After dying a few times at the very beginning of the game while I was still figuring out the mechanics, I haven't died once in the three levels I played, but I'm sure if I were to keep playing, I'd die eventually, and it would really piss me off that there are no saves and that I have to replay the level from the start. This is an artificial increase of "difficulty." It doesn't make the game more fun or even more difficult really, it just makes it more anxiety-inducing. Because you dying may not have anything to do with your skill.

Most retro shooters encouraged exploration, and here the level design certainly suggests that too, but why would I risk jumping over that gap or seeing if I can climb on the tiny ledge of that building, knowing that I might have to lose 20 minutes of progress and have to replay the level from the start? This is not the retro-shooter way. The game clearly tries to appeal to nostalgia, but this is not how first-person shooters used to play, and it's certainly not how they used to look. Incision looks more like a PS1 game than any kind of PC shooter.

Its environments do remind me of Quake 2, but only thematically. It's the same Cronenbergian flesh + tech body horror, except more bloody and gibby.

In terms of the gameplay it's a little more precision-based, and you get alt fire modes for every weapon. The enemy variety is quite decent, and the kinetics of shooting are quite satisfying, which is something that can't be said for the useless kick attack. Also, you can't switch away from the pistol while it's reloading, which makes it an absolute awful weapon to use. This is how I died twice at the very beginning btw, thinking something malfunctioned.

Overall, it seems like a competent game, though nothing special. I'd be willing to give it more of a chance, but the lack of saves really kills it for me. I play games for my personal enjoyment, not to "git gud".