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Subway Invasion
Game
Game2025
Section 13
Developer Ocean Drive Studio, Inc.
Unravel a thrilling sci-fi mystery in this action-packed twin-stick roguelite shooter. Select your load-out, stack up temporary and persistent upgrades, and delve into the depths of a subterranean base, either alone or in a group of up to 3 players. From the Steam store page
207 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 19, 2026 · last updated Oct 20, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
68
Fresh
132 positive · 61 negative
95% range 62–75%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 132 | 61 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
291 of 399 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
68% recommend · 130 yes, 61 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 191 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (645 of 915 positive).
Some reviewers criticize the game for being a downgrade from its earlier version, Blackout Protocol. [1][2][3][4] Several players note issues with balance, difficulty, and technical problems. [5][6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
Changes to the game haven't improved it much in certain ways. Limited number of guns, limited number of per-run upgrades which are gated behind arbitrary "coupons", despite the game still telling you that you can upgrade weapons with credits. The upgrades usually have downsides that make it generally a net negative to take anything. Most guns are basically unusable solo because the reload speed is abysmal while …
- [3]
It was great before it's revamp to Section 13. As Blackout Protocol it was a special game that was truly brutal in a way that was fun. At this point the game is so easy that the only way the devs seem to be able to add any challenge to the game is with super cheap combos of enemies to instant kill you. The game is essentially unplayable in single player, at least in any way that is enjoyable. The game was truly …
- [16]
TL;DR - a vocal minority of the players are misconstruing how the game is evolving in order to review bomb it. The game is good, *does/will still have co-op*, and I'm excited to see where the new direction takes it. At $13 it's absolutely worth it, even more so at the present $10 sale price. That's the cost of a drive-thru meal and you'll get way more enjoyment from this. In fact I've bought several copies for …
- [12]
Beat the game solo for the first time. Very well-written story with lots of character development and backstory. Rich dialogue and very detailed notes, interviews and exerpts for each of the characters. Good gunplay and progression mechanics are pretty good as well. Unfortunately, due to an shift in development, many skeletons left behind during the game's transition can still be seen lingering around which makes …
- [20]
Really liked it. Bought it despite negative reviews and didn’t regret a bit. Cool graphics, atmospheric visuals, responsive controls, great voice acting and sounds. Lots of different weapons. Really good meta progression. Finished it solo on my steam deck - perfect game for it. You can play co-op and some perks are just for co-op. But definitely doable in solo. Difficulty is just enough for that. I really like that …
Summarised from 34 of the 210 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Section 13 talk about fun twin-stick shooter with good controls and action; those who didn't talk about game is a downgrade from its earlier version, Blackout Protocol. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 207 · most liked firstChanges to the game haven't improved it much in certain ways. Limited number of guns, limited number of per-run upgrades which are gated behind arbitrary "coupons", despite the game still telling you that you can upgrade weapons with credits. The upgrades usually have downsides that make it generally a net negative to take anything. Most guns are basically unusable solo because the reload speed is abysmal while forcing you to walk at a geriatric pace, and reloading is cancelled by every…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is a huge downgrade at present than when it was still called blackout protocol. back then you could have fun and meaningful progression with a decent amount of challenge, now i have no idea what to make of any of the items. additionally, the psionic energy element and will / fear system being nuked is a very odd choice. that made the enemies, weapons and abilities make sense. without it we're what? operators? the tutorial makes little sense unless you knew the former premise. also,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →just buy The Ascent and play that instead. early access or not, i dont see a way for this game to change enough to be fun without them changing everything about except the genre and art style. honestly, it has the makings of a perfect game but it fails. something is off.. its just not satisfying or fun really. run ahead a little, flip a switch, get trappded in a tight space you cant leave but enemies cn run right in the door thats blocked for you, so you just repeatedly empty the clip rolling…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR - a vocal minority of the players are misconstruing how the game is evolving in order to review bomb it. The game is good, *does/will still have co-op*, and I'm excited to see where the new direction takes it. At $13 it's absolutely worth it, even more so at the present $10 sale price. That's the cost of a drive-thru meal and you'll get way more enjoyment