A Returnal Dev's Geometry Wars Successor Hits Switch 2

Geometry Wars hasn't had a proper new entry since 2014's Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, and at this point it's safe to assume Activision has no plans to revive it. But Kimmo Lahtinen, a developer who spent 13 years at Housemarque working on games like Returnal, quietly built something that fills that void almost perfectly. His game, Sektori, launched on Nintendo Switch 2 this week, and if you missed it the first time around, this is your cue to stop sleeping on it.

Here's the contradiction at the heart of Sektori's story: it's made by someone with serious pedigree, it plays like a spiritual successor to one of the most beloved arcade franchises ever, and almost nobody talked about it. The game originally released last November on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X, right in the middle of the holiday rush. That timing buried it. A twin-stick shooter from a solo indie dev doesn't stand a chance against the November blockbuster pile, no matter how good it is.

And it is good. On the surface, Sektori looks like Geometry Wars with a fresh coat of paint: you pilot a small ship around enclosed arenas, blasting waves of colourful geometric enemies while trying not to get overwhelmed. That frantic, screen-filling chaos that made Geometry Wars so addictive is here in full force. But Lahtinen added layers that the Bizarre Creations classic never had. There's an upgrade system built around a risk-reward currency loop, where you decide whether to hoard or spend mid-run. The arenas themselves fracture and reshape during play, kaleidoscope-style, forcing you to constantly rethink your positioning. Bosses show up too, and that's just one of the game's modes.

Housemarque DNA

Lahtinen's background at Housemarque is impossible to ignore when you play Sektori. Returnal's DNA runs through it: the emphasis on tight movement, the way enemy patterns escalate from manageable to absurd, the feeling that every death teaches you something. Housemarque has always been the gold standard for arcade-style action, and a 13-year veteran of that studio clearly absorbed those lessons. I think Sektori is one of the strongest arguments for why indie games from experienced developers deserve more visibility. A solo dev with the right background can produce something that rivals what entire studios used to make.

The Switch 2 port feels like a natural fit. Lahtinen shared footage of the game running on the hardware, and twin-stick shooters have always thrived on portable hardware where you can squeeze in a quick run. The timing is better now, too. Switch 2 owners are hungry for games beyond the launch window titles, and Sektori fills a genre gap that Nintendo's own lineup doesn't cover.

This is exactly the kind of game I wish got more attention from the wider industry. We spend weeks debating whether the latest AAA open-world game justifies its price tag, while a solo developer ships a tighter, more focused experience that costs a fraction as much and delivers pure, distilled fun. Sektori didn't need a second chance because something was wrong with it. It needed one because the release calendar crushed it. If the Switch 2 launch gives it the audience it missed in November, that's a win for everyone who cares about small studios making great games.