Selaco Sets a New Standard for the FPS Genre

A 10/10 score from TechRaptor is a rare honor reserved for only the best of the best, and we take great care to scrutinize every aspect of a game deserving of this score. Believe me when I say, then, that I would fight tooth and nail for Selaco to receive such a distinction, were it not just releasing in Early Access.

As it stands, Selaco is one of the most original and innovative retro-inspired shooters to hit the market in quite some time, with a cornucopia of highly polished mechanics and fresh ideas. It even has a full episode available to play on Early Access now, and that already feels like a full product in and of itself. Selaco is setting the bar for shooters ludicrously high.

Selaco's Introduction is Thrilling and Engrossing

Selaco takes notes from some of my favorite shooters -- there are hints of Halo, a hearty helping of F.E.A.R., some Doom DNA of course (it runs on GZDoom, for goodness' sake), and several others. Even so, it's a first-person shooter that feels like its own thing rather than imitating its inspirations. As a result, it's undeniably the most fun I've had with an FPS campaign in years.

The action ramps up right from the start as Selaco's main character, Dawn, wakes up in her hospital bed, and all has gone to hell in a handbasket. Your first moments as Dawn are a desperate rush to find a weapon as an unknown force attacks anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in its way.

This took me back to Master Chief's mad dash to Captain Keyes in Halo: Combat Evolved, a moment seared into my brain. Eventually, you find your weapon and it's all gas, no breaks from start to finish. The moment you grab that rifle, a team of soldiers clad in tactical armor start breaching the door and rush in.

As you fight your way out of this situation, you'll gather up armor that gives Dawn a slide and dash, and come across many other weapons, too. The gunplay, and by extension, the enemies you fight, is where Selaco sets itself apart. Every single weapon, from your ridiculously powerful pistol to a gun that blasts nails at high speeds is a powerhouse that looks and feels incredible to use.

Selaco's AI is Smart and Lethal

With the mobility added by your suit, combat is fast and deadly. Enemies are lethal and a miscalculation will quite literally mean your death. This isn't the type of FPS where you're taking on dozens of enemies in the same room; rather, Selaco uses highly intelligent, efficient killing squads as the primary enemy.

As such, the AI in Selaco is one of the most advanced I've come across in a shooter. This is where you can see the F.E.A.R. inspiration, with enemies calling out tactics to their comrades and reacting to the player's actions. Some squads are more aggressive than others, while others will be more hesitant to engage if you push. Hide in a corner, though, and you bet they'll be on you in no time.

There are few games that capture the intensity of a gunfight, but Selaco does that. Not that I've ever been in a firefight myself, but the gunplay and AI go a long way to make things feel immersive. Things get very chaotic in these gunfights, as there is clutter everywhere. Just about every object can be shot and explodes in a violent fashion, and the smoke and debris from the chaos can limit your field of vision.

In a stroke of brilliance, Selaco gradually ups the ante of these firefights by its inclusion of "Invasion Tiers." As you progress throughout the campaign, enemies are upgraded with more abilities and armaments. Therefore, even though you might see similar enemies throughout, there's almost always going to be something new to contend with. As a result, Selaco feels fresh from start to finish.

Collectibles and Other Fun Tasks in Selaco

Levels are intricate and meticulously detailed in Selaco. From the starting hospital to the abandoned, sci-fi streets of the eponymous Selaco, you'll explore numerous environments that I couldn't help but stop and gawk at. There are so many hidden secrets and collectibles in these vast complexes. Despite the ambitious scope of such levels, I never felt lost, which is a testament to Selaco's level design.

After firefights, I'd run around and explore these environments. Selaco certainly embraces those with an intrepid spirit. You'll be surprised by what you find; weapon upgrades, caches of ammo, various currencies, and more. Weapon upgrades often come in the form of a new alt-fire for your guns, so there's more variation to your roster of 8 or so weapons.

Other than that, it's great to explore since you can upgrade weapons further at safe houses scattered throughout Selaco's campaign. Weapon parts are hidden throughout, and this is the primary currency you'll use to fund your customization. Increasing the damage of your weapons or altering the accuracy, recoil, and behavior of weapons is essential when faced with an ever-evolving enemy.

While I normally don't care all that much about searching for secrets, Selaco makes the hunt especially fun and rewarding. Often, this game rewards your ingenuity. Stacking chairs to get to a high ledge or crawling through a series of vents does not go unrewarded.

Besides that, players progress the more they play, plain and simple: Selaco has a series of milestones that reward the player with weapon parts. Often, these milestones ask you to kill a certain number of enemies or break a specific amount of walls. It's another way for players to get a sense of progression and gratification as they shoot their way to victory.

Selaco's Running on that Engine?

Believe me when I say Selaco is a technical marvel. No, I'm not a game dev, but consider this: this game is running on a modified Doom engine, known as GZDoom. GZDoom games usually come with a noticeably retro look, but Selaco has a fine balance of retro and modern elements. This creates a wholly original style, so there's nothing that is quite like Selaco on the market, visually speaking.

Altered Orbit must have done some dark magic to make Selaco look and play the way it does. Running on GZDoom, you'd think it would play a bit like Doom or boomer shooters, right? That's simply not the case, here. I cannot begin to imagine the amount of work it took to accomplish such a feat, but I can at least appreciate the developer's ingenuity.

It seems like almost every object in Selaco is one you can interact with. The arcade machines have actual games on them, and hell, I played pool at a bar in between firefights. There are random bits of food that can heal you, and office supplies you can chuck at enemies if you'd like, too. The bathrooms? Well, they're fully functional, toilet, sink, soap dispenser, and all.

The result of these efforts is a treat for both the eyes and ears. In fact, the soundtrack is simply superb. It has this slick, electronic vibe that fits oh so well with the science-fiction aesthetic. I would get so hyped up when a squad of enemies was coming my way, and you have this fantastic, adrenaline-pumping soundtrack complementing the intensity of the combat.

Selaco Preview | Final Thoughts

There's a lot more I could say about Selaco, and all of it is positive. Again, you might be reading this and forget that this is an Early Access game -- it's not technically Version 1.0. With Episode 2 marking the completion of Early Access and a third episode following that, I cannot wait to see what else Selaco has in store.

If you'd rather wait 'til its out of Early Access, you're doing yourself a disservice. Go and play Selaco now. You won't regret it.

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Selaco was previewed on PC via Steam Early Access with a code provided by the developer over roughly 15 hours of gameplay - all screenshots were taken during the preview process.