Just when you think the GBA’s been all but forgotten following the immense success of the DS, Nintendo gives us one last selection of original and highly stylish games. We’ve already looked at two games in the bit Generations series; the brilliant Dot Stream and the uninspired Boundish, and the next game to fall into our ever-critical hands is Orbital.

Much like the other bit Generations games, the premise for Orbital is very simple; travel through multiple galaxies using your initially small planet to consume other (smaller) planets and grow in size. It plays like a simplified version of Namco’s hit Katamari series, only set in space. In each galaxy there is a series of levels where a certain number of smaller planets must be absorbed before the stage’s sun is unlocked. Only by drawing the sun into your planet’s orbit can you progress to the next level.

Attract and repel

The control system, though incredibly basic and utilising only the A and B buttons, is initially very frustrating. These buttons control the gravitational field of any nearby planet. The A button is used to increase gravity and pull your planet closer, whilst the B button does the opposite and repels the planet away. It sounds simple enough, but the physics are fairly difficult to get to grips with at first. It took a good hour before I was fully comfortable and the frustration started to fade into entertainment. Fortunately, the game’s early levels are fairly forgiving, with plenty of open space allowing for a little trial and error. Hitting another planet results in the loss of a life - once all five lives are used up it’s game over. The game automatically saves up to the last level played, so gameplay can continue right from where you left off.

Once the slightly confusing concept has been fully grasped, the difficulty level soon picks up upon completion of the first galaxy (there are six main galaxies to be played through at first). Soon planets have their own, smaller orbiting planets and moons, up to the point where there are massive clusters of planets all rotating on different orbits and in different directions. Later levels also have asteroids and rock clusters - these must be avoided at all costs. Some of the stages seem impossible at first, and will take a good few attempts before they are cracked. One frequent annoyance that is evident in many of the later stages is that if a large planet is accidentally hit, it sends your own planet rebounding off in the opposite direction. When this happens, it is possible for the planet to head straight into the path of another obstacle, which in turn rebounds back in the same direction as the first collision. When this happens it’s very difficult to break the pattern, resulting in the loss of a hefty amount of lives.

Colour coding

At the start of each stage, only smaller sized planets can be absorbed. All planets are colour coded blue, red or grey. Blue indicates planets that can and should be absorbed. Doing so will increase the size of your planet and allow you to consume other, previously unobtainable planets. Red planets cannot be tackled until a certain amount of blue planets have been absorbed. Asteroids and other hazards are also red in colour to signify that they can’t be absorbed. Grey indicates planet sizes that have already been absorbed, but are not required for further progression. These grey planets still have a purpose however; they can be used to gain extra points that in turn earn extra lives. Due to the extreme difficulty level in the later galaxies, getting as many bonus lives as possible soon becomes very useful.

Graphically, Skip has again opted for the minimalist-yet-incredibly-stylish look. The majority of the stages are played out on a simple black background, with the occasional star cluster or distant planet. Similarly, the actual planets and moons encapsulated within each galaxy are displayed in a very simplistic fashion, utilising the aforementioned red and blue colour coding. Much like the other bit Generations titles; the music helps to add a lot to the game. Whilst always remaining very ambient and relaxing, as more planets are absorbed or drawn into orbit, the soundtrack builds with added layers of sound. Unfortunately there’s a disappointing lack of variety in the music over the six initial galaxies.

Though a very simple concept, Orbital is yet another excellent and unique concept in the bit Generations series. After getting to grips with the initially baffling control system, the game’s very difficult to put down and has that vital one-more-go factor that these pocket-money games strive to achieve. It’s a little on the short side - the six galaxies can be blasted through in a couple of hours - though there are a few nice bonuses to unlock, including a set of hard as nails extra stages that require immense concentration, as well as a certain amount of luck. Thanks to the budget price of the series (assuming you’re not paying over the odds for an import), the lack of lifespan can be largely forgiven. For those that have already picked up and enjoyed a few of the other games in this excellent series of experimental titles, Orbital would be highly recommended.