Sentry City Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

by Jim Smale · Published September 28, 2023 · Updated September 28, 2023

For this Sentry City Review, we play a cyberpunk-style side-scroller with gameplay that is part trial-and-error, and part reaction time-based shooter. Each level and each section of each level is uniquely designed and not repetitive. It would sit at home with classic 8-bit/16-bit games, while also at the same time having its own original mechanics and feel.

Sentry City Review Pros:

Decent pixel art graphics.
266MB Download size.
Side scroller shooter gameplay.
Opening tutorial level.
World map level select.
Has a cover shooter mechanic.
Very difficult in that it’s a one shot death.
All levels are timed.
You get a rank at the end of a level based off your time.
Bite sized levels.
Excellent retro Synth soundtrack.
In game cutscenes and story boards.
The world map is on you bike and it look real cool.
Constant checkpoints.
You cannot duck and shoot which is a real game changer.
The game relies on you dying a lot and learning your way through the level.
Has an almost puzzle like quality to it.
Many enemy types mixed with environmental hazards.
Easy to pick up but hard to put down.
It gets very moreish especially when you die but you know what to do.
Starting at a checkpoint keeps the timer at the time you die.
With no real need for it, I found myself replaying levels over and over just because the rank and time looked way worse.
So satisfying when you finish a level.
You have infinite lives.
Big boss encounters.
The controls are tight meaning the only weak link is you and your reflexes.

Sentry City Review Cons:

Takes a bit of getting used to.
Reloading is very slow.
No touchscreen support.
At times it gets quite reflex-heavy.
Cannot rebind controls.
Real difficult.
Cannot move the camera forward or back even a bit to help see dangers or layouts of enemies.