Orbitals Preview: The Anime Co-op Game of 2026 Is Already Turning Heads

Orbitals, the split-screen co-op puzzle-action game from developer Shapefarm and publisher Kepler Interactive, has been playable at Summer Game Fest and in private preview sessions — and early impressions are overwhelmingly positive. The game launches September 3, 2026, and is shaping up as a major co-op release for Switch 2 and beyond.

Orbitals puts two players in control of best friends Maki and Omura aboard a floating space station, each occupying one half of a split screen. Game director Jakob Lundgren previously worked at Hazelight Studios as a designer on A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction, and that couch co-op DNA is clearly present. Players carry tools like the Scrap Hook, Beam Cannon, Scraphook grappling hook, and Liquid Launcher, using them in combination to solve puzzles inside derelict spacecraft and navigate co-op platforming sections. Crucially, unlike It Takes Two, players can choose their roles for many tasks rather than being locked into a fixed assignment. The game is capped at 30 FPS — a deliberate art direction choice, since character animations are set to run at 24 frames per second to match classic anime's visual rhythm. Previews covered roughly 15 to 50 minutes of the opening section.

Lundgren's Hazelight background makes the comparison to It Takes Two almost unavoidable, but Orbitals carves out its own identity through its aesthetic. The visual inspirations are worn openly — character designs echo Ranma ½, the ship interiors recall Cowboy Bebop, and the space hub carries Studio Ghibli warmth. Cel-shaded in-engine graphics sit comfortably alongside the retro-animated cutscenes without feeling jarring. The soundtrack swings between spacey synth drones, moody keys, and funk bass, with one reviewer drawing a direct comparison to Daft Punk's Discovery. Shapefarm is a debut studio, making this an ambitious first release backed by Kepler Interactive, which has previously published games like Sifu and Tails of Iron.

All three outlets came away genuinely enthusiastic, with the main complaint being that preview sessions ended too soon. The Summer Game Fest demo setup — bean bags, bunk beds, a mock 90s bedroom — matched the game's nostalgic tone so well that reviewers noted it felt like watching a Saturday-morning anime with a friend. With a confirmed September 3 release date, co-op fans have a concrete date to circle on the calendar.