Section 13 News

Hey all! This is Brandon Carbaugh, Narrative Lead on Section 13. With the game’s launch date barreling down the highway at us, we thought now would be a fun time to share our cast list! With some light redactions for spoilers, of course 😉

This isn’t a comprehensive list of every single role (gotta save a few surprises for the game and IMDb). But here are the headliners…

[h2]THE AGENTS (A.K.A. CHRONO TEAM GO!!)[/h2]

• 🐶 Red AKA █████ ██████: Jennifer Losi
  
• 🔍 Boy Scout AKA █████ ████: SungWon Cho
  
• 🧪 Beaker AKA █████ ████: Deva Marie Gregory
  
• 🔪 Dr. Emma Wahlgren, Ph.D, Director of Research, Who Declined to be Referred to by her Insipid and Arbitrarily Selected Callsign: Camilla Arfwedson
  
• 💾 Violet AKA Computer Lady: Allegra Clark

[h2]PROBLEMATIC HOTTIES[/h2]

• 🐍 Deputy Director Kimber Delahunt: Fryda Wolff
  
• 🧟‍♂️ Exosuit AKA ███ ██████: Michael Schwalbe
  
• 👽 Nephilim AKA Project ████████ AKA ████ ███ ███ █████ ████ ██████ ███ ██ ████ ███ ███ █████ ████ ██████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ ██████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ █████ ████ ██████ ██: Greg Chun

[h2]OTHER VOICES FROM THE WONDROUS WORLD OF S2P[/h2]

• Keith Silverstein: HR 👁; Agent ████ 🕵️‍♂️; Additional Voices
  
• Chester Rushing: Red’s Dad 🧔; ████; Additional Voices
  
• June Yoon: Young-Min Kim 🚬; Additional Voices
  
• Andrew Frankel: 📢 #JordanShaperson #TruthZonePodcast #LikeAndSubscribe; AdditionalVoices

Our casting and voiceover director was Christopher Bevins, with additional voiceover direction (and 47 other things) by Jennifer Losi. Recording was done through Marc Graue Recording Studios, with assistance from LaMi Productions, and many other contributions by many other talented audio people whose outstanding work will be credited elsewhere in more detail at a later date.

Anyway, that’s all I got for you today!

Oh, but before I forget: During the game’s intro, if you want to save Scalpel from █████, all you have to do is ███ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ██ ██████ █ ████ and █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ then █████ ██ ██ █ █ ███ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ██. But whatever you do, DON’T ████ the ████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ █.

Howdy and hello, fellow agents! Nicky Silber here, one of the narrative designers on Section 13. I’m very excited to talk to you today about some of the juicy (and heart-wrenching) story that’s in store for you with Section 13’s full release.

For those who don’t know, the game takes place at the eponymous Section 13, a secret facility belonging to an even secret-er agency known as S2P. Equal parts X-Files and Area 51, S2P are the unscrupulous men-in-black who not only abduct the things that go bump in the night but then perform unethical experiments on them. Now, one of their high-risk test facilities has gone into lockdown without explanation. You play as an agent (or agents) sent to investigate what caused the lockdown and clear the threat. But nothing is ever quite that simple when you’re dealing with fourth-dimensional anomalies and brain-dead former office workers.

If you've been playing the Early Access build of Section 13, you’ll be more than familiar with this story, but what you won’t know is that this only scratches the surface of what you can expect in the full release.

When it comes to designing the narrative on S13, we decided to take an old-school visual novel approach that would utilize the fantastic artwork of our agents and the incredible voice acting of our cast. There were quite a few hurdles to overcome when implementing these visual novel segments into Unreal Engine 5, where S13 was built. For one, creating variables was a difficult process as we could only use booleans, so a simple branching scene could quickly get out of hand, like this brain-melter:

[Good luck untangling this spaghetti, Unreal]

Next, when discussing how to flesh out the world of Section 13, we decided the best approach would be to use supplemental narrative through unlockable media, as it would be the least obtrusive way to supply players with a vast amount of world-building content that would be cost-effective to develop.

