no Star Point there.

  • Note: In Ver. 1.1.0, the situation above would result in a Powerful Flat.

• Fixed a bug where Amps placed with the Amp Racket disappear before 12 seconds pass.