When it comes to games that I’ve played from over the years that I’m inclined to regularly bemoan not being available on the Switch, Geometry Wars remains my go-to of choice. For anyone who played it, I needn’t say anything more, but for people who are unfamiliar I can only offer my condolences. Quite possibly the best twin-stick arcade-style shooter I’d ever played over the years, its crisp and colorful visuals, diverse enemies, and wonderfully tight controls were a wonder. There have been some amazing shooters on the Switch without a doubt, but I haven’t seen anything that has come close to eclipsing that classic… at least until I played Sektori.

While the comparisons to Geometry Wars will come to you immediately, ranging from the base aesthetics to the varied modes to the tight feel of play, it won’t take long to see there have been some upgrades made as well. Aside from working your base shot, and a very powerful strike move that doubles as a dash and a powerful attack, you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade your ship in a variety of critical ways. The first will be with blue pickups you accumulate, with an on-the-fly upgrade system similar to the classic Gradius where you’ll be able to speed up, add shields, make your strike more powerful, or equip some additional firepower if you’re willing to be patient and invest. Back that up with another layer of configurable upgrades that you’ll be able to unlock the further you go, and you have a pretty impressive amount of potential customization you’ll have at your disposal. Given the degree of challenge even the base Campaign mode offers by default, you’ll need all of the help you can get.

The great news is that there’s even more to sink your teeth into, including a pretty wide array of additional modes which will reconfigure the rules of play in a number of ways, throwing different challenges at you. While I wouldn’t consider it likely that everyone will enjoy them all equally, I’d imagine that the average shooter fan will latch onto at least a few of them, deepening the appeal that the core Campaign brings in spades. The game is a feast for the eyes and the ears, and can mesmerize you into losing more than a few minutes at a time as you get sucked into the intensity. Best of all, with its tight controls and smart techniques like being able to retain your strike by dashing through pickups, there’s plenty for you to keep going back to try to master in order to go further. When it comes to arcade-style shooters on the Switch 2, I’d say that it has clearly taken the crown as the best in the genre.