Selaco: A Brilliant New Shooter... Based on Classic Doom Tech!

[@SelacoGame]

It's an incredible honor to be featured on one of our all-time favorite channels. There are many things that took a considerable amount of work but aren't often talked about, so we're glad to see them brought up here. Fantastic video!

[@tyo101]

Thanks for all of your good work!

[@PixelBaller]

I'll buy it five times if you bring it to modern consoles!

[@MBeeching]

A pleasant surprise indeed. Congrats upon the launch, it's a superb looking title and I hope to pick it up in the not too distant future.

[@razor_no1]

Thank you for this game! We are looking forward seeing this on modern consoles like PS5 or Series X. ♥

[@meanmole3212]

Hi, where can I find the source code?

[@amysteriousviewer3772]

Indie developers are keeping the game's industry alive right now.

[@Im_Behind_You]

Always have been

[@Ghost-pb4ts]

In recent 3-4​ years they and Nintendo are the one who's taking the charge in gaming EA, ubisoft, Bethesda, Capcom, xbox,square Enix, Sony were average at best. Remakes remasters sequels live service, if you weren't gaming in recent years. I would say you haven't missed much@@Im_Behind_You

[@DavidHilton80]

Been saying this for years

[@devonmarr9872]

Imo AA devs are. Games like this are single A and are also helping for sure.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

Nope I haven't played an indie forever and I still have tons of amazing games to play in my backlog. Try again

[@DaedrinMolkre]

As someone who plays a lot of Doom in GZDoom but never really took time to look at any other content made using the engine, this is blowing my mind to see. I had no idea it could be used to make something like this. Absolutely gonna be getting this.

[@mikewhy709]

Definitely check out Ashes 2063, and Siren.

[@cikame]

@@mikewhy709 I'll add Hedon which is phenomenal, and Brutal Doom + the Extermination Day mission pack, it's a bit buggy but the best experience i've had on GZDoom.

[@DeadPixel1105]

Oh yeah, the GZDoom engine can do some very impressive things. I've even seen some GZDoom-developed games and tech demos that have graphics that are nearly on par with PS3 graphics.

[@lordshemp3324]

Total Chaos is also a GZdoom showcase.

[@icyjiub2228]

EVITERNITY 1&2 VALIANT ANCIENT ALIENS

[@xeniamorph]

OMG John just casually dropping "and in fact, if you type 0451 into any of the games keypads, you take damage" incredible stuff.

[@DarkReturns1]

What was the reference?

[@xeniamorph]

@@DarkReturns1 in system shock the first code you type in to unlock something is 0451, and many other immersive sims since have paid homage to system shock by also using 0451, so it's just a funny subversion of a genre staple and his matter-of-fact delivery really sold it for me

[@DarkReturns1]

@@xeniamorph that's hilarious, I was just playing the System Shock remake a couple months ago. I didn't catch that, thanks!

[@Baxtexx]

It's the game equivalent of the wilhelm scream un movies. 😊

[@dalton2k538]

Forgot to mention the developers send you a message in game to stop typing it in, telling you it's not an immersive sim if you do it more than once.

[@yoshivu8236]

Just like RE2 on N64, or even Doom on SNES, I'm always a sucker for art made under restrictions and limitations... it really pushes creative use of tools and advances in technology.

[@KevinJamesHannant]

Just imagine if they overclocked the BBC Micro 🤣 they could call it the Macho with Sinitta.

[@didyfinkise9033]

Game is amazing, people NEED to know about it.

[@MINI_91]

This is the type of game people should buy and support instead of AAA slop.

[@rodylermglez]

I have done a bit of gzdoom modding myself and I can add to this review that the level of enemy chatter revealing the state of its AI is amazing. That is no lazy job to accomplish on this semi-ancient heavily script-dependant game engine.

[@LainiWeiz]

Been having an absolute blast with this game, it honestly puts some AAA games to shame with the amount of love and care that's been put into it.

[@Wesker3107]

The game looks sooooo good. Had it on my wishlist for a while now. Thanks for the coverage, John!

[@sir.fender6034]

This game takes me back to the Unreal/Quake/System Shock days in the late 90's, early 2000's. Love it!

[@Cheynanigans__]

Played through Selaco after having it put on my radar by this video. Let me say, I'm blown away. Pre-release and STILL more polished than most games releasing. The enemy AI seemed very advanced and challenging, the graphics are pretty (especially in HDR), the puzzles are fun and adequately difficult without being senseless like some "puzzles" are. Guess-and-check trial-and-error stuff is NOT a puzzle, it's trash XD there needs to be SOME indication of what to do or where to go, and Selaco delivers.

