Sector Six
- September 7, 2018
- Phoebii
- 64h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Sector Six" is a side-scrolling, sci-fi shooter with a unique silhouette aesthetic and procedural loot. As a space pilot, you must save the universe from the Eight Machines by building and customizing your spaceship's performance, appearance, and abilities. The modular difficulty system allows you to tailor the challenge for better rewards, making for a truly personalized experience. Master the ship combat, learn enemy patterns, and obliterate foes with lasers and missiles in this thrilling adventure.
Reviews
- The ship customization system is extensive and allows for a lot of creativity in building unique ships.
- The game offers a fun and addictive gameplay loop with RPG elements, including loot collection and leveling up.
- The minimalist art style and engaging soundtrack create a unique atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- The game lacks a proper tutorial, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and shipbuilding system.
- Some players find the controls cumbersome, particularly the reliance on keyboard inputs instead of mouse control.
- The gameplay can become repetitive over time, especially after several hours of grinding through missions.
- story111 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered engaging but somewhat simplistic and generic, serving primarily as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a focal point. Players appreciate the unique art style and thematic elements, though some find the progression and mission clarity lacking, leading to occasional confusion. While the narrative may not be groundbreaking, it effectively supports the addictive gameplay loop and offers a variety of post-story content for continued engagement.
“The story line had me hooked despite its size.”
“The story manages to make me feel what the character feels in a way that, considering their art style and that this is a shoot 'em up, is pretty astounding.”
“There's a long story that I really enjoyed; it's a great game for anyone who likes story elements mixed with destruction and chaos.”
“The plot is fairly generic and nothing to write home about.”
“Suffice to say, the game has a certain lore and progressing story, but it’s hardly sophisticated.”
“The story is... well, it's pretty terrible.”
- gameplay55 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Sector Six is a unique blend of side-scrolling shooter and RPG mechanics, featuring deep ship customization and a satisfying loot grind. While the core mechanics are engaging and addictive, some players find the lack of tutorials, occasional frustrating boss mechanics, and grindiness to be drawbacks. Overall, the game offers a fun and dynamic experience, appealing to fans of both bullet hell shooters and RPGs, despite some minor issues with controls and variety.
“The actual gameplay is your typical bullet hell, but the way the ship can be upgraded from parts you gather during the mission, and ship design actively affects how your ship behaves in combat, is a very interesting gameplay mechanic that more games should adopt.”
“Jets'n'Guns and Diablo (or rather Chronicon, being another game maker ARPG that nails everything just right too) have a baby and it's called Sector Six, combining side-scrolling shooter gameplay with ARPG itemization and unparalleled customization where you can make every kind of ship you can think of, since every item is a ship block.”
“Gameplay-wise, Sector Six is a side-scrolling looter-shooter.”
“I got this for like $1, so it's really hard to be upset, but the game is really frustrating. It has no tutorial to speak of, does not explain the surprisingly deep shipbuilding mechanics, and there is one region boss that is really ticking me off because it's just so cheap and I can't figure out how to beat it.”
“The core gameplay loop involves running missions you don't get experience from, accumulating parts you don't need and can't mount, using a control scheme that feels clunky by design.”
“So the gameplay experience for me was spending 30-ish minutes per mission holding down a button and dodging incoming fire, waiting for health bars to very slowly be ground down.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a distinctive minimalist art style that complements its themes and gameplay, with a focus on ship customization and aesthetics. While some players appreciate the unique visuals and how they enhance the overall experience, others note the basic graphical fidelity and limitations in adjusting settings for different monitor sizes. Overall, the graphics are seen as fitting and effective, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere despite not being AAA quality.
“Honestly, what caught my attention at first was the aesthetic and ship options.”
“Unique art style that works well with the destination themes and story.”
“The graphics work nicely with the theme; for a seemingly low-budget indie game that's only $6-10, it's great.”
“My only complaint is just the fact that you can't change your graphics settings to fit your current monitor size.”
“And the art style really does not help here, with flat black ships against fuzzy tan backdrops, without even a nebula or starscape in sight.”
“While the in-game graphics may lack a lot of flash, the minimalist kind of look works well here in spite of the abundance of brown.”
- music17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many reviewers praising the soundtrack for fitting the game's theme and enhancing the overall experience. While some describe it as decent and occasionally repetitive, others highlight its emotional depth and ability to complement the game's narrative and atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to its polished feel and engaging gameplay.
“A highly distinctive art style, fun upgrade system, pretty decent music, an interesting story, and an intriguing type of customization where your parts affect your look and stats.”
“The latter is improved even further by the fitting soundtrack and ambience.”
“Even though I'm not a big fan of silhouettes or the interface style, the music, story, and sound are great, and everything else about this game feels like a polished little 'work of art'.”
“There's a pervasive melancholy to it all--the story, the music, the look, the dialogue, everything.”
“Well, some of the boss battles go on a little too long, but just put on music or something in the background to distract yourself and before you know it whatever you're shooting at will be dead.”
“Sound could be improved upon (maybe contact keygen church for music for the sequel?), graphics are what you see in the screenshots.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while it offers players the freedom to choose their difficulty and engage in addictive loot and customization mechanics, many reviewers find the combat becomes tedious and repetitive over time. Despite its grindy nature, the game maintains a level of enjoyment, particularly for fans of shmups and RPG elements, though some players note that inventory management and later levels could use improvement. Overall, the grinding can be enjoyable if approached with the right mindset, as it allows for significant character and ship development.
“After a couple of hours into the game, the combat really starts to feel tedious and boring.”
“On the other end, the 'sector six' becomes shallow after the main campaign and the plain, predictable grinding becomes very obvious.”
“It is fairly grindy, but the developer seems to be working on that issue.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a strange and intriguing blend of a crumbling world and a sense of indifference, enhanced by its simplistic black and white silhouette art style and futuristic techno elements. This unique combination creates a compelling and immersive experience for players.
“The atmosphere of the game is very strange and intriguing; the world around you is falling apart, yet you get touches of how little that matters.”
“Good atmosphere, gameplay, and style.”
“Its simplistic black and white silhouette style, combined with some futuristic techno vibes, manages to deliver a rather unique atmosphere.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find that meaningful customization options and replayable levels are often lacking in shoot 'em up and shipbuilding games, particularly on Steam. However, early impressions of Sector Six suggest a promising replay value, leading to expectations of extended playtime.
“Overall, I have really enjoyed my early playtime with Sector Six, and I envision spending quite a bit more time with it, especially if the replay value is as good as I think it will be.”
“Finding shoot 'em ups and shipbuilders that have meaningful customizations as well as replayable levels seems regrettably rare, even on Steam.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to return, as the levels feel repetitive and lack variety.”
“The lack of diverse gameplay options makes replaying the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players appreciating the developers' understanding of comedic elements that set it apart from other titles. The quirky and funny aspects contribute to an enjoyable experience, enhancing the overall gameplay.
“The developers have a great sense of humor and seem to truly understand what we want.”
“It's weird and funny! It's different from other games, and I'm excited to go back to fight against the machines!”
