Section 13 Review — (Blackout Protocol)

Section 13 is a game with a very unique history behind it. Originally known as Blackout Protocol, the game released in early access to mixed reviews but still maintained a dedicated player base. These mixed reviews, however, were enough to influence the developers to the point of completely deviating away from what Blackout Protocol was, with the game going under a heavy transformation before becoming Section 13.

What was once a slow, punishing tactical shooter became a twin-stick, arcade-style, horde-killing roguelike, adopting a completely new identity along the way with a new focus on storytelling and characters as well. The game also did away with its multiplayer-only element, opening the game up to single-player playthroughs alongside the initiative of making the story more engaging and… well, present.

Some fans aren’t happy with the transition from Blackout Protocol to Section 13, calling Section 13 a pale imitation of what Blackout Protocol could have been. My honest opinion? There are elements of Section 13 I wish were done better, but overall, I think it’s a much better game than what Blackout Protocol would have been, based on the direction that game was originally going in. Even with some trade-offs, I find this new vision to be more cohesive and entertaining in the long run.

Section 13 is a roguelike action game built in the style of twin-stick arcade shooters. As one of four playable characters, it is your job to defeat a world-destroying being called Nephiliem, who exists deep within the confines of the overrun Section 13. You abuse a time loop to continue your attempts over and over until you get it right, bringing a satisfying sense of iteration and progress to the gameplay.

The game takes on a slightly comedic, comic-book-inspired style in its presentation and writing, with a cast of quirky characters who take the story seriously, but not so seriously that they’re afraid to crack a joke here or there. This character-driven, not-too-serious approach is charming, even if I didn’t find myself totally in love with all of the characters. They work best as a backdrop to the action rather than the main draw, but their presence adds flavor and personality to what could have otherwise been a generic experience.

As a twin-stick inspired shooter, the core gameplay loop involves navigating an isometric level full of hordes of zombies, either alone or online with a few other people. You use a series of guns to mow down these twisted creatures en masse and defeat dangerous boss variants as you crawl through each level, only unlocking the next once everything is dead. Along the way, you collect roguelike, procedurally generated power-ups and buffs, and restart the level if you die, using collected currency from your attempted runs to purchase permanent upgrades for future attempts.

Section 13 isn’t just about finding your favorite hero and weapon combination. The gameplay works best when you find the perfect horde-killing weapon that allows you to satisfyingly mow down the large, fast groups of enemies that love to ambush you on levels. With infinite ammo on the game’s default difficulty, picking up rare weapons during your run feels like way more of a buff than any kind of stat adjustment or carefully thought-out build. I was a particularly big fan of the flamethrower, which lets you burn entire crowds to ash with ease and is incredibly satisfying to use when the pressure is on.

The game’s overall progression system isn’t much to talk about. By completing—or coming as close as possible to completing—your runs, you gather permanent currencies which can be used for upgrades and weapon unlocks. These upgrades feel superficial and not very interesting, a problem that the roguelike power pickups unfortunately share, being more like direct stat buffs than anything exciting or build-defining. It’s functional, but doesn’t leave a lasting impression, which can make repeated runs feel a bit too similar.

Unlocking a new weapon is always cool, but there isn’t enough variety between them to capture my interest. It is cool that you can unlock the bigger weapons, the minigun and the flamethrower, permanently, which allows you to bring them into a run as part of your loadout, but really, after you get either, you’re not going to be using much else. Or at the very least, you will always have one or the other in one of your item slots since clearing hordes is so important, especially as a solo player. Once you find what works, experimentation starts to feel optional rather than encouraged.

One seriously annoying bug is that you can die—or at least still attract enemy aggro—during unskippable real-time animations. For example, recruiting a new agent to the team while there are still enemies in the room will trigger a longer animation, during which enemies will still run right up to you. I’m not sure if I was able to take damage from enemies during these cutscenes, but I certainly came out of them with a claw across my face because the enemy was standing there poised to attack when the animation ended.

Despite its flaws, I find Section 13 to be a genuinely enjoyable experience that improves on its predecessor in many ways. While not every element of the roguelike structure feels fully fleshed out, and while some systems and weapons could benefit from further variety and balance, the core gameplay is fun, fast, and satisfying, especially with friends, and most definitely is a big step up from what the game was before these big changes.

Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review of Section 13. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Section 13 is available on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.