SELACO | "It's Kinda Complicated..." Early Access Review

[@underthemayo]

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[@William-ne2tg]

Hell no I'm not giving you any money. Its already bad enough that you hide/block comnents that make fun of/disagree with you. E begging jewish behavior

[@SelacoGame]

Good review, but I want to chime in on the flashlight stuff. Saying it has no purpose or thought put into it is false. Lights in GZDoom are incredibly demanding, especially moving ones that are cone shaped. To avoid completely unnecessary FPS loss for the players who do not pay attention to their light usage, we turn it off for them to prevent huge FPS losses. Its why it recharges so fast, its just there to turn it off. If you want to use it again, wait a second for the refill. The other reason is how our game relies heavily on tightly crafted lighting setups in all the environments. If players turn their lights on once, theres a solid chance many of the casual players will never turn it off again. Potentially ruining tons of the atmosphere. This is the main reason why games do this. Could our flashlight battery be a bit longer? Sure. I agree. But i do not like the implications that we added it for no reason at all. Most games have solid reasons to do it, they just arent as obvious.

[@underthemayo]

That is totally fair. And since I can't edit the video to ADD that bit, I'll instead trim it out so that the critique is no longer included. Should just take a few hours. Thank you.

[@powerdove]

Thanks for the great game @SelacoGame. I've been waiting for it since Steam Next Fest a couple of years ago, rinsed the demo and was very excited when it went in to EA this past week. Probably my fav shooter I've played since Doom 2016 and up there with the all-timers for me in terms of visceral gunplay, weapons & movement mechanics. I can't wait to see what speedrunners do with the airspeed boosting! Hats off to the team for their work.

[@BOBINDUN]

Yo, can you add an objective marker to the game so plebians like me don't get lost?

[@BOBINDUN]

@@capybara-c4g fucking lame, might change my review to negative or get a refund then.

[@jedimindtrickonyou3692]

@@capybara-c4g I respect the developers staying true to their vision and making the kind of game that they would enjoy playing. Finding your way around can be tricky but it’s part of the challenge. It seems like they aren’t trying to make a game that holds your hand and tells you where to go, I find that refreshing since most modern games treat players like brain damaged 5 year olds.

[@danielx1224]

I think your criticisms in the review are very warranted and you shouldn't be afraid of backlash. I feel like people should be at their MOST critical during Early Access so the developer really gets important feedback now, and the issues have a much better chance of being fixed as opposed to a full launch.

[@justingoers]

Yeah it’s weird when people say stuff like “be chill, it’s still EA” to me this is the time to really lay it out there-when changes can still be made!

[@_..--]

@@justingoers idk I think all his issues are solved if he just plays on exploration difficulty. He is pretty bad at aiming, and situational awareness in FPS games and refuses to adapt and only plays in the most simplistic and narrow way possible. I'm glad the devs told him to kick rocks with his baby's first FPS ideas to make the game much easier.

[@protostar5946]

"you shouldn't be afraid of backlash." *Laughs in Ultrakill*

[@Marcusianery]

On the other hand, sometimes the game is simply not for people. I see people complain about the secrets. If the dev listens to that they remove parts which should be there. It is a fine balance.

[@KONSACZ]

Can't wait for Silent Hill 2 gameplay trailer breakdown

[@batmanbeyond5766]

lets be honest, we all know what he's going to say

[@melancholyman369]

Yeah, it was foul imo.

[@Andriej69]

I was fully expeting this today

[@slowmercy69]

Chubby Angela 😭

[@civilwarfare101]

I'm not sure if the lack of boss fights is really bad thing. This seems to be a "realistic" hitscan shooter where you fight "human" enemies, I can't think of a single game that does this that has good boss fights. Monolith even cut out the Paxton Fettel boss in FEAR because it was apparently hard to design.

[@underthemayo]

Well all good boss fights are hard to design. I wouldn't say that's a reason to not include them. And Fear's lack of enemy variety is a common criticism. 2 or 3 good bosses would have helped that.

[@civilwarfare101]

@@underthemayo That's true but how many human enemy hitscan shooters can you think of that has good bosses? I can't think of any. Those types of games tend to have really awful boss fights, they seem like a means to an end rather than well designed encounters. The worst parts of Trepang2 was when you were fighting the monsters in those awful boss fights.

[@prajwaljayaraj5887]

Massively underrated video, you explain things that others just never addressed in their heaps of praise. You actually explained the appeal

[@underthemayo]

Thanks!

[@randomdaveguy]

Oh dude, there is soooo gonna be a followup to this video. I went to this game expecting it to be hard as nails so I picked the medium skill and I was so surprised how softcore and forgiving it was. Up to the burger joint I felt barely any real pushback or rersistance and only at the Mall I felt like the game was finally expecting me to git gud. Then I watched a video by Fractal Cactus about several game mechanics that really affect the combat and it was like playing a different game - everything was clicking. After I beat the game I went for another round on Commander and took several additional difficulty modifiers to spice it up even more and it still feels too easy - yeah I have to replay some fights multiple times but it's more because I'm trying out different ideas all the time. Weapon swapping and reloading speeds are fine tuned with mobility options, environmental accessories and ways to take cover. This is the same DNA as Doom Eternal - there's a lot of stuff the game doesn't tell you about but when you learn it and apply then everything makes sense - dashing to the sides to dodge enemy fire and take cover, staggering enemies by sliding into them, punching them or throwing everything and the kitchen sink - that last one only works with most objects if you hold the attack button to throw it harder - I only figured that part out a moment ago and it opened so many additional combat options. It's such a rare situation where I even need to reload any weapon in the heat of the combat because slide kicks and melee attacks are so deadly effective that I can just keep switching to a different weapon and there is always one that is still loaded. When I do need to reload, swap weapons or wait for the shotgun cocking animation to finish I always make sure I'm behind cover or moving away. I never felt like it takes too long to do any of these actions. It's unfortunate that you started with a wrong difficulty level, If I did the same without knowing the ins and outs I probably would have a similar reaction. That's on the devs, but this combat system is a work of art. It's like a fighting game with guns in first person. I can bet money that it you will fall in love with it eventually.

[@underthemayo]

I already did a follow up, on the need for faster shotgun switching speed.

[@milagrosgutierrezmartin9506]

Critizising a game in early access is the best thing that can happen to it, so it can become better.

[@viddaz]

You really got me by surprise with the Dead Space reference Mayo. I was expecting DOta 2

[@underthemayo]

You guys know me and Dota2. Can't get enough of it.

[@jamalcharles9533]

@@underthemayo I was expecting you to say "Doom Eternal". I actually thought you were gonna troll your haters that like saying that you compare everything to Doom Eternal

[@eradicatedpulse6896]

@@jamalcharles9533 woosh

[@lopiananda]

i know it's just 2 minutes after the upload, but i know this one going to be a banger

[@moistraven1849]

I want to LOVE this game, but holy shit, I have zero clue where to go, every 15 minutes I hit a brick wall, backtrack, find nothing, head back, another 10 minutes wasted and still have no clue what to do. The gunplay is so good, I want to get back to it, but what i'm supposed to do just isn't clear (IMO, I know some of you will tell me you had no problems progressing, congrats, don't care. I just want to get to the good shit.)

[@bondapovon]

No, your absolutely right. I've been playing labyrinthine shooters for decades but I find the pace killing nature of the maps in this one to ruin the overall experience. I spend half my playtime blundering about lost.

[@tastefulavenger]

This shit is nothing if you've played stuff like System Shock.

[@GallowayJesse]

are you a games journalist by chance?

[@GallowayJesse]

​@@capybara-c4gwhere muh objective marker? why game not just tell me where to go??

[@chriskeith8462]

I downloaded the mod to shows where the key cards are at, it helps a Lil but wow I do get lost lol

[@ryanburke1656]

I'm knee deep in my first playthrough and I feel pretty similarly to you on most of my experience. Like, it IS good, but I also haven't found myself being like "man I'm having a lot of fun" you know? I end up feeling like a bunch of little frustrations build up until I want to take a break. I'm gonna finish this game, and I like it more than Trepang2 by a decent margin so far, but it's definitely not without it's serious faults.

[@FPSthetics]

Great review, and you brought up some valid criticisms here and there that I didn't think of myself (even if I don't agree with all of them) that while I know a lot of people get annoyed at you for being so critical, is obviously something that should be brought up so these games can end up in much better states later on. There's no use endlessly praising something if it means the shortcomings aren't addressed.

[@underthemayo]

Hey thanks a lot. Yeah sometimes these things just stick out to me and I feel like im crazy sometimes but I truly believe things can be better. Things that might be affecting people's experience that they aren't conscious about... Yet! And I wanna be a source for that discussion and possible solutions. Appreciate you. I'll check out your video soon.

[@FPSthetics]

@@underthemayo "Things that might be affecting people's experience that they aren't conscious about" Exactly what I mean lol, I played through the game three times for this and even then you pointed out things I hadn't thought about too deeply, so it's nice to hear your perspective on these things.

[@JustSheen]

Ngl Mayo, hardly anyone puts on their critique hat, I'm subbed because you're real like that. Rip new SH2 trailer, it killed almost all of the wind going to my hype sails.

[@underthemayo]

Thanks for sticking around

[@KONSACZ]

Good you are bringing this nitpicks to light so the game can ultimately be better. Hope more people actually provide criticism.

[@CAVEDATA]

Nonsense. Its an ego trip. He thinks tearing things down elevates himself. Type a psychosis common in critics. Its a trope.

[@KONSACZ]

@@CAVEDATA lol

[@commandershepard9920]

@@CAVEDATA Old comment but genuinely can't tell if being sarcastic or not. That's probably on me.

[@XzMondayNightzX]

My biggest complaint is I can never find the fucking way around these levels. I know what I need to do but I have zero guidance on where to look. I've been wandering around the streets with the construction site and the yoga place looking for a canister to restore power for 20 minutes. I'm getting flashbacks from Hedon and Bloodrite.

[@joshpelillo957]

I wish there was a LEAN function in this game. It seems half the time I’m just finding the enemies by just face checking them. The silent protagonist can work like in Return to castle wolfenstein, with BJ really only talking in cutscenes or with comic panels/diary entries like in Ashes 2063. There’s some interesting lore in the game but none of it is really pushed in a way that is interesting.

[@randomdaveguy]

There's no leaning because you can dash to the side to attack and quickly hide behind a cover. Also leaning would take up additional two keys and make the control layout much harder to manage and organise.

[@joshpelillo957]

@@randomdaveguy idk man it just seems that the dash doesn’t really come in handy as I would like. Maybe if the travel distance was better than I would have a more positive attitude towards it.

[@RacoonCitySlayer-cb6mo]

Well... I hear you on the key binds thing. Have you ever tried using ESDF instead of WASD? I started doing that with Doom Eternal and never looked back. It opens up so many more easily reached keys. Also, you type with your index finger on F. Why would you game with it on D? Seriously, just having the notch to recenter with if you lose your place on the keyboard is amazing!

[@underthemayo]

Yeah I've always been curious to try. But I like the shift and tab keys so much.

[@RacoonCitySlayer-cb6mo]

@@underthemayo I still use them. It isn't much of a stretch at all. In fact, my pinky rests on shift.

[@GangsterFrankensteinComputer]

@@RacoonCitySlayer-cb6mo as a man with big hands I completely agree with you, though I still use WASD as my thumb can comfortably hit 7 different keys and I have a 5 button mouse as well.

[@yikelu]

@@underthemayo I'm a ESDF user in DOOM Eternal. I still use the shift key fine. Never used tab, but I don't see why you couldn't.

[@pilot3605]

I used to be a console only player, when I started to play on keyboard I struggled badly....EDSF and using the side mouse buttons were game changers for me. Nowadays I don't play much in general, but I doubt I could ever go back to WASD. Even when just typing, the ESDF position feels "right"

[@benskx]

I really feel like this game tries to do too much, and while it does some things well, others I just don't get the point of. Like sure, I can turn off the lights in a room, or flush a toilet, destroy a stack of papers, etc. but why would I care about that stuff? The enemy encounters feel so few and far between that most of my time is just spent walking around these massive, empty levels. Some of the weaponry feels redundant too, like it's just there to pad out the arsenal unnecessarily. I went into Selaco hoping to love it, but in the end I just kinda feel like it's okay. It's trying to do too many things and as a result it feels like it's just missing something to make it a great game, sadly.

[@frequentfrenzied]

I just finished my first playthrough and I have similar feelings. There's a lot to like about this game, but there are so many points of frustration that happen frequently enough that they drive me to stop playing after 15 - 30 minutes. I played through on the very hard difficulty and by the mall level, I really wished that I could lower it. I had to resort to abusing quicksaves and trial and error far too often for my liking to get through the game.

[@anarchicnerd666]

nothin wrong with critique :) the whole point of early access is to give the devs feedback and help improve the project bought it, played the demo and loved it, i've no doubt i'm going to love this but i'm very half life and ghost recon pilled, not doom and quake, so the slower, tactical approach of the game and positioning based combat probably just appeals to me more. also booted it on my rig and it runs great - i use Garuda Linux and it's running natively with no problems, native linux games aren't common so that's awesome to see! i also run an RX 7900 GRE, so sorry mayo - i'm not taking your recommendation, i'm cranking every setting to "Ridiculous" and making my GPU cry :P now all they need to do is add Ray Tracing and the meme will be complete XDXDXD we already have "can it run doom" for Ti83s and oscilloscopes, now we need "but can it run doom" for the RTX 5090

[@TheRadioSquare]

Even with the downsides, this is easily the best game in the Danganronpa series.

[@ayolucablack4832]

had me in the first half ngl

[@seriousshuck3484]

I played it for a bit this weekend. I agree that the weapon switch speed needs to be increased. I think that the enemy encounters could be increased as well to balance this.

[@chadkleckler5180]

I'm so glad you made the criticisms you did. With the amount people praise every game they buy these days and the slapping of the jester emoji on every single bit of criticism on the steam reviews/forums, you can start to feel like you're the only person seeing these issues. I agree with just about everything you said here. The game almost feels at odds with itself or it's inspirations at times. You see this a lot with these blended inspiration or homage type games. You have slow movement speed but enemies are fast as hell. It takes inspiration from fear and pushes tactical play, yet there is no lean mechanic and much of the cover is destroyed in a fraction of a second. Forces you to peek corners, but the enemy reaction time and near hitscan speed of projectiles results in your slow movement speed being a death sentence or at least punishing peeking far too heavily. Levels are gorgeously detailed, but often feel claustrophobic and have a very similar look across all areas. Smoke looks great and obscures player visibility, but enemies magically see right through it. Just a ton of annoying things add up to me not having a ton of fun with the game as it is.

[@justinchoy476]

Even though I don’t always agree with Mayo man-I do absolutely agree with his critiques with Selaco. There were so many moments during the game where I was like, “This is what Civvie and everyone else on Indie FPS KZbin was hyping up?” Don’t get me wrong-I’m still playing the game and I like it-there are just a ton of mechanical issues that get make me not enjoy the game. Combat feels too stiff, and I’d argue one of the biggest reasons (that isn’t is an issue with visibility or animations) for why is that we don’t have enough movement mechanics or tools to evade damage. Like if the devs wanted to lean more into the tactical element instead of classic balls to the wall boomshoot-I would suggest a lean option so that way players can hold an angle without dying instantly. I think if they want the balls to the wall action, slow motion should also be a mechanic, so players can react to enemy movements and positioning like they do in trepang(although trepang also has invisibility to reposition). There should also be a buff to Dawn’s movement (not sure how much) and a sprint toggle so that way we can play more aggressively and defensively.

[@underthemayo]

Yeah, I had a feeling I would be an outlier in the "shooter community" with this one.. And that's in no way a slight at other channels. I'm not saying they're wrong to love it as much as they do. The issues that detract from the experience for me don't have the same affect on everyone. So I think my video is gonna be more relatable to those people who are like ".. does no one else have a problem with this?" There's still room to improve, I'm curious how the game will evolve. Because a lot of the action is great, it looks great, music is great. I think it could turn into something amazing.

[@justinchoy476]

@@underthemayo nah I love Civvie and all of them I just expected more.

[@LeflairZone]

Seconded, it's a "cautious tactical game" without a lot of tactical options (yeah sure, 3 mines and grenades, chokehold camping around corners) - with Doom like bullet sponge enemies that teleport in through walls and sneak up on you without sounds to 1-2-shot you. And I say that as a member of the "elite" holder of some

[@justinchoy476]

​@@LeflairZone I don't know if they teleport through walls per se, but they do sneak up on you with minimal sound given how much gunfire there is. Also, I don't like how the riflemen grunts take what feels like barely any damage from the AR but get exposed by pistol burst mode. I don't think you can even chokehold camp THAT well because of how you get shredded when you expose yourself to shoot the enemies.

[@LeflairZone]

@@justinchoy476 well, teleport = spawn in. Either inside walls (that then explode/open) or they come running in through previously locked doors or other places you can't go/check. In the heat of combat against several groups you can't easily keep track of every explosion. In FEAR you have slow-mo as an emergency button (and I think a bit more consistent audio cues from enemies).

[@Christopmj]

Your review is spot-on! I picked this up yesterday, played right up the the refund window and refunded it. I loved the combat, enemy AI, sprites and particle effects, master class... but after spending 30 frustrating minutes trying to find a keycard I missed, I dropped it. I didn't know if I was going the wrong way, if I had to go back to the previous level? I know that they glow blue, but so do a thousand other things in the game. A few moments of great shooter, then long swaths of searching every corner and getting lost constantly. Unfortunately, Selaco just wasn't the experience I was expecting. More action (which it does VERY well), less mazing.

[@francocentrone197]

Incredibly thorough review Mayo, thanks a bunch! When I played the demo a while ago I felt something was off but I couldn't put my finger on it. I'm extremely excited about this game, gonna try getting it now on Early Access but hoping it gets tons of fixes then, surprised to hear that there's not much story going on besides notes for now...

[@altairfaltore7261]

As much as it hurts, you are right about everything except the one-liner part.

[@altairfaltore7261]

Don't know about the pin-up part for I explicitly know that the lead dev does not want their game to fall in an Ultrakill situation with the fandom nor the public image of their protagonists. One liners are one of the main reasons I could never stomach Duke and Dawn is not the first silent protagonist who does not let anything about her be known in games.

[@56bturn]

@@capybara-c4g The devs actualyl answered why she's not quippy; the situation is genuinely fucked, and she's zeroed in. The stakes are extreme. She's not a happy-go-lucky devil-may-care shooter protagonist. She's a Captain in an armed service dedicated to protecting the LAST of humanity and humanity is on the brink.