In between bouts of butt-kicking (both giving and receiving), you’ll find yourself back at the hub, Section 13’s pivotal command center where you can perform upgrades and get to know your fellow agents. Here, you can use the collectible USB currency to unlock the mysterious Agent Casefiles. These aren’t just neat little extras (though I am a big fan of neat extras). No, these are whole swathes of story content so juicy they’re practically oozing.

[The Case Files screen, where you can spend your hard-earned USBs for tasty story snacks.]

Each agent has their own unique story arc to be unlocked, and the full extent of content won’t be fully accessible until you’ve recruited all four agents, giving you further incentive to explore the base. These story arcs dive deep into the agents’ backstories and not only flesh out the characters but the mythos of S2P and our game’s universe as a whole. How and why was S2P founded? Who trigger the Blackout Protocol at Section 13, and why? What doesn’t S2P want you to know?

[A sneak peek at Boy Scout’s case files 🤫]

By unlocking these casefiles you’ll discover how Boy Scout came to be psychically linked to an otherworldly being, why Beaker is so determined to reverse memory loss, where Scalpel’s vendetta against S2P comes from, and how Red’s mom went missing… if she really IS missing…

Through a series of de-classified documents, recorded phone calls, laboratory audio logs, and data-mined emails, the agents will learn about various characters that occupied Section 13 long before they ever came along – including Kimber Delahunt, the ruthlessly efficient Deputy Director of the base, who was responsible for initiating the blackout alert… and who Scalpel has a history with.

[Kimber Delahunt AKA Corporate Conspiracy Barbie]

But that’s just one thread of many in the glorious tapestry of S13’s newly fleshed out narrative.

It took our team months to weave together those threads, then months of recording to have an extremely talented (and star-studded) voice cast bring those stories to life.
Honestly, between this and our other Early Access project, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, we have worked with some of the most remarkable voice talent I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. While we’re not allowed to name drop just yet, I guarantee you will hear some familiar voices.

We had so many wonderful moments in the studio, I wish I could share them all with you. We spent half the time cracking up and the rest of the time wiping away tears. Our voice director gushed several times that this was one of his favorite game he’s worked on. Seriously, folks: These performances are going to blow you away.

We here at ODS can’t wait for everyone to experience the incredible content that’s coming your way with the full release. Get your tissues ready, everyone, because only those of you who are dead inside won’t shed at least a tear or two.

Thanks for staying up to date with all things Section 13 and we can’t wait to see you at launch!

Enigmatically yours,

~Nicky Silber, Narrative Designer

Welcome, esteemed potential investors in the S2P Corporation!

Are you ready for the financial opportunity of a lifetime? Sure you are, or you wouldn’t have let our unmarked van drive you to this bunker in the middle of the desert! But I’m sure you want to know a little more about our company before you generously open your wallets.

S2P. The Simply Secure Paperclip Company. Secure Staffing Procurement Agency. Even the Sugary Syrup Pancake Factory!

We’ve been known by many names, and had many fronts, over the past eight decades since our founding in 1939. Our mission, however, remains the same: procure and eliminate supernatural, paranatural, and paranormal threats.

[Contained and extremely safe Quarantined Entities.]

From defeating werewolf Nazis in World War II, to facing off against robot laser squids in the Cold War, S2P has been there on the front lines, defending the world from total annihilation. Over the years, S2P has evolved along with its threats, growing from a pure containment mission to a proactive research organization with bases around the globe. There’s no better way of understanding an enemy than by catching it and studying it to see what makes it tick. And there’s no better way of defeating an enemy than by reverse-engineering a serum from its blood that will make it explode upon impact!

[Marvelous machinations!]

These marvelous advancements in technology, however, do not come cheap. You can’t put a price on freedom or safety—but you can put a price on nitrous-oxide flamethrowers. Which is why S2P has always relied on the kindness and generosity of the private sector and investors such as yourselves.

Thanks to investor funds, we have been able to expand from a handful of facilities in the contiguous United States to over a hundred compounds worldwide. From laboratories to QT (or Quarantined Entity) holding cells to nuclear-grade missile silos, S2P is the proud umbrella corporation of a thriving ecosystem of divisions.