[@EastyyBlogspot]

To go forward in gaming we have to go back

[@thebham95]

cue jack "we have to go back!"

[@desertfish74]

Sad, but true

[@andreabriganti1226]

Doom, Unreal, F.E.A.R. , Return To Castle Wolfenstein, Legacy of Kain, RE1 RE2 and RE3, Halo trilogy, SH 1 & 2 and many other games, all high tier in they'r prime. Compare those to what we get today and embrace the depression effect.

[@Pointman11111]

​@@andreabriganti1226 We got Trepang2 and Robocop tho

[@deathtoinfidelsdeusvult2184]

@@andreabriganti1226 elden ring, baldur's gate 3, hades 2, helldivers 2, yakuza like a dragon, cyberpunk after patches, . Although the "good" games are diminishing. There are still good games out there. The difference here is AAA titles tend to leave boomer shooters as a genre now , that indie most of the time the only one making it alive.

[@thaigrocer]

You had me at bespoke.

[@DeadPixel1105]

John really does love that word.

[@MadX8]

@@DeadPixel1105 "Bespoke" and "Mind you"

[@fabio78]

​@@MadX8and "this is key"

[@Khanemis]

It truly was a transformative word in this video!

[@tyo101]

That intro speech by Linneman was enough to make me curious about this game! The Steam Deck part of this video is much appreciated.

[@mangaas]

Trust me its good. If you've ever dabbled in replaying original Doom, mods like Brutal Doom, or the solo projects like Ashes 2063... this game is the pinnacle of that entire modding community. A polished, entire game of its own. Well worth the budget price.

[@SeeOHZee]

This game runs on Linux natively which along with low system requirements makes it great on Steam Deck

[@tyo101]

@@mangaas Thanks!

[@tyo101]

@@SeeOHZee Thank you 😊

[@Lord_Deimos]

These guys made a better Ion Fury sequel than Phantom Fury Also lol at Spongebob's house at 7:10

[@commandershepard9920]

ty; your one comment here is the best review I could hope for in regards to this game. I liked, but did not love Ion Fury as much as I wanted to, so skipped the sequel. This has my attention!

[@Jayy997]

@@commandershepard9920 Ion Fury is shit. No idea what people see in that game

[@baloghcsaba88726]

​@@Jayy997 It's a great game until the last third or so, and the final boss fight sucked ass. Phantom Fury looks crap though, not even gonna play that one.

[@sharpiefps7630]

​@@Jayy997what is not shit? Boltgun?

[@Jayy997]

@@sharpiefps7630 are you hallucinating? Who mentioned Boltgun?

[@SeeOHZee]

The GZDoom engine is single thread heavy in rendering performance. It shows when running the Project Brutality mod for GZDoom and especially with a bunch of addons. So I'm not surprised Altered Orbit is pushing the engine for this game.

[@mrsittingmongoose]

I believe they have modified the engine to be multi threaded. I remember talking to them about that, they put an unbelievable amount of work customizing the engine and fixing cpu issues was high up on the list.

[@theblobconsumes4859]

I'm pretty sure it's multi-threaded for this version of it.

[@richardthomas8371]

This game looks & sounds awesome! Definitely going on my wishlist & I'll check back in at 1.0. Would love to see John cover MULLET MADJACK on this channel. It seems like a game John would like, but more interestingly, I would love his take on the game because it is so fast, and the player has to parse everything happening on screen in fragments of seconds. So from a technical, art, & sound perspective it is a fascinating game to me.

[@nonnygb]

Had this on my wishlist for a while now. Played it yesterday on the OLED steam deck both natively and via Xreal AR glasses and yep... It's absolutely awesome stuff.

[@zq7246]

This is definitely one of the best shooters I’ve played. Everyone needs to buy it. This developer deserves success.

[@mhjmstultiens]

I instantly knew John was going to cover this. Seems like a great shooter. Love the fact enemies are reminiscent of Fear, in the sense they are very mobile and tactical aware.

[@Fazeshyft]

John, yours are my favorite videos of all of Digital Foundry. You've got your finger right on my pulse and have impeccable taste. Stellar work on this video.

[@randybobandy9828]

Absolutely, I probably wouldnt watch this channel much without him.

[@oneandonlyjark]

Linneman to you

[@lunex8783]

Excellent game spotlight, John. While I tend to share your taste in games and am aware of most of what you review, many people aren't and it's great exposure for the devs and viewers. May the indie projects LIVE ON!

[@TimI1S]

Thanks for showcasing this, I dig it. Going to wishlist it.

