A rating of 10/10 from TechRaptor is a rare honor reserved for the best of the best, and we take great care to examine every aspect of a game deserving this score. Believe me when I say then I would fight tooth and nail to Sélaco to receive such a distinction, wasn’t it just released in early access.
As it is, Sélaco is one of the most original and innovative retro-inspired shooters to hit the market in some time, with a cornucopia of highly polished mechanics and fresh ideas. It even has a full episode available in Early Access right now, and that already feels like a complete product in itself. Sélaco sets the bar ridiculously high for shooters.
SélacoThe introduction is exciting and captivating
Sélaco takes notes from some of my favorite shooters – there are allusions to Halo, a good portion of FEARa few Loss DNA of course (it works on GZDoom, for goodness sake), and several others. Despite this, it’s a first-person shooter that feels more like itself rather than imitating its inspirations. As a result, this is undeniably the most fun I’ve had with an FPS campaign in years.
The action picks up speed from the start as SélacoThe main character of , Dawn, wakes up in her hospital bed and everything goes to hell in a handbasket. Your first moments as Dawn are a desperate race to find a weapon as an unknown force attacks anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in its path.
This took me back to Master Chief’s mad dash for Captain Keyes in Halo: Combat Evolved, a moment etched in my brain. Eventually you find your gun and it’s all gas, seamless from start to finish. The moment you grab that rifle, a team of soldiers dressed in tactical armor begin to force open the door and rush inside.
As you fight your way out of this situation, you’ll gather armor that allows Dawn to slide and dash, and you’ll also encounter many other weapons. The gunplay, and by extension, the enemies you fight, is where Sélaco stands. Each weapon, from your ridiculously powerful pistol to a gun that blasts nails at high speed, is a powerhouse that looks and feels incredible to use.
At Sélaco AI is intelligent and deadly
With the mobility added by your suit, combat is fast and deadly. Enemies are deadly and one miscalculation will literally mean your death. This isn’t the type of FPS where you face dozens of enemies in the same room; instead, Sélaco uses highly intelligent and efficient assassination squads as the main enemy.
Thus, AI in Sélaco is one of the most advanced I’ve encountered in a shooter. This is where you can see the FEAR 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 and you bet they’ll be on you in no time.
There are few games that capture the intensity of a gunfight, but Sélaco is it that. Not that I ever did has been in a shootout myself, but the gunplay and AI go a long way in making things immersive. Things happen very chaotic in these shootings, because there is disorder everywhere. Almost any object can be hit and explode violently, and smoke and debris from the chaos can limit your field of vision.
In a burst of brilliance, Sélaco gradually increases the ante of these firefights by including “invasion levels”. As you progress through the campaign, enemies are upgraded with more abilities and weaponry. Therefore, even if you see similar enemies everywhere, there will almost always be something new to face. Therefore, Sélaco feels fresh from start to finish.
Collectibles and other fun tasks in Sélaco
The levels are complex and meticulously detailed in Sélaco. From the starting hospital to the sci-fi abandoned streets of the eponymous Selaco, you’ll explore plenty of 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 Sélacolevel design.
After the firefights, I would run around and explore these environments. Sélaco certainly embrace those with a fearless spirit. You will be surprised by what you find; weapon upgrades, ammo caches, various currencies and much more. Weapon upgrades often take the form of a new alternate fire for your weapons, so there’s more variation in your roster of around 8 weapons.
Other than that, it’s great to explore since you can further upgrade your weapons in safe houses scattered throughout. Sélacocountryside. Weapon parts are hidden everywhere, and it’s the main currency you’ll use to fund your customization. Increasing your weapon damage or changing weapon accuracy, recoil, and behavior is essential when facing an ever-changing enemy.
Although I usually don’t care much about finding secrets, Sélaco makes hunting particularly fun and rewarding. Often this game rewards your ingenuity. Stacking chairs to reach a high ledge or crawling through a series of vents doesn’t go unrewarded.
On top of that, players progress as they play, plain and simple: Sélaco features a series of milestones that reward the player with weapon parts. Often these milestones require you to kill a certain number of enemies or break a certain number of walls. It’s another way for players to feel a sense of progression and gratification as they fight their way to victory.
Sélacois running that Engine?
Believe me when I say Sélaco is a technical marvel. No, I’m not a game developer, but consider this: this game works on a modified model Loss engine, known as GZDoom. GZDoom games generally have a noticeably retro look, but Sélaco has a nice balance of retro and modern elements. This creates a totally original style, so there is nothing like it Sélaco on the market, visually speaking.
Altered Orbit had to use dark magic to create Sélaco watch and play as he does. Running on GZDoom, you’d think it would play a bit like Loss or boomer shooters, right? That’s simply not the case here. I can’t 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 that almost every object Sélaco is one you can interact with. The arcade machines have real games in them, and hell, I played pool in a bar in between firefights. There are random bits of food that can heal you and office supplies that you can also throw at enemies if you want. The bathrooms? Well, they are fully functional, toilet, sink, soap dispenser and all.
The result of these efforts is a feast for the eyes and ears. In fact, the soundtrack is simply superb. It has that sleek electronic vibe that fits the sci-fi aesthetic so well. I was so excited when a squad of enemies was coming towards me, and you have this fantastic soundtrack that gets the adrenaline pumping and complements the intensity of the combat.
Sélaco Overview | Final Thoughts
There’s a lot more I could say about Sélaco, and all of this is positive. Again, you may be reading this and forgetting that this is an early access game – it’s not technically version 1.0. With Episode 2 marking the end of Early Access and a third episode following, I can’t wait to see what else. Sélaco has in store.
If you prefer to wait until Early Access ends, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Go play Sélaco NOW. You will not regret it.
Sélaco was previewed on PC via Steam Early Access with developer-provided code over approximately 15 hours of gameplay – all screenshots were taken during the preview process.