If you enjoy games like It Takes Two and have a soft spot for stylized indie projects, you might want to check out Orbitals from Shapefarm, the debut title from a Tokyo-based studio. Former Hazelight developer Jakob Lundgren is also involved and brings his co-op expertise to a project built around two-player collaboration. Communication is a big part of Orbitals: players often tackle completely different tasks, but must constantly coordinate and interact to make progress.
The visuals are a big part of Orbitals too, taking inspiration from 1980s and 1990s anime: thick outlines, cel-shading, and hand-drawn animation, it should feel familiar to fans of Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, or Ranma. Shapefarm teamed up with Studio Massket for the cutscenes and worked with legendary animation director Hidetoshi Yoshida, who decided to storyboard the entirety of Orbitals by hand.
In the latest post from the official X/Twitter account, you can get a look at how the game's backgrounds are made. Creative director Marcos Ramos has also previously stressed that no generative AI is being used in development, saying, "We have a passion for making things with our own hands and getting dirty." You can learn more about the inspiration and creative choices behind Orbitals in this video:
