In the game, the player takes control of an amnesiac man, whose only clues to his mysterious past are a locker room key and a tattoo of Roman numeral XIII on his shoulder. The game features a cel-shaded graphics and comic-book style visual elements. The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised its fast-paced action and unique style and became a cult classic among the players. Gameplay XIII is a first-person shooter with elements of stealth appearing in certain moments of the game .  The player leads the protagonist of the game, known only as XIII, through 13 levels divided into 34 missions. The player job is eliminating the assassins sent after the main character using 16 different types of weapons, including throwing knives, pistol, assault rifle, shotgun, and a bazooka. The game features unique visual style, blending the game and comics. In certain moments, e.g. if the player performs a headshot, comic book-like panels will pop into the screen zooming in on the enemy