Previewed by Tristan

12 orbits is a local multiplayer action game developed and published by Roman Uhlig. The controls are deceptively simple: each player has one button to press; controlling their comet-like character by dodging or orbiting around a multitude of circles that are scattered across the arena. Depending on the mode you are playing, you will be scrambling to claim circles, shoot goals, and grow your characters like a snake in either a deathmatch or team setting. The game does an excellent job of providing customization options and different maps to cater to every group and playstyle. Although the premise is straightforward, it becomes a competitive event with gratuitous amounts of shouting very quickly.

The key selling point of this game is that it supports between 2 to 12 players without extra controllers; the game can be played through the touch screen alone, but it can quickly get crowded. I played the game with six people split over three controllers and three people using the touchscreen. We had tons of room while playing and never had issues seeing the main screen. Although none of us had played the game before, we were able to pick it up within minutes and were soon having fun (mostly lots of friendly yelling).

The one thing our group had trouble with is keeping track of our colors during the game. Although it’s made very clear what color you are if you’re using the touchscreen, it gets confusing for those who are using controllers. In team matches, this got even more complicated as you need to remember your team color (which is different from your color), along with the other colors players that are on your team. This doesn’t detract much from the game, and actually adds a lot more fun due to the chaos it causes.

Overall, 12 orbits is a fun game to play with small or large groups when you don’t want to spend a long time setting things up and explaining the rules. Rounds are over quickly, people can hop in and out seamlessly and matches are fairly balanced. Add this to your list of party games if you’re looking for something new. 12 orbits recently released on the Switch Game Store; you can also find it on Steam, itch.io, the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.