Orb-3D (NES) Playthrough
169A playthrough of Hi Tech Expressions' 1990 NES puzzle game, Orb-3D.
Orb-3D is a conversion of a The Software Toolworks' PC game from 1989, Beyond the Black Hole, in which you play as a spaceship trying to escape from a black hole that was created by a giant alien face named Khron.
But it's not a shooter in the way the story might lead you to believe. You control a pair of paddles ("force fields") that slide up and down along the edges of the playfield, and your orb ship bounces between them. Think Pong, but with one player.
Your ship moves in an orbital pattern: as it moves to the right, it'll fly in front of the playfield, and as the ship returns from the left, it'll move behind the playfield. At any time you can press the A button to reverse the direction you're traveling in, and you can interact with objects by hitting them as you shift between the foreground and background layers.
The game's thirty single-screen stages are filled with objects that you must destroy in order to move on, but the task isn't usually as simple as merely whacking everything in sight. Each stage is set up like a puzzle that has to be solved in order to clear the objects.
Some are simple, like winning a game of Tic-Tac-Toe, filling in a bingo card, or spelling a word. Some require that you hit objects from a particular direction, like in the pool and bowling stages. You'll also get to play chess, chase rats with cats, play a slot machine - there's lot of cool stuff to see and do.
You'll have to be quick, though, because your fuel gauge is constantly ticking down, and if you run out, it's game over. You can refuel by hitting the B button to go to Vern's Orb-O-Rama (a floating gas station), but in most cases your best option is to clear the stage before fuel becomes an issue.
Orb-3D can be a pretty challenging game. The puzzles are fun to figure out, but they aren't always intuitive and the controls can get in the way at times. The paddle movement is all digital (how I'd love support for the Vaus controller!), and it can be frustrating to get the ship moving in the direction want when you can't fine-tune the angle at which it'll hit the paddle.
Level 29, I hate you so much.
That issue aside, Orb-3D is a neat game that offers a few clever innovations on the Pong/Arkanoid-style of gameplay, and outside of a few teeth-grindingly frustrating stages, it's a lot of fun to play through.
You might want to pass on the 3D glasses, though. The effect isn't all that impressive and you'll make yourself look a right prat wearing them.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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