I’m very annoyed that I have a job, that I have to go to the bathroom, that I have to write this damn blog. All I want to do is play more Sektori, a newly released roguelike twin stick shooter that all fans of Geometry Wars should play ASAP.
Out now on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam, Sektori is one of those games that takes less than five minutes to understand and yet will suck up hours of your life in no time. You control a small, colorful shape that must destroy other vibrantly glowing shapes and objects that will damage you if touched. Blast and dodge these bastards with your laser canon, which, like your shield, overall speed, and dash ability, can be upgraded during each run, to defeat the boss and set a new high score. It’s very simple and very, very good.
Oh, and Sektori looks incredibly sharp and slick, with loads of particle effects and eye-popping neon art. Seriously, look at this game in action.
Sektori understands that the main appeal of games like Geometry Wars is watching the playfield fill up with all manner of colorful objects and shapes, and then systematically evaporating them using your blasters and power-ups. But it builds on that formula by pulling in some gameplay mechanics found in games like Vampire Survivors and Halls of Torment. Each little shape you blast away leaves behind some shiny glimmer. Pick up enough of this stuff, and you’ll spawn an upgrade token. Save a few of these up, and you can replenish your shield, unlock missiles, or upgrade your laser gun.
Occasionally, you’ll be asked to pick a card to unlock a new perk. I’m not entirely sure how this works, and that’s because Sektori has one other cool ace up its neon-lined sleeve: It ain’t as simple as you might think. There’s more going on here that the game chooses not to explain in the brief tutorial, and discovering the secrets in Sketori and how everything works has made it extremely easy for me to just go “Well, one more run won’t hurt!” And then suddenly I’ve been playing for two hours. It helps that the game runs flawlessly, features great music, and feels incredibly snappy to play.
I mean, I literally downloaded this game on my father-in-law’s Xbox Series X while visiting for Thanksgiving. I just wanted to play a few more rounds. And now, I’m done writing about Sektori, and I’m going to go back and play more of it. Leave me alone. Thanks.