from this. In fact I've bought several copies for friends just to play with them. Don't listen to the massive influx of negative…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's very bland and unforgiving, a pretty poor combo to try and entice someone into playing it. The game seems poorly balanced for solo and focused on multiplayer, in which case why even make a solo mode? Reading the other reviews seems like the game was a lot more in the past which puts me off even more after playing it. You get locked in a room often, with little room to move and body blocked in by enemies. No way to get out because the dodge doesn't go through them, just a mediocre melee…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As many other people has stated: This game looked promising when it was still Blackout Protocol. But after years of changes and the decisions it took, the game became such a bland and un-interesting chore. Whoever is the current game design, should be fired.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, but devs at the start making me wait 2 mins to enter the area and listen to all the dialog almost made me quit and refund. Do not waste players times, give them the option to skip everything and get right into the action!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was great before it's revamp to Section 13. As Blackout Protocol it was a special game that was truly brutal in a way that was fun. At this point the game is so easy that the only way the devs seem to be able to add any challenge to the game is with super cheap combos of enemies to instant kill you. The game is essentially unplayable in single player, at least in any way that is enjoyable. The game was truly something great before the devs decided to nuke it. Multiple weapon schools--…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's somewhat fun in multiplayer but it pales next to something like Alien Shooter Vengeance from years back. The padding is extreme, to the point it drags on the game heavily. The game is so stingy with unlocks it feels like a free-to-play MMO. It demands too much time and it isn't worth it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to like this game, and I guess I will have to since I am over the 2hr limit to return. But there is a LOT of artificial difficulty added onto the game. For example to make it more "challenging" you have to stick to lighted areas, if you don't you build up a fear meter that if filled will cause the camera to zoom in, screen distortion effects will start, and you take extra damage from enemies. The problem is that "event rooms" where you have to survive a horde frequently take place in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to love Section 13, and had a fairly good time until its technical issues became unbearable. The game itself is a worthwhile top-down shooter roguelike, but I would hold off on it for now. My review:
neutral · AI labelView post →The game now is just a boring collectathon with the thinnest paint of 'roguelite' applied to it. No idea why they scrapped every single trace of the previous in-game mechanics for this bland progression system that just screams 'low-effort'. Not even worth buying on discount.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is why Steam needs a Neutral review option. It's a fun little game. It feels like a budget cartoony top down version of Control. The only real bad thing about the game is the fact it's an ~8 hour adventure that takes place over the same content until you beat the boss. Not worth the price, even on a sale. Wait for the bargain bin.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Every time I come back to this game it has changed drastically and every single time it gets considerably worse. It used to be okay, now it's awful. Can't play it for more than ten minutes now.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really want to enjoy this game. I love twinstick shooters and rogue likes, but this one just isn't there yet. The very first thing I want to get out of the way is troubled development. This game started life as a co-op horde survival somewhat akin to Left For Dead, and has since morphed more into a run based roguelike. This involved entirely rebranding the product and mostly rebuilding it. If this is a bad thing is up to you. Personally I'm torn between admiring the tenacity but being wary…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This slow and tactical co-op shooter looked promising until they removed the slow and tactical co-op gameplay from the shooter.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →throws hordes of mobs at you but your guns are absolute peashooters. Does not save progress between save rooms, forcing you back to the beginning of the 'tutorial' level. Horde event in enclosed area w/ bad guns = no fun. Refunded.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Born as a Coop game (the reason why i bought it), now has flipped over to a new product with no coop and a singleplayer game. Disappointed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beat the game solo for the first time. Very well-written story with lots of character development and backstory. Rich dialogue and very detailed notes, interviews and exerpts for each of the characters. Good gunplay and progression mechanics are pretty good as well. Unfortunately, due to an shift in development, many skeletons left behind during the game's transition can still be seen lingering around which makes the game feel oddly incomplete. Still, great game and challenging for solo…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome rogue-lite, snappy controls and action, enough upgrades and discoveries/variety for some mad "just one more run" feels - I played solo and had a blast, I can imagine co-op is epic fun :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a fine game, but I don't want to spend my time repeating the same areas over and over to be gaining a small incremental boost so maybe I get to a new area....where I will die once again.....just to start the process all over again.