Selaco

Every reviewer of this game is legally obligated to mention that it runs on GZDoom and a lot of the things in it are pretty impressive knowing that they've all been built on top of Doom, and the game certainly doesn't discourage you from making that comparison considering that it's full of references to Doom's modding community. But beyond that it seems to have learned all the right lessons from every FPS released since - it has the enemy AI of F.E.A.R., the puzzle design of Half-Life 2, the storytelling and tactical combat of Halo, and the wonderful exploration of Duke Nukem 3D, all while retaining Doom's perfect control feel and aesthetics. It has a great atmosphere too - beyond the superficially cool sci-fi aesthetics, the story, the difficulty, and the more intelligent enemy AI combine to make this game feel like you're up against overwhelming odds, and the reason you've survived while the rest of Selaco's inhabitants are being wiped out is mostly due to sheer luck. I'm super glad to have been introduced to this game by Civvie 11, and I look forward to finishing my campaign, then replaying the game when Episode 2 comes out. Since the devs asked for criticisms in Steam reviews, I have a couple, though I'm not sure if they're actionable: - The world of Selaco is huge, and I appreciate that, but it's sometimes a little too big for its own good. Every map, let alone every level, is big even for a modern Doom WAD. In some levels it's very easy to get lost for long periods of time, which is sometimes a positive opportunity to appreciate the scenery, but sometimes devolves into running in circles looking for the next thing. - Since most of the objects are voxels, and the ones that aren't have lots of rotations, the dead enemies, which are flat billboards with no rotations, end up looking really weird and jarring when looking down at them. It also looks jarring in Doom, but that's why I turn off freelook and play the old-school way, which doesn't seem like an option in a game as advanced as Selaco.

Complimenti, bel gioco.

Absolute blast to play; the guns feel great to shoot, the AI is aggressive and mobile and the quiet moments don't drag on too quickly

Hidden Gem

I mean ♥♥♥♥, this game feels really good to play, the gunplay is crunchy, the enemies feel like actual, intelligent soldiers you're fighting, but before you buy it just know that you're getting an IOU in the place of good level design. The game starts strong, but then quickly derails the "good pacing-train" and takes a sec to get back on the track. This is all ready to be fixed though in an imminent update, so I'd still pick it up while it's on sale and play it in its current state, especially to see how the game improves over time. Good ♥♥♥♥ regardless, especially for a shooter made in GZ Doom that somehow barely even feels similar to Doom. (Minus some obvious ♥♥♥♥ lol)

This is the game Ion Fury aspired to be.