Orbitals
A co-op platformer starring duo Maki and Omura, exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.
3 Sept 2026 · Paid
About Orbitals
Orbitals is a playful co-op platformer from Tokyo studio Shapefarm, built exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Maki and Omura team up to clear inventive single-screen challenges, combining their abilities to reach new heights. It arrived on the eShop in early September 2026 as a charming, easy-to-pick-up download.
Storyline
A space station colony is caught in the middle of an interstellar storm. A colonist named Togen brings a young Maki and Omura and puts each of them into their own I.M., against the wishes of fellow colonist Kinako. The I.M.s put Maki and Omura's souls into stasis, such that when they die, their bodies can be indefinitely reprinted, albeit still affected by aging. The storm suddenly flares and destroys much of the space station. Fifteen years later, the colony remains operational, but most of its inhabitants are elderly. Togen informs Maki and Omura that a Rift within the still-active storm has opened up earlier than expected. Fearing that the storm could become more unstable, Togen dispatches the duo to traverse beyond the Storm Wall through the Rift to collect three Reactor Cassettes so they can activate the space station's shields. Togen and Kinako periodically communicate to the duo via radio. Maki and Omura pilot their own ship to breach the Rift and investigate a derelict space station, whose inhabitants have all perished. Entering a massive asteroid, they activate a vault, within which lies another door that leads to a cluster of space garbage. Maki and Omura find the Cassette amid the garbage but witness it being stolen by an airborn Drone Carrier. They return to Togen, who persuades them to pursue the drone. Maki and Omura uncover the Frozen Depths, a past civilization now overgrown with ice. Togen informs them that he has located the remaining two Cassettes. As they progress through the icy caves, they discover a gargantuan, spherical machine orbited by lone Spirits. Upon getting closer, the machine produces a glaring light before a metallic door shuts, blocking it from view. The team backtracks and confronts the Drone Carrier, which they destroy in combat, recovering the Cassette. They return to the colony, where Omura inquires to Togen regarding the numerous locations they have visited. An unwilling Togen confirms that they had once belonged to the colony but were all destroyed during the storm. Omura further questions Togen about the gargantuan machine they saw; Togen becomes evasive, and says to Omura that the Storm Wall is close to collapsing,…
Gameplay
Orbitals is a puzzle-adventure game played largely from a third-person perspective, while some platforming sections are viewed from a two-dimensional (2D) perspective. It is an exclusively two-player cooperative game; there is no single-player option. Local and online play are supported, the latter of which can be facilitated by the Switch 2's GameShare and GameChat features. Gameplay is asymmetrical, indicating that the two players must play different responsibilities and synergize with each other to complete puzzles. Each player assumes the role of either Maki and Omura; each player's perspectives are always visible through a split screen format. Throughout all of the game's puzzles, the two players must each use one of three tools that require aiming and shooting. These are the Liquid Launcher, a hosepipe-like weapon that uses water to extinguish fires and push obstacles; the Beam Cannon, which functions similarly but uses lasers instead to melt objects; and the Scrap Hook, a grappling hook that can latch onto certain doors and panels to open them. In between the puzzle-platforming sections, the two players manually fly Maki and Omura's ship. This is achieved by having one player independently operate the ship's weapons and the other serve as its pilot; these roles can be swapped at any time. Players can also explore the interior of the ship itself, which houses numerous non-player characters and minigames that are gradually unlocked as the story progresses.
- Developer
- Shapefarm
- Publisher
- Shapefarm
- Release
- 3 Sept 2026
- Price
- Paid
- Modes
- single-player