[@rangerpopo6702]

Finally a not frozen world that actually reacts to the player

[@thiagovidal6137]

9:02 Nah, they are clearly not just 2D artwork. They were obviously fully 3D modelled and animated then pre-rendered into sprites sequences.

[@milanpolak1793]

Well, GZdoom is capable to have 3d models, but having 2d artwork and voxels in Selaco is choice of developers.

[@thiagovidal6137]

@milanpolak1793 I know. What I mean is those weapon sprites are not really 2D artwork. They are pre-rendered 3D animations like Donkey Kong Country on the Snes as opposed to pixel art.

[@thiagovidal6137]

@RicochetForce Exactly. It is 2D sprites, but they are still 3D artwork.

[@IuriFiedoruk]

Nice to see some commercial projects using GzDoom. This engine is an old friend of us, Linux users. I loved how it did improve the game allowing you to target up/down, that is why th z (x, y and z directions) of the original zDoom comes from, while adding nice real 3D to the map and objects.

[@aL3891_]

Damn, those sound effects are really good

[@camehill4399]

Selaco was my number 1 awaited game of this year and it did delivered. Go buy it

[@malcolmar]

What an incredible looking and sounding game. I did not even realize the characters and guns where sprites. I can't wait to see how this game develops.

[@Shady272]

as a huge GZDoom fan, I was already sold

[@JS-rm2ws]

Back around 2005/2006, I remember I used to love playing Criterion's Black and to a lesser extent, FEAR by Monolith. Those two games made it fun just to fire a gun at nothing in particular. This video reminds me of those two games; I want this to be good. Haven't bought an FPS in years

[@plume...]

YES!! I'm so glad you are covering this, it's one of the best shooters I've ever played!

[@Simte]

Nothing like the breath of fresh air independent gaming brings to this industry.

[@Quizack]

As a developer, you couldn't ask for a better, more glowing review. What a achievement this game is. It's the logical conclusion of decades of evolution. Doom's effect on the entire gaming industry cannot be understated.

[@speedracer2please]

I tried the Next Fest demo and it's some of the most satisfying shooting I've played in years! I couldn't put it into words, but you nailed it. also Trepang2, for different reasons. Indie shooters are INCREDIBLE these days, beyond the brown boomer shooters

[@evostu7814]

“A Chaotic Ballet of Death” no way I could pass this up, downloading now.

[@mleise8292]

Ooh, indeed this does look intriguing. It blends the decades of shooters so smoothly. Like magic. "All the damage remains intact." - Awesome. :D

[@jjforcebreaker]

Very happy to see it covered here. Long live GZDoom!

[@retrosean199]

Another entry in the annals of games inspired by retro classics but that do things actual old games couldn't. Great stuff.

[@pipgoesthepossum]

Something about it evokes both Syndicate and Jedi Outcast to me. Love to see you covering something like this John. Great vid.

[@LeMMingSlayeR]

I got this game couple weeks ago and recently started playing it. I’m just about 11 hours in right now and I got to say it is amazing. I’m having a ton of fun playing this game, the enemy AI is smarter than most modern games and the retro aestheticreally takes me back to the classic boomer shooters.

[@lErickl]

is this types of mods that makes me see even more of how amazing the modding community is and how important they are to videogames, amazing game and thanks for showing this one.

[@JuhoSprite]

Dude I remember seing gameplay and being so hype about this years ago, now it got randomly recommended on an article to me again, so glad I found this once again

[@therealpizzagirl]

This game is absolutely amazing. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorites :)

[@rahulpandey9472]

I didn't knew about this game but this is right up my ally, I will buy it today, thank you DF for covering games like these.

[@OriginalChrizum]

This is one of the best looking games I've ever played and it's running on a hugely limited engine. Proof that art direction & interactivity trumps sheer power everytime.

[@spencerhon4430]

Really excited to finally play this game. I've had it on my wishlist for a while. Love me some GZDoom games!

[@fullauto86]

ive been waiting for this to become a full game since the demo came out, it just gets bigger and better over time. hell of a project

[@Gutter_bird]

Been a long time since anyone sold me on a game so quickly. Great video, John.

[@johnatanpole6942]

Game purchased! Thanks Digital Foundry!

[@KurtQuad]

This looks like something I would definitely play on my Xbox or PS5..Love the look of this game! And an another fantastic review :)

[@TheCrewExpendable]

Unfortunately it basically can't come the console. GZDoom is GPL3 licensed. tl;dr is that requires the end user (i.e. the player) to be able to modify and make copies of their own copy of the game. But Playstation and Xbox don't allow the player to modify copies of games they own nor do they allow you to copy it off the console's harddrive.

