INCISION Review Summary

A defining boomer shooter with excellent music and varied, satisfying weapons, but no save or checkpoint system and a frustrating lives mechanic force full-level restarts on death.

Excellent music and soundtrack: The music is frequently praised for being great, fitting the atmosphere, and enhancing the overall experience. Many highlight the variety and quality of songs.

Exceptional weapon feedback and variety: Players consistently praise the weapons for feeling powerful, unique, and satisfying to use. The majority of feedback highlights cool designs and excellent sensory feedback.

Defining boomer shooter experience: Many reviewers consider this game a quintessential boomer shooter, with some calling it the best in the genre. It nails the classic feel and is highly recommended for enthusiasts.

Creative alternate fire modes: Almost every weapon features an alternate fire mode that adds versatility and strategic depth. Players appreciate the creativity and tradeoffs involved.

Well-crafted level design: Level design is praised for being great, well thought out, and featuring good verticality. Some highlight unique and beautifully executed designs.

Missing Save and Checkpoint System: Many players note there is no save, autosave, or checkpoint feature, forcing restarts. This makes progress loss frequent and frustrating, especially in longer levels.

Death Restarts Entire Level: Upon death, players are sent back to the beginning of the level, which can be over 20 minutes long. This harsh penalty discourages exploration and trial-and-error.

Lives System Creates Frustration: The limited lives system, acting as continues, often leads to full level restarts and is described as very annoying and disrespectful of player time. Many find it makes the game unfairly punishing.

Save Issues Disrespect Player Time: The lack of saving options is seen as a major flaw that makes the game a hassle, especially for players who need to step away. It forces long play sessions without breaks.

Weapons Lack Impact and Punch: Weapons feel weak and unsatisfying, especially the shotgun, which lacks sound and power. This diminishes combat feedback and overall enjoyment.

Old-school shooter style: The game is an old-school first-person shooter, often described as a retro FPS or boomer shooter. It follows a classic, fast-paced formula.

Weapons have alternate fire modes: Nearly all weapons feature a secondary fire function, adding tactical variety to combat. This includes unique alt-fires like the rocket launcher's mini-nuke option.

Customizable difficulty settings available: Players can adjust difficulty via sliders or select from multiple presets, including a 300% mode and 'Asking For It'. This accommodates a wide range of skill levels.

Levels last 20-30 minutes: Most levels take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete, with some lasting over 40 minutes. This makes each level a substantial time commitment.

Lives system replaces traditional saves: The game uses a lives system (extra lives) instead of checkpoints or manual saves. Players have a limited number of lives per level.

Good performance on some systems: Several players report smooth performance, well-optimized gameplay, and no glitches, particularly on desktop and Steam Deck. Retro-inspired visuals are cited as helping performance.

Performance drops in late levels: Several players report lag or frame drops during large arena battles and pre-final levels. This is the most frequently mentioned performance issue.

CPU-bound optimization problems: Feedback highlights heavy CPU utilization with low GPU usage, causing bottlenecks and stuttering even on high-end processors. Better CPU optimization is requested.

Crashes on startup or progression: Multiple crash reports include initial startup issues, crashes on death after episode 1 when clicking during a blackout screen, and crashes when loading from the last play session or during an ending screen.

Linux compatibility issues: One user reports the game does not work properly on Linux, while another says it runs great on Linux. Results appear inconsistent across Linux configurations.

Recommendation for Boomer Shooter Fans: Many reviewers strongly recommend the game for fans of boomer shooters, highlighting its fast-paced, gory, and challenging gameplay. It is described as a must-play for enthusiasts of the genre.

High Difficulty and Challenge: Several reviewers note that the game is very difficult and not suitable for casual players. They advise playing on easier difficulties to avoid frustration.

Strong Positive General Recommendations: Multiple reviewers express high overall recommendation for the game, using phrases like 'highly recommend' and 'totally recommendable'.

Lack of Save System Issue: A common criticism is the absence of a save system or checkpoints, which some reviewers consider a major flaw. Some would change their negative review if quicksaves or checkpoints were added.

Value for Money and Pricing: Reviewers mention that the game is worth its full price and is an even better deal on sale. It is recommended especially at a discount.

Community fair range: $9.99 - $14.99.

Game completion: 9.0h.

Session length: 0.5h.

Incision offers intense, well-paced shooter fun for genre fans, but multiple reports describe a harsh, ammo-starved opening and missing quality-of-life features that delay enjoyment until later content.

Friction: Early combat encounters are disproportionately difficult due to insufficient starting ammo before the shotgun.; The early game is harsh and unforgiving, creating a barrier for new players.; Tutorial wall markings do not indicate they can be interacted with, leaving players unaware of the double jump.; No save & quit feature forces replaying long stretches of progress.; High overall difficulty and long levels make the experience tougher than it needs to be.; Basic, repetitive enemy AI makes combat feel repetitive..

Unlock drivers: Obtaining the shotgun after the ammo-starved opening encounters.; Reaching later episodes with stronger arena segments and improved level design.; More varied locales, color palettes, and new enemy types..

Hardcore Retro FPS Veteran: Plays on high difficulties, learns enemy rosters and level layouts, uses speed to avoid damage, and replays levels to improve. Motivation: Mastering challenging, fast-paced retro FPS combat and reliving old-school shooter thrills. Stance: buy.

Atmosphere-Driven Retro Horror Fan: Explores levels at their own pace, savors visuals, music, and atmosphere, and may play on lower difficulties to enjoy the setting. Motivation: Immersing in the grotesque, gritty world and its retro horror aesthetic. Stance: buy.

Save-Dependent Casual FPS Player: Prefers lower difficulties, frequent saving, and steady progress; may struggle with fast movement and no checkpoints. Motivation: Enjoying an FPS without punitive difficulty or lost progress, with modern save systems and accessible settings. Stance: no buy.

Steam Deck: The game is confirmed to run natively on Linux without needing Proton Experimental or launcher workarounds, which is a clear compatibility positive. However, reviewers report that the Steam Deck experience is hindered: inherent handheld limitations make it difficult to enjoy on the go, controller support is only partial (menus are non-functional and at least one user had to manually bind keys), and the absence of any save system restarts the current level on death or reload. No crashes, anti-cheat failures, or unreadable UI were reported, so the experience falls into the playable-but-requires-tinkering band rather than being broken.

Linux and Proton: The reviewed feedback is dominated by positive Linux compatibility: users report the game runs great on Linux and requires no extra tweaks. Steam Deck feedback shows the game can be completed on the device after minor key binding, while one user notes Deck limitations for portable enjoyment. No review describes a Linux-, Proton-, SteamOS-, or Wine-specific launch failure, crash, anti-cheat block, or performance problem. Overall, Linux support appears to work well out of the box.

Frequent Quake and Doom comparisons: Reviewers consistently compare the game to Quake and Doom, often stating it surpasses or rivals these classics in speed and gruesomeness. Comparisons also extend to DUSK, Amid Evil, and other boomer shooters.

Early access background: Many players bought the game during early access and followed its development, with some refunding and repurchasing on full release.

Short game length: The game is often described as short, with completion times ranging from 1 to 8 hours, though some find the length decent but leaving them wanting more.

Level duration and structure: Levels typically take 20-30 minutes, with some taking over 40 minutes. The game is split into three episodes, with a total of 15 levels and several boss levels.

Save and checkpoint system issues: Many players report that the game lacks a save or checkpoint system, and the developer has been contacted about this issue. Adding quick saves would reportedly require rewriting the game code.