R-Type. Thunder Force. Pulstar. Viewpoint. Just a few of the classic old school “shmup” games that took up way too much of my youth, and heck, they still hold their own today as well. As cutting edge as some of those were 15-20 years ago, the hardware that they were played on pretty much pales in comparison to what we use to make phone calls on today - which means that we can get some excellent bang for our buck when it comes to shooting games on Android. The latest to cross my desk is Clapfoot Games’ Sector Strike.

Sector Strike doesn’t bother you with any kind of story, so you’re not out to save some lone planet or hold back hordes and hordes of alien invaders. Nope, all you need to know is that enemy drones are coming for you and it’s either you or them. Sector Strike isn’t a very difficult game to pick up and it does do one thing correct for a portable game in that it keeps the levels short and sweet. You won’t find any kind of marathon levels to go through here, only to be intimately disappointed when you’re interrupted during a hot and heavy session of avoiding bullet hell. Not that you won’t find bullet hell here, oh you will.

Controlling the game is perhaps the easy part, you simply tap and drag your finger wherever you want your ship to go. It’s also perhaps it’s greatest weakness - if you’re playing on a phone, which you most likely will, then you might just find that either your hand or your finger will get in the way making things difficult to see. It’s a minor nitpick and doesn’t detract too much from the gameplay, though if it does bother you then you’ll be pleased to know that playing on a tablet is much easier and altogether more enjoyable.

As with many of the other hard core shmups of days gone by, Sector Strike is a “one and done” deal, you’ll not find any wimpy health bar around these parts. The collision detection is a little on the picky side, and coupled with the fact that my hand and thumb make for a much better wall than they do a window...well, lets just say there have been some moments of frustration. As you take on the enemy drones you will find that the mobs leave behind energy balls, weapon upgrades and energy cubes. The energy balls can be used to purchase weapon system upgrades from the store in between levels, while the weapon upgrade cannisters are used to equip those upgrades during the level. The first cannister you pick up will give you torpedoes, the next will be a phaser, then a rotating drone. The more you’ve been able to invest in upgrading those systems, then the more damage they’ll do individually. So long as you have at least one weapon upgraded, then when you do get hit you won’t die - you’ll just have to start back from square one.

Progressing through the levels, the enemies do get to be a bit more varied and considerably more difficult to take out. This unfortunately means that you’ll be more likely to find yourself grinding out some levels while you collect cash to invest in weapons upgrades. There are, naturally, in app purchases for those who don’t have the time to invest in grinding levels and don’t mind paying their way through.

Sector Strike does have a nice futuristic look to it and the graphics, while repetitive at times (which is unavoidable in this genre), do look really good. They are very reminiscent of Viewpoint on the old Neo Geo, though only in the polygonal style and not in the isometric look necessarily. The in game music isn’t bad either, and I found that I really grew to love the fact that the screen has a nice shock to go along with the destruction of each enemy.

If you’re on the prowl for a wonderful challenge and pine for some of the shooters of old, back before the days when the term was synonymous with “first person”, then Sector Strike is available for free over on the Google Play store. I highly recommend trying it out.

Sector Strike is available for free on the Google Play Store