7th Sector | Xbox One Review

In this review, I would like us to take a dive into the dark and mysterious world of 7th Sector. A strange and interesting concept brought forth into the world from Sergey Sergeich. At a glance, this game is an interesting narrative that takes place in a cyberpunk world in which you play as a spark. You, the player, must guide your character through a fairly nightmare-like landscape to uncover a bizarre story, and the deeper mystery in what is going on around you. With that being said, let us take a deeper dive into why I think this is a game that you should take a crack at.

A Spark Lights the Way

7th Sector is quite an interesting take on a puzzle game with a story attached. I was first drawn to the game due to the main character being what seems to be an electrical spark. You start the game inside a TV and use the controls to push your avatar out of the TV into an electrical wire. From there, you travel through an unfamiliar world that is both dark and, at times, horrifying. Along your way you pass through multiple buildings and other areas, trying to unravel what is going on around you.

Your character is often impeded by obstacles that you either have to figure a way around them, or puzzles that, once solved, unlock a new path. As you travel, you see a great deal of strange occurrences in the background of this world that make you question what happened in this place. I will say there are some of these scenes that are not for the faint of heart.

Beautifully Dark

I will give the game credit for its unique narrative that allows you to piece together what happened in your own mind. There are some small messages that you are given as the story rolls along about some of what is going on in the world. One of the things that I love about 7th Sector is the pacing of the game. It is constantly moving forward and doesn’t overstay its welcome. The controls for the game are also very easy, with just movement in the directions of whatever wire or object you are currently attached to. The implementation of a single action button is also very nice and makes for a simple smooth experience, instead of some overly complicated control scheme.

7th Sector’s biggest standout, though, is its puzzles and their design. Some are very simple to figure out, but as the game progresses they do ramp up in difficulty. Only a couple times through the course of the game did I become stuck, and after some outside the box thinking I was able to conquer them in under around 15 minutes.

The other thing I loved about this game is the art style and direction. 7th Sector’s art team has done a wonderful job of painting an eerie world that seems so dark and mysterious. From large, foreboding factories with strange happenings in the background straight out of a nightmare to tight, cramped spaces there is so much to look at.

Lost in the World

While it does seem like the game has so much going for it, there are some areas that cause some issues. Some of the puzzles are overly complicated due to how they are orientated. At other times the puzzles seem too simple, or need the benefit of being able to change their orientation so you can figure out how they need to be solved. The only way to describe this is to imagine having a jigsaw puzzle that you can only solve from looking at it from one side of the table, and not being able to stand up and walk around. I also would have appreciated a little more in the narrative side of things. Granted, on many occasions I love having a main character that doesn’t say anything, but in this instance I would have liked a little more.

Final Thoughts

While 7th Sector may not be the best game in the world I found it to be an enjoyable experience. With a wonderfully twisted art style and world for players to enjoy as they play through, it is a game that does a great job in immersing you in the world. It also does have four different endings for players to discover, providing some replayability for those willing to seek out the different permutations. So if you are into puzzles, as well as some vague, dark storytelling I believe this could be a game for you.

To hear me talk more about 7th Sector, be sure to listen to Episode 281 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 44:50 mark.

This review is based on an Xbox One copy of 7th Sector provided by Evolve PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.