Sector Six

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 183 reviews

story32 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

Engaging ship customization system allows for a variety of builds and strategies.
Fun gameplay loop with a mix of shooting, looting, and RPG elements that keeps players invested.
Unique art style and intriguing setting enhance the overall experience.

Lack of tutorials and explanations for mechanics can make the game frustrating for new players.
Some gameplay elements, like controls and inventory management, feel clunky and could use improvement.
Repetitive mission structure and enemy encounters can lead to boredom over time.

story
142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
73%
4%
The game's story is generally considered engaging but somewhat simplistic and generic, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point. Players appreciate the thematic elements and lore, but many find the progression unclear at times, leading to moments of confusion. While the narrative may not be groundbreaking, it effectively supports the game's mechanics and offers a decent amount of content, including post-game challenges that extend the experience beyond the main storyline.
- “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 story is pretty decent for a shmup of modest scope, but it’s definitely the customization system that steals the show.”
- “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.”
gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
67%
4%
The gameplay of the game is a blend of side-scrolling shoot-'em-up and RPG mechanics, featuring deep ship customization and progression systems that keep players engaged for hours. While the core mechanics are praised for their depth and addictiveness, some players find the lack of tutorials, grindiness, and certain frustrating boss mechanics to be drawbacks. Overall, the game offers a unique and enjoyable experience, though it may require patience to fully appreciate its complexities.
- “Absolutely fantastic and beautifully made side-scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game with really deep progression and mechanics that will likely keep you playing for many hours.”
- “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.”
- “I was surprised going into this game to find a really fascinating and cool world hidden behind the very solid gameplay, and a fully customizable ship building system.”
- “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.”
- “The gameplay will need some serious work before this game will be remotely fun to play.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique, minimalist art style that effectively complements its themes and gameplay, despite being described as basic or simplistic. Players appreciate the aesthetic appeal and ship customization options, although some note that the visuals can become cluttered during intense gameplay. Overall, the graphics are seen as fitting for an indie title, with a distinct charm that enhances the overall experience.
- “Unique art style that works well with the destination themes and story.”
- “Sector six is a highly enjoyable shoot-em-up with slick, clean and beautiful visuals.”
- “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.”
- “The issue with this is that the game's simplistic art style, while being unique, makes this effort at ship customization seem extremely lazy, and the ship will obviously always be better off as streamlined as possible to reduce the size of its hitbox.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
33%
11%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its fitting and engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While some noted that the music can be repetitive, others found it enjoyable and even worthy of purchase. Overall, the soundtrack complements the game's themes and aesthetics, contributing positively to the gameplay atmosphere.
- “The latter is improved even further by the fitting soundtrack and ambience.”
- “The music is pretty darn good, and there's a lot of variety from one level to the next, or even playing the same stage over and over again to grind.”
- “The good: I absolutely loved the music, the skills, and some of the combat.”
- “There's a pervasive melancholy to it all--the story, the music, the look, the dialogue, everything.”
- “Along with the severe lack of a diversified soundtrack, the repetitive mission roster really drags the game’s rating down by a bit.”
- “Sound could be improved upon (maybe contact keygen church for music for the sequel?), graphics are what you see in the screenshots.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while it offers players the freedom to choose difficulty modifiers and features addictive loot mechanics reminiscent of diablo-like games, many reviewers find the combat becomes tedious and repetitive after a few hours. Although some enjoy the customization and leveling systems that alleviate the grind, others feel that the later levels and certain missions can lead to a frustrating cycle of fail-and-try-again. Overall, the game is considered grindy but enjoyable for those who appreciate shmups and RPG elements.
- “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.”
- “When I got to a certain part of the mission where I had to destroy a stationary target, I was repeatedly and tediously pushing the two buttons to shoot mines and detonate them almost 30 times just to destroy it.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Players appreciate the replayability of the game, noting that randomized levels prevent muscle memory and enhance the experience. While meaningful customization options are seen as rare in the genre, the potential for extended playtime is highlighted, particularly in titles like Sector Six. Overall, the game offers enough variety to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “You could crank a few hours in it because of the replayability.”
- “The levels are randomized to a point, so that beating a level is not muscle memory, which is great for replayability for me.”
- “Overall, I have really enjoyed my early playtime with Sector Six and I envision spending quite a bit more 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.”
- “You could spend a few hours in it because of the replayability.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 that resonates well with 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.”
- “It’s a simplistic black and white silhouette style, with some futuristic techno vibes, that manages to deliver a rather unique atmosphere.”
- “Good atmosphere, gameplay, and style.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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! Different from other games, I'm excited to go back and fight against the machines!”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players feel that the emotional impact of the game is diminished due to minimal rewards for engaging with certain features, leading to a lack of motivation to explore them. The scaling of enemies is appreciated, as it allows players to feel a sense of progression, but overall, the emotional engagement seems limited.