[@EmeraldCoasttt]

I think my biggest problem with selaco from what I've played is the automap. Doom's automap and especially gzdoom's is great for understanding where you need to go, with usable walls plainly marked. Selaco's automap is uniform lines and the map markers don't give as much useful information as i'd like, although I'm very glad what's there is there. Marking movable objects required for progression is an extremely good decision

[@StarKnight001]

10/10 review the slow pacing and the large empty areas really pissed me off.. when ever i have a great time with the combat and am starting to love the product, the game switch to these slow long exploration sections and they suck.. am sorry, the level design is really weird and very hard to digest especially in your first playthrough everything looks the same, it's not easy to progres in these levels not because they are deep and intelligent.. but because they're not well made and structured it's like am playing quake 2 in 2024. if we had more combat and more bosses and enemy types + good story and voice for the main character.. and better pacing/ level design.. the game would be AMAZING

[@RichardPhillips1066]

My youtube feed is nearly full of folks doing uncritical indy previews, or lists , its actually quite hard to find decent reviews of non mainstream stuff , so thanks for your honesty

[@arzelleus]

Loved that musical lead-up to... Deadspace. A very satisfying misdirect.

[@Urine666Deity]

It's technically impressive for sure + the guns feel hella good, but the level design is kinda tedious and it feels like there should be more combat (pacing is bad/mid, i agree)... feels bad to say lol but i might refund it for now. Really well-made video btw

[@boknowspiano]

Ok, so it ISN'T just me, it IS hard. Thank you for the most important information in this entire review Mayo, which is that I can't change difficulty. I was playing on Captain/Very Hard and trying to brute force myself from checkpoint to checkpoint. It felt so good to triumph over a combat scenario, usually with my rechargeable health of 35, and 8 bullets left in my gun. What made me put it down yesterday was when I fought my way to the Juggernaut, he killed me in two shots, and then I was sent ALL the way back to my last autosave in the Storeroom. I needed a break after that.

[@underthemayo]

Yeah I think it's odd there's no checkpoint before him.

[@godgaveyouhands2848]

@@underthemayo you can manual save at any time dude lmao

[@godgaveyouhands2848]

@boknowspiano just manual save

[@CC-oi8gr]

I liked Selaco, but holy hell were there some insane difficulty spikes. One thing that REALLY got old though was the amount of times you were about a half second away from coming across allies, only to round a corner and find them either retreated, or all dead. I swear it happens about 10 times throughout the game. The whole game i feel like I'm supposed to be catching up to my compatriots holding the line, and the invasion is unfolding infront of me, but since it's framed that way, NEVER interacting with another living soul or always having them be just out of reach was incredibly isolating. This woman has comedically bad timing.

[@ryanartward]

The criticisms are quite fair. I felt the same too. The lack of direction wasn't a huge issue for me, at least not in a second playthrough when I already know where to go. But in a silver lining sort of way, it actually allowed me to run into hidden areas which gave me significant boosts and upgrades. Despite the slowness with movement and weapons, I guess I try not to think of the game as a boomer shooter akin to Doom. I made myself think more tactically. Reload all my weapons before the next encounter. Put mines where I need to. Stock up on health. And set up an ambush point. And then I found myself enjoying it a bit more.

[@peterarackal5236]

i hope the devs fixes the stuff mentioned in this video, the flashlight concept is cool but it is not needed. The weapon switch and reloading animations needs to quicker and swifter.

[@optchurch1402]

Why? There is a reason why developers tune the timing into switching weapons/reload time, this isn’t a boomer shooter, it’s more fear/half life/doom 3 kind of shooter, it’s a homage to 2000s fps, it’s more tactical, paced and planing where to go so the enemy doesn’t flank you. The devs even a few comments up explained why the flashlight is the way it is. And I completely understand, to me I think developers should make the game they want to make how they want to make it, and it’s a massive bonus if people like it too. Not oh some people don’t like the reload time we better change it to cater to those specific people instead of those who are completely on board with what we’re doing

[@peterarackal5236]

@@optchurch1402 what was the reason for the flash light?

