One of the smaller but more impressive games at Play NYC was Orbit Quest, a little title by developer Frost Lab Studio. The team, who showcased their first game, Plague the Peasants, at last year's event, has been hard at work on their sophomore effort here. That work has definitely paid off, as Orbit Quest is an engaging game that offers a lot of fun with a simple premise.
Orbit Quest is an action-platformer with a space theme where players must jump from orbit to orbit to explore the galaxy. From this set up, you have a challenging little game that works well for the casual indie game market.
There is only really two controls in Orbit Quest: rotating your ship and flicking it to move it any direction you want it to go. Each level is comprised of planets, asteroids, and other spherical objects with gravitational pulls, so your goal is to launch your ship and be stuck in the planets orbit. To complete each level, you need to collect three giant, spinning coins that represent your fuel and resources, giving you enough power to warp to the next level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHBi_fdFr44
The best way to describe it is to think it as the aiming barrel platforming found in games like Donkey Kong Country. You are stuck in this orbit but with full range to technically fly anywhere, provided you can time your jumps correctly to hit a moving planet. The levels start simple, but become more complicated, forcing the player to make calculated jumps based on timing more than anything else.
That complicated level design allows for some pretty clever setups that gives Orbit Quest a light puzzle vibe as well. Figuring out how to navigate tough sections of a level without taking a hit allows for some tense moments where the players skill in timing their jumps will come in handy. Throw in a ton of crazy robotic enemies and crazy space monsters (sharks with laserbeams on their backs!) and you have a game perfect for twitchy reflexes.
Orbit Quest is currently planned for release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, but no release date has been announced at this time.
What are your thoughts on Orbit Quest? Leave your questions below and be sure to check out the rest of our Play NYC Coverage Hub.
