Sektori Review

When I obtained Sektori for a review, I was going in totally blind. What I came out with was bloodshot eyes and an addiction to this indie gem. This is what I love about gaming: when an experience comes seemingly from nowhere and becomes a straight-up banger. Some of the biggest success stories of the indie gaming scene recently have come from solo developers. Kimmo Lahtinen, who spent over a decade working on classics like Resogun and Dead Nation under Housemarque, has tackled this project single-handedly.

Gameplay

Sektori is a twin-stick shooter which is super simplistic to get to grips with, but hard to master. One analogue stick will control your ship whilst the other fires in any direction you choose. The premise in the first mode you’ll play is to survive, score as highly as possible and defeat the boss at the end. You’ll be weaving in and out of enemies, aiming to destroy as many as possible without getting hit and ending the run. Procedurally generated arenas keep each run totally spontaneous and unpredictable, with the environments shifting as you work through the chaos.

When it comes to the varied boss fights, it demands placement and strategy rather than serious damage. The difficulty curve is high, and it is punishing if you’re not switched on. I loved that you’re left to improve through your own mistakes, which encourages replayability over and over again. Despite frustrating myself with my lack of skill, I loved the addictive gameplay loop that kept me going time and time again, and it never became boring.

Different Modes To Keep You Entertained

Classic, Campaign, Boss Rush, Survival, Challenge and Quick Run. Six different modes, all with different objectives to keep gameplay fresh and entertaining throughout. No two runs ever feel the same, which keeps you on your toes as you can only react to what is before your eyes instead of learning patterns. What kept me going personally was trying to achieve success on the online leaderboards. I got nowhere near the top 100, but I died many times trying. For those who are competitive then you’ll love trying to get up there to secure some bragging rights.

Visuals & Audio

Sektori is a visual treat which is rich with neon colour and fantastic particle effects. Everything looks like absolute chaos at all times on screen, but it looks really pretty at the same time. Seeing enemy projectiles along with them, moving and bouncing across the screen, is mesmerising. Performance on Xbox Series X is superb, and I kind of wish this had Xbox Play Anywhere functionality so that I could put it to the test with different devices.

Audio design is brilliant as well, and I adored the soundtrack and how it keeps the adrenaline pumping. Hearing the techno/electronic music ringing through whilst using skill to weave in and out and keep your run going was very enjoyable. Sound effects are great with weapon fire, explosions and collecting power-ups all sounding spectacular.

Final Thoughts

Sektori is an indie sensation and a game I simply can’t get enough of. The first time I played this, I popped it on at 1 am in the morning with the intention of having a quick go before covering it properly in the days following. It was almost six in the morning by the time I dragged myself away. Beware, this game is insanely addictive. It has that “just one more run” vibe, and each time, I am convincing myself I can perform better. I am now drawn to trying to climb the online leaderboards, so there is plenty of life in this one for me yet, after more than 24 hours of gameplay. If you’re after a twin stick shooter that has lots of similarities to titles like Geometry Wars 1|2, then I urge you to buy this; it’s well worth it.