Take, for example, Section 6, known colloquially as “Northwest”. After entering the expansive marble lobby and passing through our two dozen security screeners, you can visit the Cryptoveterinarian offices on the third floor, take a peek at some cutting edge grenades in Experimental Weapon Research and Development on the eighth floor, or stop in to get your 2030 taxes assessed in the Fourth Dimensional Accounting Department. (Just don’t get too creative with your deductions, or you might have an unscheduled meeting with our Paradox Department!)

[Our state-of-the-art weapons testing facility.]

Your money will not only go a long way towards securing the future of all of S2P’s ventures, but becoming an investor also comes along with its own very real perks, such as joining our alluring and mysterious Board of Investors. If S2P’s many facilities are its lifeblood, then the Board is its head, making the big decisions and steering the entire company towards success. Having been without a single-leader system since the 1940s, S2P has always relied on the stability of a quorum of intelligent voices and vested interests to turn S2P into the global superpower it is today.

[One of our many biotech labs, where ethics is one of several priorities.]

We thank you for consenting to let us blindfold you and bring you here today for this presentation. We hope it has not only been informative but exciting. Donuts and our signature SuperCoffee™ will be made available in the lounge on your way out, and we hope you will be ready to make your decision to invest before the private helicopters arrive to take you home. If you have time, please fill out a comment card to let us know how you enjoyed our presentation and what psychological effects it may have had on you.

On behalf of us all: welcome to the S2P family!

Hey all! This is Brandon Carbaugh, Narrative Lead on Section 13.

Up until now, we’ve been pretty tight-lipped about the narrative content in the final release version of the game, primarily because it’s one of the last major things to be added, and there just wasn’t much sense discussing it until you could get your hands on it. But with the launch date bearing down upon us, we figured now would be a good time to jump in!

So throughout this week, we’ll be giving you a whirlwind tour of storytelling in the new and improved world of Section 13.

• Today, I’ll be talking about our new Agent Casefiles system, as well as a general overview of how you’ll interact with story content in Section 13.
• Tomorrow, our friends at S2P will be sharing an investor briefing packet from a recent off-site meeting. Attendance is mandatory and your thought patterns will be monitored.
• On Wednesday, my cowriter Nicky will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the characters and world we’ve crafted, and the kind of stories you can expect to explore.
• Finally, on Thursday, I’ll be back to share our voiceover cast list for the game.

With no further ado, let’s get into it!

[h2]Where to Find the Story Stuff[/h2]
The first thing to make clear is that the core of the game isn’t changing much. For the majority of the game’s duration, while you’re out in the base blasting zombies, you won’t be running into a bunch of dialogue and cutscenes all over the place.

At launch, you’ll find story in basically four places: the critical path of the game—which includes the new intro, agent recruitment, and bosses—and the all-new Agent Casefiles.

[h3]1) The Intro[/h3]
The first time you boot up the game, there’s a new and overhauled prologue/tutorial to the game, where you’ll meet the characters, get comfortable with the setting, and be set on the path for the rest of the game.

If you haven’t played the game since the Blackout Protocol days, you’ll find this to be a wildly different first-time experience. If you’ve played the current placeholder version of the intro in the game’s live version, you’ll still find the release version pretty majorly different—the biggest difference being, you’ll get to meet the game’s big bad!

[A friendly meet-cute with a charming gentleman]

The intro takes most players about 20-30 minutes to get through, at the end of which you’re deposited at the Command Center. While we won’t be resetting save data on release, personally, I think the new intro kicks ass, so I’d recommend starting a fresh save if you want the full experience.

[h3]2) Agent Recruitment[/h3]
Once you’ve reached the Command Center and the full game opens up, you’ll gain the ability to start recruiting your fellow agents, who you can find and rescue in Restricted Rooms on the Lobby, Office, and Deep Storage Levels.

Upon recruiting a character, they’ll be sent back to the Command Center. The next time you return, you’ll have a little onboarding interview with them, where you’ll get a quick taste-test of what their personal story is about.

[Interviewing your new Head of Grumpiness.]