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The good: Cute characters. Doesn't do anything offensively bad. The bad: Technical issues. Lacks thematic depth. Lacks polish. Doesn't randomize it's level layout. The verdict: Pretty cute. Not great, not terrible, but way overpriced for what it is. I wish they'd polish out some of the most glaring technical issues and actually flesh out the lore in a way that isn't just copying better games and presuming people will recognize it. As it stands, they just slapped an "SCP" sticker…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really liked it. Bought it despite negative reviews and didn’t regret a bit. Cool graphics, atmospheric visuals, responsive controls, great voice acting and sounds. Lots of different weapons. Really good meta progression. Finished it solo on my steam deck - perfect game for it. You can play co-op and some perks are just for co-op. But definitely doable in solo. Difficulty is just enough for that. I really like that levels are NOT procedurally generated. But it still has several varieties of how…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As it stands now, I cannot recommend this game. There are too many unpolished moments, plus the enemy difficulty scales with your upgrade, thus effectively nullifying your roguelite-genre progress. And the difficulty rise is both steep and annoying, since it does not offer new enemies or more numerous waves; it just makes your normal enemies more bulletspongey. It is fun the first 30 minutes or so, but, as the difficulty rises steeply with every rank of the upgrade, you are constantly battling…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't care about co-op, this Diablo with guns is super fun!! This game, for me, is more fun and polished than BP (which I have about 13 hrs in the playtest ver.), especially if you're going in solo. You can still play co-op, it's just far more manageable now if you're going alone. And let's face it, co-op is mainly for people of a certain age range with few commitments and responsibilities. For the rest of us with jobs and a life, we can't always coordinate "Game Time" with friends (who are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitely feels like some of the negative reviews for this game are either frankly just... not gamers.. or played a different version entirely. It's a fantastic little twinstick shooter with pretty fast roguelite progression, super funny setting and character dialogue, reminiscent of Alien Swarm but with a bit less hardcore and more roguelike. The feeling of guns and gun upgrades is great, and the alternative paths you can unlock, and alternative layouts makes the replays when you wipe very…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →OK SERIOUSLY. Section 13! 😲 SUCH fun! 😍 4.2 hours in and it's ✨DELIGHTFUL✨ good time of killing things. 😄❤️ Especially on the Steam Deck! 🔥 And it's $20?!?! 😍😍 Buy this game so I can co-op! 🙏😆 The game has a sense of humor and I love it when games do that. 😆 store.steampowered.com/app/2111870/...
positive · AI labelView post →Jennifer Losi is a voice & casting director, producer, actor, and former game developer. She is the English voice director of Tower of God: New World, and has provided additional directing on a number of other games including Solo Leveling:ARISE, Section 13, and Black Desert Online. COME to this. 😤
neutral · AI labelView post →A bit short, but still solid for the price. A fun roguelite, with "lite" being an important distinction that it seems like most reviews are missing. The meta-progression is important. You can beat the higher difficulties without it, but you are majorly nerfing yourself if you try to do that. The game is very clearly balanced around you using the meta-progression systems which give extra damage, damage reduction, a free revive per level, reduced penalties for dying in multiplayer, and the list…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It seems to be a good game, but as of release it's still buried under a lot of bugs. So I don't recommend it just yet. For example my game crashed when dodging through a spectre (required to kill them) and I got stuck in a blank chat bubble when I got my introduction for beaker, losing all narrative for it too.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Updated review (was also previously not recommended) The game seems largely unchanged from the Early Access versions. I am very disappointed in this team. Whatever, I got a couple hours of fun out of it. For $20 it's...fine, I guess? Get it on sale if it seems interesting. Keep your expectations low. I'll probably invest a couple more hours into it if I can stomach it, but yeah. Largely disappointed and unimpressed. Will be avoiding this dev moving foward.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have enjoyed Blackout Protocol (previous name for the project) with friends, and we waited for completed game to return to. Apparently, there is nothing more to return to, because player feedback caused devs to change the main vision of the game. I'm not sure if it's the legendary modern audience, sad men in suits, or some other factors, but since I have bought it as a difficult team shooter, I feel simply cheated out of my monies. Shame on me for spending on unfinished product. again.