Orbitals Is a Two-Player Adventure With a Warm Start and a Thin Middle

Nintendo Switch 2 owners got a co-op puzzle game on September 3, 2026, and it asks two players to save a space station together. Orbitals comes from developer Shapefarm and publisher Kepler Interactive, and it is built from the ground up for two. That commitment is the whole pitch, and it is also where the game runs into trouble.

Trailer, via Kepler Interactive.

Maki and Omura, Two Explorers Short on Experience

Orbitals stars Maki and Omura, described by the studio as inseparable explorers with more determination than experience. Their station home is trapped inside a supernatural cosmic storm, and the pair set out to find help before it crumbles. The story is light, the stakes are loud, and the game plays from a third-person perspective across platform, puzzle and adventure beats.

The structure is asymmetric by design. Each character carries unique tools, and the two players have to split roles and coordinate to open pathways, clear danger and finish puzzles. Solo play is not the point here. Local split-screen and online co-op are the two ways in, and both demand the same thing: clear communication between two people sitting in the same conversation.

Studio Massket’s Hand-Crafted Cutscenes

The presentation is the strongest argument Orbitals makes for itself. Studio Massket built hand-crafted cinematic cutscenes, and the game ships with full Japanese and English voice acting. The original soundtrack aims squarely at the warmth of classic Japanese anime, and the art direction follows it there.

That is a specific, expensive choice, and it shows.

Where the Teamwork Starts to Slip

Asymmetric co-op lives or dies on whether both roles stay interesting for the whole run. Orbitals gives each explorer a distinct toolkit, but the game’s puzzle design leans on the same rhythm: one player opens, the other proceeds, then swap. The tools change. The conversation does not.

The Storm, the Station, and the Clock

The premise does the heavy lifting early. A station home sits inside a supernatural cosmic storm, and Maki and Omura leave it to look for help. Orbitals treats that trip as a bombastic adventure, with out-of-this-world creatures and characters along the way. It is a clean setup for a two-player game, and the game rarely complicates it.

A 6.8 Out of 10

The IGDB critic aggregate sits at 6.8/10 across four outlets, and that number is fair. Orbitals is a handsome, sincere two-player game with real craft in its cutscenes and soundtrack, and it never finds a second idea for its puzzles. The co-op requirement is a feature, not a flaw, but it narrows the audience to pairs who will actually finish it together.

Worth watching is whether Shapefarm patches in variety or saves it for a sequel. For now, Orbitals is a warm, well-made adventure that runs out of tricks before it runs out of charm.

co-op games · game review · Kepler Interactive · Nintendo Switch 2 · Orbitals · puzzle games