[@johnsimon8457]

9:36 - YES - that every other GZdoom mod uses the default menus, which are extensive to the point of confusion, you wind up having to use the search functionality to find what you want. so any improvements in this area, like better organization or separating the settings into Basic vs. advanced vs. 'really only for developers' would be welcome

[@Conoido]

what resolution should I play this on a CRT?

[@WarlordRising]

I love Quake and Unreal, and their engines have pioneered new technological landscapes for the gaming industry. However, the DOOM WAD community is truly something else. I look at it like the "too many cooks in the kitchen" analogy. This applies to most things throughout the artistic community. When you have a couple of dedicated developers using old traditional tech in new imaginative ways, you can sense the love that went into the product more than something produced by an assembly.

[@BlueShadow-dark23]

This game looks really fun, I love boomer shooters. That’s crazy that they were able to do all this in the GZDoom engine, devs are very talented.

[@1wayroad935]

Been playing the game. My only real complaint about it is that it's sometimes really hard to figure out where to go next. The moment to moment combat is excellent though.

[@kosmosyche]

Is there any way to make blood red? For some reason this purple jelly grinds my nerves. Repressed memories or something, idk.

[@rx1834]

I also got stuck a lot and found the level design lacking. The developer said it gets better, for what it's worth.

[@MadX8]

@@rx1834 Maybe it's because I'm used to those games but I find it very easy to navigate. As soon as you understand that you have to follow those green lights, it's good. Duke Nukem 3D is still way more complex than this imo.

[@MadX8]

Just pay attention to those green lights. As soon as you understand that you have to follow them, it gets easier.

[@Netsuko]

The level design and the attention to detail really remind me of a mix of Duke3D and System Shock 2. And that is a great thing! (I just realized that this was also mentioned in the video. Seems like I am not the only one)

[@MetalJody1990]

Looking forward to the full release. I played the demo about a year ago and loved it. I had to turn down some settings for a good frame rate.

[@GameplayandTalk]

Game looks pretty sweet! Thanks for taking a look at it.

[@cooperm211]

I picked this up earlier in the week and it's been excellent. Enemies really want to get in behind you and don't let you just do your thing - it's awesome.

[@brinewind8732]

There is just something about the look of this that lights my brain up like the 4th of July.

[@vaulttraveler]

I am glad you promoted the game, wow what a banger.

[@Bryan-T]

It's pretty amazing what people are able to get out of the gzdoom engine.

[@vanceg4901]

First thing I did in Selaco is decrease the size of the onscreen sight and make it red, similar to the sight I use in Battlefield 4, good to go with this fantastic game. Runs solid 60+ fps on my budget laptop with many settings on high. This one is fun to tweak. I'd put this right up there with Ion Fury/Aftershock. After dealing with Tomb Raider III mazes, I can navigate any level. Would like a Aliens Trilogy Remake by Nightdive Studios, they mostly dive at night...mostly.

[@danielberrett2179]

This team could do a faithful Perfect Dark remake

[@swaghigi1266]

It pleases me to know John/whoever edits these knows about myhouse and appreciates its artistry

[@vanceg4901]

#1 issue I'm having with Selaco is constantly getting lost. I'm currently studying up on how to read the map better to see where I've been and need to go and marking the map. I'm determined to figure this out.

[@JamesCook76131]

That’s definitely a gripe I had.

[@vonbleak101]

My favorite nostalgia gaming era is the late 90's to late 2000's - I was a teenager going into my 20's (born 1980)... So many great games from that time... I love the fact its coming back with games like this... Bring on System Shock 3 (if it ever actually happens) and surely we need another Deus Ex game by now - Imagine a retro inspired Deus Ex game that was more like the original 2000 game - Which for all young gamers out there, is hailed as one of the greatest PC games ever of all time...

[@DaboooogA]

Great review thanks John!

[@matuzaato]

Thanks for covering this game! Will be efinitely playing it

[@MM80666]

I'm sold. This looks (and sounds) sick!

[@cheapbstard]

OMG you literally play as Paul Blart, a securty guard lmao im sold!!! So i got it i played it, and its... its.. its good its REALLY fkn good.

[@campbellgilpin9256]

Does anyone know what the music is that starts playing around 1:30? Is it from Selaco?

[@DigitalFoundry]

It is from Selaco!

[@MrSpineduke]

It's the music that plays when you're in the safe rooms

[@FizZ2864]

I love the thump sound of the gun

[@omma911]

Wow, this looks insanely good 😮

[@lpcoolee]

Loving this game! This is a pure masterpiece I just can’t get enough of!