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far, absolutely not enjoyable playing alone! Very cringy "hey, please like our redirection of the game" voicelines, which are just bad. The Game doesn't feel like Blackout Protocol anymore (which in the devs eyes is probably a good thing?), you know, the game they had developed and which they probably just had to polish up. The new version is even missing stuff (guns, characters, etc) they had already in the old version of the game, but since it's still early access let's hope they can still…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game seems like it has something going but it has no level variety and the difficulty spikes seem out of the blue, big turn off.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great graphics. Runs flawlessly. Nice location mix-up. Good enemy variety. Interesting upgrades. Not too easy, not too difficult. It is what it is and is fun once your power starts rising.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really enjoying this game. Great twin-stick shooter with a good amount of depth and content. Was able to finish a run solo so it is possible if you're wondering. Looking forward to playing more! Hope the game does well enough to get additional characters, weapons, and etc. Best of luck to the Devs!! P.S. Maybe I'm just lucky but haven't run into any major bugs. Had a couple small visual issues but really no big deal.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →HEY NONNIE, I'M IN A GAME! Section 13 has some of the best writing I've ever seen in a game, and the sessions were outstandingly fun. Love my misunderstood boy Exosuit, AKA ███ ██████. ...Oh hey sup fellow "Problematic Hottie" @frydawolff.bsky.social 🤘 store.steampowered.com/news/app/211...
positive · AI labelView post →DUDE DON'T SPAWN ENEMIES ON TOP OF PLAYERS WHEN THE FIRST BOSS (AS AN ELITE) IS LITERALLY BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE TO A ROOM. WTF DUDE THAT ONE STAGE WHERE THERE'S A HUGE STAIRWAY WHAT WAS THE DESIGN CHOICE THERE. IF I GOT TO THAT LEVEL DESIGN WITHIN 2 HOURS, INSTANT REFUND TO THIS GAME - HOLY GOD MAN, THEN THAT ELITE ENEMY'S GALTING GUN WILL ONE SHOT YOU FROM BEHIND WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO DODGE STAIRWAY ENEMIES. WTF JUST SAYING, SPAWNING ENEMIES ON TOP OF PLAYER IS A HUGE NO-NO. LIKE, I GET…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Body upgrade tickets: Pick an upgrade, but also get a negative. About 50% of the time I just cancel it because the downsides are too much. Just remove the downsides from the tickets. Getting a ticket should be a reward. It should just be an upgrade. Also, the rewards should be better. Crossbow: Upgrades are currently broken. Waste of weapon tickets, and very disappointing. Specifically the reload speed was not working. Update: Upon further play, more weapon upgrades are broken across multiple…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely love this game! As someone who's not a twin-stick shooter person, this was very easy to get into, good tutorial, very fun as well to play not just by yourself, but with friends as well! Would recommend to anyone looking for a good game at a very reasonable price!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I haven't played it before it changed to Section 13 but what they have is pretty fun. Needs more media advertising to get the word out maybe? Literally found this on accident. It has the foundations of something good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very fun game but.. it's a roguelike where the difficulty is scaling up with your improvements....kind of defeats the purpose.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Devs decided to switch from fun, tactical co-op game into story driven single player. Be careful it might become rts soon if they collect and analyse more feedback like the one they got.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game plays well, but I don't really feel compelled to actually play for much longer.. There's this really odd difficulty curve where you go from a 5 to a 100 in a button press for no reason. There is also very little progression to be made from run to run, the characters don't play that much different except each having a different skill, Upgrades are universal and the choice of weapons is quite small. I've also had no luck finding squads for this game, either there are none when I play it or…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Grindy as will die a lot vs the swarms, but your character gets better with investing points and material harvested on each run to go deeper to the mystery. Nice graphics, level design, monsters and characters.