Selaco Early Access [Impressions]
Frenetic sci-fi retro shooter Selaco has hit Early Access.
Selaco. Credit: Altered Orbit Studios.
Altered Orbit Studios’ long awaited first-person shooter, Selaco, has arrived on Steam Early Access. The version available now sports a robust 30 level campaign in a highly polished state and is a blast to play.
You are Dawn, an ACE Security Captain, living in Selaco, an underground facility that’s now home to what’s left of humanity after Earth fell. Blaring alarms and explosions wake you in your hospital room after a routine procedure. Dawn must get her gear and survive the alien onslaught. Meanwhile, you’ll also learn about corruption in Selaco.
Selaco. Credit: Altered Orbit Studios.
The frantic gun battles will tear up the environment, destroying both the walls and props. It makes the guns feel even better to fire, and greatly heightens the sense of immersion with action movie detail. Office papers fly, walls break into debris, glass windows explode, tables break.
You’re able to do things like flip hospital gurneys to create cover from the enemy onslaught. Enemies are super smart, especially at the default difficulty and beyond, with deadly aim and tactics. Enemies will rush you, flank you, and blow up your cover, strategizing as a group. If you’re not careful, you won’t survive long at all. There aren’t cover mechanics like you’d find in games since Gears of War, but you’ve still got to peek from behind walls, crouch behind low cover, and use your ground slide ability to make sure you’re not turned into a puddle of blood and guts. After a bit of time, I had to restart the game at one difficulty level lower because I just couldn’t cut it.
Selaco. Credit: Altered Orbit Studios.
Selaco is built on the GZDoom engine and so far is the best game I’ve played that’s made on it. It’s truly impressive. If I hadn’t known, I would have guessed it was made in a more recent engine. Environmental interaction, lighting, atmospheric effects, voxel-based 3D props, destruction, and more, lead to the game feeling modern and fresh. Selaco has full controller support and works natively on the Steam Deck. I played it on my Steam Deck hooked up to my TV with my 8bitdo Pro 2 controller and it was a great experience.
I found it a little bit easy to get lost in some of the maps, so I hope that some waypoint navigation features are added before final release. Nonetheless, the level design and environmental puzzles are clever. Despite its sometimes maze-like nature, Selaco’s world feels like a plausibly constructed, lived-in space.
Even though it was just released in Early Access, I can confidently recommend Selaco. It’s one of the best shooter experiences out there right now; its irresistible mix of modern shooter mechanics and boomer-shooter action feels fresh and exciting. It’ll be complete in 12 to 18 months, but it’s worth your while right now.
Selaco is available now on Steam Early Access.
Played on: Steam Deck
