If you're wondering what might be the worst default map in Nerf ArenaBlast, the Orbital Bonus Arena might be a strong contender. None of the default maps are truly terrible, but this one is surely average. With a symmetrical design, basic vertical play, and central powerups, this arena ticks all the boxes for a standard design. With the game having been rushed to meet deadlines, it's a shame we only got four official bonus or multiplayer maps. There were even some third-party mappers lined up to make maps for Nerf ArenaBlast before the sudden deadline left them out of the project. Out of those four maps, this one certainly is the most boring.
How do I convey how average this map is? The most interesting thing in this whole arena is a central shaft that contains both the Double Damage and the Mega Power. Players will definitely fight over these powerups and will often have both at once. It's not entirely trivial to escape with them though, as you must land on both the lower platform to get the Mega Power and the teleporter below it to leave without losing your spoils. There's a decent chance that one could over-correct or be hit with just enough knockback and fly into space, leaving the map without either powerup for a minute or so. But no one is going to get your points down there, so the stakes are pretty low. I'm reminded of a map from Unreal Tournament (DM-Fractal) where one could trigger a trap that drops players into a warp to the top of the map where a deadly laser deprives them of their current life, weapon, and sometimes powerups, depositing them on the floor for opponents to recover. I sort of wish this map had something like that in place of this tube.
This map feels really big and sort of empty. It feels odd to say considering this is the second smallest arena in the game by my recollection (see Moonlight Bonus Arena 2), but it feels so much less dense than other arenas. None of the fine detailing used in other maps is present. Just corridors and rooms. But a plain layout isn't the only thing that hurts this map's rating. There is also this annoying glitch (which might just be an engine limitation) where sometimes if you're traveling upward near the edge of a hole in the ground you might hit an invisible wall that robs you of your momentum. This happens a lot above the bouncers on the lower floor, creating a minor annoyance that negatively impacts the level's flow.
In the end, the Orbital Bonus Arena suffers from being acceptable most likely due to rushed deadlines. With so few multiplayer arenas built in that time, throwing out a perfectly functional but average arena probably wasn't an option. It might be the worst map of the default arenas, but it still has a place in my server; even if only with some mutators to spice it up.
Rating: 
