Developer: Kimmo Lahtinen
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre: Action
Publisher: Kimmo Factor Oy
Sektori is a frenetic twin-stick shooter set to the backdrop of techno music. I mean, what’s not to love about this game from the description alone?
You guide this little ship through seven different game types. Only one is open at the start, but once you progress in campaign mode, another will unlock, and as you play through each subsequent mode, another will unlock. The variety in game modes is something I love, and in particular, the campaign, classic, and boss modes were my favourites, but all are fantastic. You’ll start in campaign mode, and a useful tutorial beforehand will cover the basics of the game: the left thumbstick controls the ship while the right stick controls your weapons, and there’s a boost dash that provides temporary invulnerability and causes an explosion too. The dash takes time to charge, but it’s more than useful when the screen is just covered in enemies and objects. You have the ability to change dashes and recharge by interacting with certain collectibles in the game. The game mechanics are straightforward and relatively easy to pick up-you’ll be playing through the multiple modes before you know it. It’s a game of skill, dodging, and understanding your position at every second, and having a dash in your back pocket will let you get out of the tight spots you will encounter. Your ship is equipped with a shield, so in campaign mode, an instant hit won’t kill you.
In campaign mode, you can upgrade your abilities as you collect tokens; the more tokens, the more upgrades, and the more powerful your ship becomes to survive the ever-changing stages of the game. The game doesn’t go into deep description apart from the core mechanics, and the rest is up to the player to figure out, and you will. The campaign is randomized each playthrough, so you’ll have to get those power-ups and stack those upgrades so you can survive as long as possible. I enjoyed the classic and boss modes in particular – fighting bosses is always a favourite of mine in games, and this delivers too. The randomizing of stages gives the game a lot of replayability, combined with the seven modes.
The visuals are superb: a dark intergalactic world that is brought to life by the various bright and neon colours of enemies, weapons, and explosions that you’ll encounter as you progress deeper into the game. The action, destruction, and chaos just seem to come through the screen as you blast all the various enemies on screen. Frenetic is probably the best way to describe the on-screen chaos at times. Your little triangular ship tries to avoid enemies, explosions, and other things that will kill you. Then, when you come to a boss fight, an alert appears on the screen, and the level’s structure changes, and then an even bigger and more menacing battle happens. Brilliant use of techno music combined with the visuals complements each other so well and brings a more immersive and rich game.
Sektori is a wonderfully addictive twin-stick shooter that is deeply immersive. The combination of the ability to drop in and play a “quick” game makes it easy to pick up and play, but the difficulty is enough to make you persist and keep coming back for more. A really impressive and superb shooter that I enjoyed every second of, even when I was dying, and that happened a lot!
Overall: 9/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
