Title: Sentry City
Developer: Luke Orsie
Publisher: Flynn’s Arcade
Release Date: September 28th 2023
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch

Introduction

Sentry City is a cyberpunk action shoot-’em ups side scrolling game created by Luke Orsie originally for Android, iOS, Windows, and Steam.

Synopsis

Chris, the main character works for Artificial Intelligence Over-watch, and it is his job to travel around the city to check and make sure the AI is healthy and not corrupt from code or viruses. Chris encounters AI that are now attacking and he must collect the processing chips to reverse the violence.

Analysis

Run, jump, duck, shoot, and reload, these are the basic maneuvers you will come across in this dark and dreary world. You will proceed through the levels, taking out various enemies including AI walkers, shooter drones, and patrol drones. You have a revolver with 5 bullets and must find the opportune times to reload it. Checkmarks can be found as you progress the level and to complete each level you must reach an area to obtain the mainframes processing chips.         

The gameplay 

Chris starts off on a motorcycle to traverse to each level and after each completed level you can move to the next. The game has a familiar and simplistic approach on gameplay. The mechanics of the game can easily be learned and fun to control. I was very happy with the level design and the learn the pattern style the game offers to get through various areas and defeating the enemies.

Each stage built upon the next and grew harder with each progression. After a few levels I was introduced to a boss fight. Again, the learn the pattern took effect and I greatly enjoy the simplistic nuances of the enemy as I learned to defeat it. This was also a nice break in the level progression portion.

One of the most strategic parts that I enjoy is when you should reload your gun and I how you should distribute your bullets to keep a good rhythm going to avoid being killed. One hit and Chris starts back at the nearest checkpoint.

Final Score:

Sentry City: The game immediately grabs your attention and provides you with a familiar and easy to use controls. The reach the next goal method has you strive to get to the next area to see what is next and this keeps the player engaged. It is when something arises in a game that goes against this flow whether intentional or not that can take the player out of the experience. This unfortunately happened in one of the levels for me. It’s important to note that I received this game prior to release date so I assume there will be bugs for the Nintendo Switch version. There was a point in level 8 where I was trying to jump off a moving platform. I’ve had no issue prior to this, but I tried jumping to the edge of the next area and I couldn’t jump, I tried it multiple times, reset the game and tried over, and switch controllers, but the issue remained, because of this I couldn’t continue so I hope this isn’t an issue with others playthroughs because it is a fun game.

The game also contained some catchy music that paired well with the scenery and vibe. The 16-bit art was also a great esthetic choice for this style of game. A great experience overall so long as the bug or issue I encountered is not detrimental to complete the game, it will be a fun ride.  If you like these types of games, please watch some trailers and get an opinion on the game.    

Shane Kelley is a Senior writer for Boss Rush Network, as well as a writer for Another Zelda Podcast. His favorite game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You can find him on Twitter to talk video games, Marvel, and axe throwing.

Sources: Taken by Author