Game Review: ‘Sektori’ Is Chaos In Every Direction
Sektori is a fast-paced and incredibly tough twin-stick shooter and the latest game from solo developer and publisher Kimmo Lahtinen. The game took over four years of development to reach the shape that it is now, and you can tell that this is a true labor of love.
The objective of Sektori is to control your ship, collect points known as glimmer, upgrade the various abilities your ship has, and survive as long as you can. Now, while all of that sounds simple, your skill will be pushed to its limits and likely your patience. While the game is a blast to play, my first twenty or so runs were a little frustrating until I figured out how the game works.
Keep in mind that when playing Sektori, you are immediately dropped into the playing field, and there is no handholding for the player. I don’t believe the lack of a tutorial or instructions is a detriment to the game’s benefit, but I can understand why some players may be turned off by this sort of game.
If you’re ready to experience Sektori, this game is available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on PC via Steam. Upon loading up the game the first time, you’ll be given a warning that this game does contain flashing lights, so if you have any photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitive conditions, then you should not be playing this game. Be aware of this before purchasing the game.
Many players have noticed that Sektori has a lot in common with the 2005 Xbox Live Arcade hit Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, and while I can see where these comparisons come from, the only thing these two games have in common is that they are twin-stick shooters where you destroy enemies that have geometric shapes.
Enter Sektori with its challenging gameplay and variety of bosses
The beauty of Sektori’s gameplay loop is that while it is a difficult game, each run starts fast; with how the game is designed, you’ll likely have runs that end quickly as you get defeated over and over.
When you first load up the Sekori, you’ll be immediately greeted by fast-beat techno music, getting you pumped up for what’s about to come. After you’ve made it past the title screen, you can select play, and it’ll take you to the screen to select your mode.
You will notice upon your first play that many of the modes that this game has are currently unavailable but can be unlocked by playing the campaign mode. Campaign mode is where all the action is, and here choosing difficulty is critical. While it might be tempting to immediately ramp up the difficulty level, I highly encourage selecting the default difficulty, named Experience, for your first couple of dozen runs and only raising the level if you’re feeling confident in your hectic twin-stick shooter skills.
While a run in Sektori can take around 30 minutes to complete on the Experience difficulty, higher difficulties have extra bosses and challenges that are meant for the truly skilled players that are ready to take on anything.
Before jumping into the game, you can also customize the ship you want to play as, with one of three ships immediately available at the start of your journey. After you’ve locked in your ship and your difficulty, press play and get ready for a high-intensity experience.
The enemies you’ll come across in Sektori will be of various geometric shapes of different sizes, each with their own movement and attack patterns. When you start a new run, your ship will be without any special powers other than the slowest speed and attack power. But don’t fret because as you destroy enemies, they will drop experience called “glimmer” that can be used to fill up the bar on the left. Each time it fills up, an experience point will drop.
With each experience point collected, you will be able to spend the points on skills such as speed, missiles, extra shields, stronger blaster power, and more. My personal playstyle when doing a run with the starting ship is to focus points into speed and missiles and then gradually upgrade the other abilities to make a well-rounded build.
Once you’ve become familiar enough with Sektori and have mastered your abilities to dodge and destroy the enemy, you’ll come across the various bosses that this game has to offer. Each boss who shows up will be randomly picked from the pool of bosses, some small and some large. The first couple of bosses chosen will be described as Gen 1.0 bosses, and later bosses can go from Gen 2.0 all the way to Gen 5.0, again all dependent on the difficulty you have chosen.
There are variants of bosses, meaning that on one run you can fight a boss at its Gen 1.0 version, but if you run into that same boss later on a different run, they can then be a tougher Gen 2.0 boss.
The bosses in Sektori are so wonderfully challenging and unique in their attack patterns and design. For example, there is one boss called The Architect that starts off as a large machine, and as you destroy its weak points, it splits off into smaller parts, with each phase showcasing more frantic bullets and lasers to avoid.
Every few minutes the playing field changes, the game telegraphs when it is about to change with a flashing red glow warning the player that it will be dangerous to remain in that area. The gameplay in Sektori is super addicting, and I’m having a difficult time putting the game down even now as I write this review.
Stunning game visuals and music
Sektori is a visual tour de force with its use of shapes, colors, and every changing playing field layout. There are very few games that can match the visuals that Sektori has, and with every run, I am still amazed by the sights that the developer was able to produce. All the neon colors, the use of particle effects, and the way the lighting bounces around when you activate rainbow mode are incredible.
Every time I loaded up the game and started a new run, even during the runs, I am amazed by the visuals in Sektori. The great thing about all the visuals is that they’re not noise; they actually stand out on the dark background of the playing field. Every enemy is unique, and every boss is distinctive enough that it’s impossible to get enemy types confused with each other.
Combined with the visuals is the fantastic techno soundtrack composed by Tommy Baynen. There is nearly 30 minutes of original music made for Sektori, and Baynen has such a good way of making each music track have higher energy than each previous track, but not in a way that feels repetitive or overstays its welcome.
Once you unlock the soundtrack option on the main menu, you will be treated to a special DJ mix of the entire soundtrack for your listening pleasure. To express my love for the music is that when I am not playing Sektori, I find myself listening to the official soundtrack on YouTube or other music streaming services. Whether I am working on projects or when I am trying to relax, it’s just so good. If streaming on music platforms is not your thing, you can purchase the soundtrack via the game’s listing on Steam.
Final thoughts: I’ll keep playing Sektori
My time with Sektori has been a positively memorable one, and I’m going to keep playing it, trying to get better and improve my times in the different challenge modes that you unlock by completing different challenges.
The enemy variety, the massively complex bosses, and the catchy music make Sektori an unforgettable experience. I’ve played so many twin-sticker shooters over the years, and most of them are so forgettable that I can’t remember details, but Sektori is the opposite.
Sektori’s difficulty might be an issue for many gamers, but because it’s difficult but fun, it makes me really appreciate what the game developer has been able to do with this title. That being said, I recommend this game!
My rating for this game is 4/5
The reason I am not giving this a perfect rating is because the game has a high skill ceiling and it’s just so brutally difficult, even for players who have a lot of experience with hard twin-sticker shooters. Now, while I am giving it a four out of five, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it’s a blast playing Sektori and it’s one of the best games I’ve played in 2025.
If you’re ready for a game that’ll push the limit of your skills, then Sektori is the game for you. Go check out Sektori on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on PC and brace yourself for a delightful experience!
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