Top-down roguelike shooter Section 13 is a pulse-pounding dive into a harrowing research facility and its murderous, mutated subjects

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After a year in Early Access, exciting roguelike Blackout Protocol is now known as Section 13

The top-down roguelike shooter formerly known as Blackout Protocol has now re-emerged as Section 13, complete with a Q1 2025 release window across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms.

As revealed earlier today at the Future Games Show at Gamescom Presented by Sid Meier’s Civilization® VII, the artist formerly known as the Blackout Protocol has shifted gears and changed its name to Section 13, while maintaining the same pulse-pounding, top-down roguelike shooting. 

Stepping into the shoes of one of four S2P agents, you're sent deep underground into the vaults of Section 13, a harrowing research labs that's been overrun by its own nightmarish experiments. Death will send you back to the top floor of the research lab, but it's your job to delve as far as you can into the facility without meeting your untimely demise.

Boasting 13 guns, 6 throwable devices, and 9 melee weapons in early access on Steam right now, Section 13 is just getting started - there's more guns and gadgets to come. This might be a roguelike adventure in nature, but there are permanent upgrade systems to bolster your character and weapons for bigger and better firepower.

Section 13 currently offers 12 sprawling and shape-shifting levels, with three mini-bosses and one final, climactic boss showdown. These levels are all procedurally generated, so every new dive into the depths of the research facility and its murderous test subjects is a brand new gauntlet. 

If you're curious about Section 13, see the current result of more than a year's evolution in Steam Early Access right now for $12.99. 

If you’re looking for more action-packed adventures from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.