After catching our eye at The Game Awards last year, we were delighted to see more of Orbitals in today's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, particularly with a 'Summer 2026' window attached to it.
In case you missed this one back in December, Orbitals is a co-op-only space adventure from Japanese indie dev Shapefarm and Keplar Interactive. It appears to carry many of the same puzzle platforming head-scratchers as something like It Takes Two, with its split-screen abilities promising plenty of couch conversation — though GameShare was also confirmed today, so feel free to play online too.
Once again, the thing that got us the most excited was the visuals, which look like they have been taken straight out of a classic anime. Protagonists Maki and Omura look particularly delightful, with the new trailer showcasing more of the character-specific abilities and tools they'll be wielding along the way.
Here's a brief written rundown of what's in store, accompanied by some screenshots so you can see what we're so hyped about:
Team up in this 2-player co-op adventure as Maki and Omura and use your wits to overcome the odds in a retro anime-inspired galaxy. Can you save their home?
Use two pairs of Joy-Con 2 controllers on a single device for split-screen local co-op, or use the Nintendo Switch 2 GameShare feature to share Orbitals with another local player. Plus, you can also matchmake online with your friends. Players around the world can take advantage of Nintendo Switch 2’s built-in microphone and GameChat feature to save the day together!
We'll be keeping an eye out for a more precise release date in the coming months, but for now, we're off to watch that new trailer another 12 times...
What do you make of Orbitals? Will you be playing with a pal this Summer? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 32
It looks great but any game that's co-op only immediately loses me. Wish there were an AI option.
I thought this looked absolutely gorgeous! Gameplay maybe looked a tad simplistic but that's not necessarily a bad thing for a co-op game if it means I can play with my kids.
Switch 2 exclusive, come on this needs to get a physical release.
It looks great, but I’m not keen on cooperative play so I’ll have to pass. I hope it does well, though!
Absolutely love its visuals and based on what we've seen it seems fun, too - not sure when I'll be able to play it myself also considering that it's co-op only, but I'm definitely interested in doing so when I can!
My woman and I will have a blast with this. Split Fiction, ReAnimal and now Orbitals to keep things fun in the bedroom.
It looks fantastic, but it's also something I won't get the chance to play what with it being co-op only.
This is probably my most anticipated upcoming Switch 2 game. My wife and loved It Takes Two and Split Fiction, and this seems like it could be another great example of that type of co-op experience.
Sucks that I'll never get to play this with it being co-op. Developers don't seem to understand that gamers are not social creatures when it comes to video games. We like to play alone in peace.
100% the best looking game in the Direct. This one looks truly exciting. Hopefully this one’s low on the difficulty curve for my wife’s sake.
When I first read "Orbitals" I got super excited confusing it in my head with Wii's "Orbient." 😮💨
Forced co-op is a direct no-go for me, sadly.
@Lizuka I was so disappointed when they said it would be co op only because the game genuinely looks amazing!
@abbyhitter Who is this "we" you're talking about?
There are plenty of gamers who like playing games in co-op
This looks like it will be really cool for those who are into co-op. It made me think of some great Portal 2 co-op puzzling.
I pretty much exclusively play single-player these day though.
This looks like the perfect game to enjoy over GameChat! If we could coordinate over the forums, I'd love to meet people who want to play this with me over GameChat 👉👈
@abbyhitter Clearly that not true given how many co-op games, split screens, party games, friend slop, multiplayer games get released compared to one off single player games... lol
Looks great , but Co-op game? bye bye
Probably the game I'm most likely to purchase day 1 in this Direct. Hopefully it's closer to $30 than $60, looks like a $20 game to me but I'll pay $30 for the couch co-op.
While this looks great, I'm afraid the co-op only requirement gates me out of this one. IRL is out. There's always online play, but that can be hard to organize on my end. And I know few gamers online who 1. I trust enough to play with (I had bleh experiences with strangers back in my MMO days) and 2. would be interested out of the ones I do trust.
@Lizuka Absolutely same here. This was the worst possible start to the Direct for us solo players 😂
I really hope the amount of displeasure folks have with it being strictly co-op won't tank any sales. Seems fun but like everyone else here, co-op ain't my thang.
Well aware I'm contributing to the issue I feared, but you have to keep in mind that everyone on this site doesn't make up the entirety of Switch 2s playerbase.
Super duper excited for this!
With so many single-player games out there, I don't understand the comments criticizing it for being a co-op game, when there are so few options of this type, especially high-quality ones like It Takes Two and Split Fiction. I'm looking forward to playing this one and Out of Words with my girlfriend.
I’ll show the trailer to my son and daughter, and if they are interested, then we could pick it up this summer or perhaps Black Friday
If they implemented a "Computer/AI-Controlled" 2nd Player, I would be all over this.
I would buy a single player game in this style in a heartbeat
This trailer skyrocketed my interest in this game from "ehhh" to "must-play." My partner and I are working on Split Fiction so it's cool to already have something lined up for when we finish it
@Gil7R There are even more co-op games that also offer single player options. But forcing two players limits the (re-)playability of the game and honestly is just lazy on the developer.
Super excited for this game, my wife doesn't play many games but I know she'll play this one with me! She loved It Takes Two and even though we haven't gotten Split Fiction yet, this will draw her in with the 90s anime style. Can't wait for an official release date
@HugoGED There are 10 billion exclusives that aren't on a Nintendo system. Suck it up.
My partner and I are HYPED for this! Not only do we love 80's styled anime (AND SPACE!), but we loved other co-op games like the We Were Here series, It Takes Two, Split Fiction, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land (not quite the same thing, I know).
Very excited to add Orbitals to our couch time as it looks well crafted, so far!
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