Orbital Gear

Orbital Gear is a fast-paced 2D multiplayer shooter with mechs in space. The environments consist of celestial objects that can be run around. The mechs (called gears) can also jump from one object to another and are affected by gravity. The game offers two game modes: regular deathmatch and a team based Orbital Warfare mode. There is no real single-player mode, but the game offers trials for each of the available weapons to destroy AI-controlled opponents in a fast time, compared through global leaderboards. These challenges largely serve to practice the different weapons. Three types of rankings can be earned by beating times set by the developers. There are four types of mechs available, but they only differ aesthetically.

The mechs are moved with the keyboards keys and the mouse is used to shoot. They are also able to jump. Before starting a session the loadout is defined. Players choose a primary weapon, a secondary weapon and an ability. The available weapons are a chain gun, gauntlet, discharger, flak cannon, flame gun, grenade launcher, hornets, kasainami, nail gun, phase orb, pulse rifle and shredder. They differ in damage, fire rate, range and ammo, and also have specific properties. Phase orbs can travel large distances and suck opponents inside, while the flames of the kasainami can travel around a celestial object and the gauntlet is used for melee kills. The four abilities are booster to get an extra boost while in the air, mines, a satellite turret, and a shield. After being killed the loadout can be changed. Most ammo types have a short cooldown time to prevent players from firing constantly. After killing an enemy, energy cores can be picked up to recharge health and ammo.

Next to regular deathmatch, Orbital Warfare is the most important game mode. The maps are split in two for each side: Prism (red) and Cube (blue). Each side has a large main cannon and different buildings. To win a session the teams need to charge their main cannon using energy cores left by destroyed opponents. This is done by manually taking them to the cannon. Once the cannon is charged 100%, it fires and destroys the other team permanently. Two bars near the top of the screen show each side's charge percentage. The game can be won in another way as well. Each side has different buildings that can be destroyed. When none are left standing, the other team wins, regardless of the cannon's percentage. Instead of using energy cores to charge the cannon, they can also be used to repair buildings.