[@paul1979uk2000]

Didn't know anything about this game but it looks like my kind of game and I've put it on my Steam wishlist for when it's released. Speaking of the A.I. one of the Fear games, can't remember which one, but anyway, that was one of the first a few games that actually made me think more tactically on how I take enemies out, I could feel how the enemy was trying to outsmart and outflank me as I play and it kept me on my toes, and the remarkable thing about that, it's rare to see that in any other game even now, they basically have dumb A.I. that becomes easy to take on and doesn't adapt to your play, and I've got to say, it was rewarding that I actually had to think and keep on my toes as I played, unlike most games today where it feels like I'm just going through the motions once I've beat a few enemies, apart from bosses that is. That's probably the biggest disappointment in gaming today, there's so much obsession in pushing visuals that it feels like we are seeing little progress in areas of A.I. and physics, two things that can make a massive difference to a game if used right.

[@estefencosta1835]

Coding AI is tough because there's a difference between coding enemies that are smart vs. enemies that are fun to play against. But yes enemy AI is generally underbaked in pretty much every game.

[@nothingisawesome]

Thanks for the video John. I’ve been trying to tell people how it’s different than a typical boomer shooter so I’ll just send them here

[@Khanemis]

I would say there is also a bit of first Deus Ex in here, all that interactibility and the level design truly remind me of this classic as well. Anyway, it looks fantastic and it oozes atmosphere. Thank you for the video.

[@Saxappealed]

This looks great, props to the developers for using an older engine instead of going the "easy" route.

[@dcphillips1991]

This looks really cool, I'll be adding it to my watchlist.

[@windownpc39]

Did y’all hear that music towards the beginning? A rendition of the Resident Evil 1 save room theme!

[@zanegandini5350]

The sprite animation has a stop-motion look to it. I'm assuming it's pre-rendered, because Mortal Kombat 1-3 also have that same appearance, and I quite like it! I'd never guess this was made in GZ Doom though, as it looks way more impressive than anything else I've seen on that engine.

[@estefencosta1835]

GZDoom is capable of incredible stuff. You can build full 3D in it sort of like the original Unreal Engine stuff. It has so many features and capabilities that a lot of people don't use, but the option is there. The engine was further modified for this game which is probably why it seems so impressive. I think you're spot on about the pre-rendering as well. Gives it a very distinct look.

[@phrozac]

Had an eye on this one for years. It's one of the best boomer shooters ever and runs great on the Deck. The devs really did an amazing job and deserve all the success.

[@Ryuujin1078]

Old technology seems to breed and inspire new levels creativity which is a breath of fresh air with all the hyper realistic games that are starting to impress less and less, cost assfull of money and taking to damn long to make

[@joshuawalker7038]

That animation style is so satisfying, is the framerate of the character lower or something?

[@desertfish74]

Where can we find the source code of the modified engine? (Gzdoom is GPL licensed)

[@SijmenMulder]

It comes with the game, which is valid under the GPL. I’m hoping someone uploads it soon.

[@rometherevenant8749]

Didnt know about this. Now i want it

[@ChillTrades91]

This looks sick, nice video john

[@wertywerrtyson5529]

I’d love to see something like this but with powers like the biotics in Mass Effect. Casting throw, push and pull and singularity etc in such an interactive environment would have things flying all over the place.

[@l11l1venom1l11l]

Yeah. The labs in this game felt like the first day on the job in a gigantic building you never even got the tour of.

[@StalwartMan]

Thanks and I added to my wish list

[@romulino]

Is it finally out???? I need to make time for this, absolutely loved the demo! ❤️

[@oneandonlyjark]

Haven't actually heard about it until now -- or probably forgot -- and I hear about most releases. Lol

[@underwaves75]

I hope this will make an appearance on consoles. It looks great!

[@mikaeldannenberger6]

For a perfect 60fps disabling hyperthreading in powertool solves all ;) 720p/max settings for 13 watts on my lcd model (proton 9.0.1) @100 fov

[@TheDeeGeeNL]

Yeah, don't get fooled by the DOOM engine requirements. When i still had my GTX 1070 the Demo struggled at 1080p and i had to lower settings. One of the developers also made some fantastic GZDoom mods that are worth playing. Ashes 2063 and Ashes: Afterglow, with Ashes: Hard Reset on the horizon.

[@Squalid]

This game reminds me of Doom 3, a game that , I personally, love

[@krazykoolz88]

this game looks kool, I'll buy it when it officially launches