After that, you’re free to switch characters and play as them. And you’ll want to, because…

[h3]3) Agent Casefiles[/h3]
In the release version of the game, we’re unlocking the Agent Casefiles screen from the terminal in the Command Center. This is the main home for all unlockable story content. You can think of it like a vending machine that dispenses little snack-size servings of plot.


The currency you’ll use to interact with this system are USB security dongles, which you can find during runs by looting interaction points or buying them at Chillax Corners.

Each character has their own version of these, and they’re not shared. If you want to learn more about Boy Scout, play as Boy Scout. If you want to learn more about Beaker, play as Beaker.

[A buffet of dongles for your viewing pleasure.]

The next time you return to the Command Center, you can head to the Casefiles screen to spend your hard-earned dongles and unlock story files. These take three forms:

• Text documents
• Voiced audio logs
• Full visual novel scenes

[The casefiles screen.]

But you won’t be unlocking these one at a time (because that’s boring). Instead, you’ll decrypt packets, which unlock multiple files at once. A packet can consist of any blend of the above – sometimes it’s three documents, sometimes it’s two documents and an audio log, whatever.

Each packet consists of one major story beat in each character’s ongoing investigation into whatever personal mystery they’re pursuing at Section 13. For Boy Scout, that’s figuring out what the Nephilim is after, and why it crossed his path years ago. For Red, that’s digging into some surprising personal connections to S2P.


[Unlocking a packet of casefiles.]

These story beats are broken into 4 Acts, which are tied to in-game progress (and that is shared).

• Agent Casefiles system itself: Comes online the first time you return to the hub with at least 1 USB Dongle in your possession.
• Act 1 content: Becomes available for unlock, for each Agent, immediately upon recruiting them
• Act 2 content: Becomes available for all agents after recruiting the whole gang
• Act 3 content: Becomes available for all agents after beating the Exosuit for the first time (as anyone)
• Act 4 content: Becomes available for all agents after beating the Nephilim for the first time (as anyone)

Flipping through a new packet of story files will typically take just a few minutes – but there’s a lot of them. Each character’s storyline has about 15-20 packets total, and we’ve got just over 170 individual story unlockables in the game as a whole.

The goal is a story experience that threads into the core play loop without overwhelming it, giving you a little burst of intrigue between runs, to take some of the sting out of death and foster a deeper connection with the world.

[h3]4) Boss Dialogues[/h3]
Last but not least, we’re adding Hades-style recurring boss dialogues to the game. Each time you face off against a boss, you’ll get a fresh, brisk little exchange of banter between them and whoever you’re playing as.

[Chattin’ with the baddies.]

There’s not a massive amount of these (because, unlike Hades, our game has 4 protagonists). But what’s there is pretty fun, and they’ll respond dynamically to various play triggers, including progress through each character’s personal storyline and the game as a whole.

Mainly, these are short, simple, and silly, focused on injecting the bosses with some flavor and personality. So instead of just big scary lifebars, they’re big scary lifebars with names.

[h2]That’s All, Folks![/h2]
That’s pretty much all I got for you today! Our hope with the addition of these elements is not to fundamentally alter the core gameplay loop, but to enhance it, making the world more immersive and the characters more interesting. Do a run, come back to the hub, snack on some story, then get back out there and do it again.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering how all this interacts with multiplayer, the short answer is: it doesn’t. While you’re in multiplayer mode, story stuff mostly just gets turned off. Because nobody wants to stand around while their friend reads a book or watches a cutscene.

Agents and Sleeper Agents,

Section 13’s official launch is truly right around the corner!
Mark your calendars and enjoy the special trailer we created for this big news:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
You will be able to access the full content at the times below, listed by time zone:

• PT: 10 AM on May 26, 2025
• ET: 1 PM on May 26, 2025
• CEST: 7 PM on May 26, 2025
• ICT: 12 AM on May 27, 2025
• KST: 2 AM on May 27, 2025

If you already enjoy Section 13, feel free to share the trailer with friends you want to play co-op with! Curious what Section 13 is all about? Check out the free single-player demo if you haven’t already!


- ODS Team

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