Welcome to the last hall of humanity, the only hope for the surviving Earthlings, and one of the most thoughtful, fast-paced, and entertaining FPS games in a long time. Which makes Selaco even more exceptional given the game’s Early Access status, and one that all action-hungry gamers should take a close look at.
Mixing equal parts Alien and Doom, with a good dose of inspiration from Fear, Selaco offers a happily polished experience. As the attractive Dawn, you attempt to fend off an alien attack on the facility that bears the game’s name, something that is largely accomplished by dealing the evil a quick death with the many weapons at your disposal.
Enemies with a distinctive yet inhuman appearance are pulverized before your eyes. Guts and rainbow colors splatter everywhere, and each well-aimed shot from the game’s blaster shotgun causes invaders to explode like confetti-filled balloons. You hear the surviving enemies screaming at each other from their cover positions, while the remains of their comrades decorate the walls, floors, and ceilings of the room.
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Each confrontation can be compared to a well-orchestrated hell, where chaos is distilled at its finest and where your opponents actively converse with each other. They flee in fear, seem to plan their moves, seek cover, comment on your weapons, and more.
Selaco’s destructible environments and over-animated and alive enemies that crawl through rooms bleeding long after death are just some of the elements that add incredibly to the game’s atmosphere. Yes, Selaco can be another boomer shooter, a nostalgic and well-constructed FPS with a wink, where two-dimensional attackers are both a farce and a genuine threat.
But ruling out Selaco on that premise alone would be almost criminal. Because beneath its polished, retro-inspired exterior simmers what could almost be described as a kind of secret sauce. And it’s about more than just the way the world feels on the ground, the numerous pods and their upgrades, all of which are balanced, well thought out and comfortable to use.
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Because even two-dimensional enemies feel strangely grounded in a way I haven’t experienced since Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. Each piercing shot has a glorious volume and weight to it that’s hard to describe: palpable and brutal, full of power. Often to the point where filling enemies with lead will send them flying across the room. It’s an incredible feeling, only enhanced by the hugely satisfying interaction the world around you offers.
Every battle is simply an unprecedented spectacle, with effects up to eleven times the intensity and violence made even more intense by unexpectedly intelligent enemies. Because while they offer few interactions similar to those in Fear, the resemblance is striking and if you squint a little, it’s difficult not to be convinced. There’s more going on under the hood than you’d initially like to admit.
In fact, it’s impressive how much Selaco has to offer so soon in Early Access, and not least how well polished and crafted everything looks. Even something as small as the balance of pacing, with platforming and puzzles in between the intense and engaging action parts.
Even in these quieter parts, the complexity is thankfully moderate and there was never a moment that felt frustrating. There are no elaborate puzzles or maliciously designed jumps.
However, it must be mentioned that Selaco can be tiring. Because while the many weapons you have are effective at dishing out kills, the same goes for stamina, and even on normal difficulty I found myself dying frequently. More than many of the many FPS I’ve played over the past few years, so getting used to using quicksave is good coaching advice.
It’s almost difficult to do Selaco justice with words, and even at this early stage the game is packed with content, which certainly makes you dream of what’s to come when it finally leaves Early Access sometime next year. To be honest, the only real downside to Selaco at the moment is its relatively short lifespan, which is no doubt reflected in the price.
After all, for a £20 investment you get one of the most well-oiled and explosive retro games of recent years, with gameplay that will make your hair stand on end. Selaco is brilliant, deliciously chaotic, and mixes the best of the genre’s most iconic games into a sweet, fragrant, ultra-violent stew that’s impossible not to love.