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitely quick fingers on this one. Need more guns. Best weapon is the sub machine gun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had no interaction with the game when it was "Blackout", I got it on an impulse buy when a random gaming article discussed how it had a lot in common with Helldivers 1. I had a stretch of nothing to do one day, and I rolled in and cleaned up. It's a serviceable Action Roguelike in the vein of Hades and the old Hunter: the Reckoning games from 2002. It doesn't have nearly the longevity of Hades, but it's a solid game, and it has a story that is about 10 times better than it has any right to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Criminally underrated. Played the demo first and instantly fell in love with the charming characters, quirky dialog and fun combat. Pleasantly surprised by how much story there was to uncover, how much and how high the quality of the voice acting was and how smooth the gameplay curve was. Minimal frustration, intuitive systems and not too much grind. Exploration was always rewarded with either a meaningful upgrade or story unlock. Probably not going to check out the higher difficulties, but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Reviewers have presented some valid criticisms of the game so far. What I'll say is this: it's super fun, but the player is vastly underpowered in multiplayer to the extent that it feels impossible to play this game with other people. There are options to reduce the game's difficulty, but I don't want to do that: I want to play the default experience as intended, but believe it needs to be tuned--in multiplayer specifically. Do note: without earning a good deal of meta-progression power, it is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a bit of time invested when this was Blackout Protocol, but consider my thoughts on it's current Early Access release. I love roguelikes. I love twin-stick shooters. This should have been up my alley, but the problem is there's absolutely no depth presented and it doesn't do anything worthwhile as a roguelike or twin-stick shooter. It's a roguelike that fails provide a satisfying sense of progress and growth. Persistent upgrades are inconsequential - they're either getting cash from…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game. You can tell the developers are extremely passionate about this project. EASILY worth the 12 dollars they are asking for.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was a very fun Multiplayer Coop twin-stick shooter I got with my friends. We all enjoyed it and were waiting for more content. Instead, the devs decided to remove multiplayer for a singleplayer focus. I haven't seen such a bad decision from devs/management in a long time. Update: Avoid this game/studio like the plague. After REMOVING the core gameplay, several months later they re-enable it as a big, advertised "Major Update," and with said update where nothing new is added, they raised…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The bare bones are there, but the overwhelmingly frustrating bugs that occur regularly make this a "hard no" to recommend. From level softlocks, weapons stuck firing in the opposite direction you're aiming (that is a fun one!), skills that don't work as described, and very poor balance between perks (some are godlike, others useless), there's an endless level of frustration awaiting you. Not only that, but the AI veneer over everything from the voice overs to the art, the minimal content... I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →- Saturday June 14th - Twitch.tv/June_yoon - Starting at 5pm PT / 8pm ET I've been saving the new game, 🔥Section 13🔥 for this event! 😍 Will be going in for the first time. 😤 See you on Saturday! ❤️
neutral · AI labelView post →Fun game, if you like isometric roguelike shooters. Feels repetitious the first few runs, but then starts to open up a bit with some new twists and turns. I'm very much enjoying it so far.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great roguelike, if a bit short. I was able to beat the final boss on my 11th run. Of course, there's replayability afterwards but I'm seeing some issues. The unlimited ammo before the difficulty increase changing to very limited amounts of ammo is extremely jarring, especially as a solo player. It necessitates you bringing 2 horde clearing weapons, because otherwise you're just going to get overrun. Agent upgrades do increase the total amount of ammo available but IMO it's just a bad…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →8ish hrs in early access, 1 so far in live, all solo. Tight controls on a twin stick shooter, horror elements, and a spooky vibe. I like the game so far. I've seen some weird complaints like "grenade bad." I think this is a "git gud" scenario. They require aim and foresight to be effective. The VA can be a bit grating sometimes, but I think that's primarily due to how dialogue is delivered with cardboard cutoutscenes (I don't dislike these as a style choice, to be clear). Exposition…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh this one caught me by surprise! fantastic release 1.0 and i can see playing this on a handheld very easy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Was bad, it's now great, peak isometric roguelike shooter. Will update review when i play more, i was following the game for 3 years, played the beta test, bought and refunded the game and now i bought it again and i am keeping it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You and myself would like to think and believe there are a ton of twin stick shooters here on steam. Yes there is 4,843.987 TSS but the issue is 98% are not an actual Twin Stick Shooter. Section 13 is a tight fast acting using, (here is the crazy part) twin stick to shoot and move. Combat feels great and reactive. Now with all the updates the guns, mode/perks and gear are aplenty. If you are looking for that fast pace die give another try TSS were you can team up and have FUN Sector 13 a must.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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