Orb launchers are a hazard first introduced in Super Meat Boy Forever. They are nondescript producers of "orbs" of plasma with homing properties.
Overview[]
Super Meat Boy Forever[]
Orb Launchers first appear in Super Meat Boy Forever as a major obstacle in The Lab. They are black holes that spawn large, purple orbs of plasma.
These orbs will follow the player, and kill them on contact. If attacked, however, the orb will split into four smaller orbs and surround the player character. From there, attacking again will launch the orbs in the form of a fist, serving as a projectile attack that can hit multiple enemies and explode on contact with wood blocks and bomb blocks, destroying them. Punches and slides shoot the projectile forward, dives shoot them diagonally down, and uppercuts shoot them straight upwards. Not shooting the projectile in time will kill the player.
Dr. Fetus can spawn orbs during his boss fight, in which they can be fired back at him for damage.
Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine[]
In early versions of the demo and in pre-release footage, orb launchers appeared as an obstacle. They fired orbs that flashed red and orange that followed the player's currently-controlled clones until dissipating. In the final release, they were replaced with buttholes, behaving exactly the same. They resembled Warp Zones.