Orbient is a close cousin to Spore. Where Will Wright's
creation sim dances around the idea of evolution without really resorting to
education, this downloadable offering for the Wii toys with celestial
mechanics. Players are responsible for a single orb adrift in space. The game
is played with two buttons, one that creates gravitational attraction, and
another that generates repulsion. Playing Orbient isn't really a matter of
control, but of exerting force. The game's puzzles come by way of increasingly
intricate and dangerous solar systems. Spinning planets, moons, and space rocks
create treacherous mazes, which players must navigate without collision. The
goal is to absorb similarly sized planets, pick up smaller rocks and moons as
satellites, and eventually hook up with the sun. Once these simple goals have
been accomplished, Orbient encourages players to make riskier maneuvers,
attempting to nab bonus satellites for bonus points and extra lives. The urge
to take risks in return for great rewards is substantial.
Some of the game's best moments come when you're simply
surfing the cosmos. If you approach a larger body at the right angle, you hear
a satisfying chime, and you can then settle into a steady freefall around the
object. It's much more fun, though, to come barreling toward a planet at
breakneck speed, then use the slingshot effect to whip around its backside.
Kirk and company pulled off a similar maneuver to travel through time in Star
Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Mastering Orbient, sadly, will do very little to save the whales.
But the game's 50 increasingly diabolical scenarios will give you greater
appreciation for the rocket scientists responsible for getting probes to Mars
without cratering in the dusty Martian soil.
Beyond the game: Orbient was originally released
in Japan on the Game Boy Advance as part of a stylish budget line called bit
Generations. Others entries included Coloris, a puzzle game with a
soundtrack by Cornelius, and Soundvoyager, an experiment in directional audio that
could be played with eyes closed.
Worth playing for: Each heavenly body you
capture generates a sound effect. Lock down a handful of these prizes, and they
sound a shimmering harmony akin to the music of the spheres.
Frustration sets in
when: The
game's elegant conceit falls apart once new obstacles and puzzle configurations
tend away from nature and science.
Final judgment: Revolutionary.