GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 01/14/2009
- Updated on: 01/15/2009
- Released on: 09/29/2008
- Originally published on GameSpot: Art Style: ORBIENT (Wii) Review
Art Style: Orbient's bizarre take on Newtonian physics would probably make scientists uncomfortable, but it also makes for a unique puzzle game. In this single-player journey through 50 galactic levels, you manipulate gravity to maneuver a planetoid around a small two-dimensional cross section of the cosmos, increasing its diameter and drawing satellites into its orbit along the way. Orbient is unlikely to rock your universe and keep you glued to the screen, but six dollars (600 Nintendo points) is an easy-to-stomach price for some easygoing entertainment.
Defying nature, one law at a time.
The goal of each level is to increase the size of your planet until it reaches a certain mass. You do this by banging into similarly sized planets, conveniently colored blue so you can easily identify which are useful, slowly increasing your mass as you avoid collisions with asteroids and larger bodies. As your diameter increases, previously off-limits planets become available to usurp, while smaller ones will not contribute to a size gain but can be caught in your orbit to become a satellite for extra points. What makes Orbient so clever is that you don't manipulate your planet directly, but rather you manipulate the gravitational pull of the surrounding celestial objects. When you press the A button on the Wii Remote, all nearby suns and planets exert a gravitational pull; pressing the B button causes them to repel your planet with equal vigor.
This sounds rather simple, but things can get complex. Turning on gravity as you float through the vacuum turns it on for all applicable objects, so its effects can come from every direction, and they are further influenced by your distance from those objects, as well as their size. It takes a short while to get the feel for these subtleties, and you'll watch in agony as your planet crashes into a flaming sun as you helplessly hold the B button. You can also orbit larger bodies, at which point the only object exerting force on you is the one you circle. Luckily, the game lets you pick up on these nuances gradually, slowly increasing the challenge while you get used to the bizarre physical laws of this unusual galaxy.
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