[@emptyblank099a]

@@optchurch1402 Its not tactical if you can't peak corners or use stealth. As soon as you knock one guy out the entire place is lit. Fear you could atleast peak corners and ambush the enemy. The flashlight having a timer is also silly since this isn't a horror game.

[@ejh7698]

I agree with pretty much all of your critiques. We need more speed, the enemies are fast, need a bit more boom shoot. The swaps and animations. Also adjusting the difficulty during a play through. Great game, excited for it to get better. Solid review!

[@dan.w.2432]

I think your criticism of long switching and reloading animations are kind of a subjective preference for a game oriented towards more running & gunning and less tactical positioning. The animations and reloading are tuned to create periods where you are vulnerable and need to seek cover. It sounds like the difficulty wasn't right for you? I definitely think you should be lower difficulties mid campaign. There are a ton of games that have built on doom and very few that tried building on the tactical combat of Fear, and a big part of what makes tactical combat tick is a push & pull between you and enemies that is created though vulnerability.

[@ThoughtsFew]

I really enjoyed the tactical slow mo bicycle kick combat in fear.

[@Eric_Nomad_Hixtone]

It's not run n gun at all. You die in seconds. Some fights on hard level REQUIRE you to find a secret entrance to the arena w some advantages or it's impossible to beat. At least that was my demo impression

[@dan.w.2432]

@@ThoughtsFew Hah, you can still do that in Selaco, but I still think gunfights should have a push and pull, and that means creating periods where the player vulnerable . A lot of the design and the interactive items in Selaco are just oriented around creating cover and defense for this reason.

[@johnspartan2096]

It dépends on weapon,switching to your pistol is far faster than switching between the AR and the shotgun.

[@justinchoy476]

Yeah but a) with how quickly you can get swarmed-you need a way to answer the situation quickly. Hence why Mayo mentioned the slow weapon swapping holds it back. b) since you mentioned FEAR-there is a reason why FEAR has Reflex and the ability to lean. It’s so that way you can avoid damage while holing a angle by leaning against a wall for cover, the ability to react to the enemies movement with reflex (and creating a way to ambush them), and having good movement to evade damage when you need to retreat. Selaco doesn’t give you any of that except running with a metal barrel in front of you which is only so serviceable.

[@LanceOmikron]

I really appreciate your review style, Mayo. You paint a very good picture of the game's mechanical identity, as well as giving a very good idea of its strong and weak points. I like the unvarnished honesty with both the praise and the critique. The game itself looks pretty darn impressive, especially given the engine its running in. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this one, though I'll probably wait for some of its issues to be resolved before playing. I'm hoping to get a really good first impression when I eventually do play. ^_^

[@an0m1c7]

Incredible how this is the only honest review about this game so far

[@underthemayo]

I don't think that's the case. I know some people that played the game multiple times and this kinda stuff just doesn't stick out to them. We all come at things from different perspectives ya know?

[@StrajaDanGG]

Thank you for this review under the mayo. Its important to share your thoughts and be honest. Im skipping this one too, as Im more into faster paced shooters. Not all games need to be ultrakill, but its important to figure out what you like. I feel that under the mayo is more into faster paced shooters as well, therefore being more critical of the slower ones.

[@underthemayo]

Yeah, and pacing is really just for the first playthrough (which is the most important). The pacing is smoother on replay.

[@ZylonBane]

Something you fail to mention is that the dark grey enemies are literally the least visible elements in the hyper-detailed bright neon environments. Well-made shooters, especially ones from the Doom/Build era, understood the importance of making the enemies more visually distinctive than the environments. Selaco gets this exactly backwards.

[@AzaIndustries]

There's a setting that makes enemies brighter.

[@godgaveyouhands2848]

the enemies have brightly coloured visors and muzzleflash

[@LuckyJensenn]

Man I want to love a GZDoom game but so far besides the voxel enemy mods I haven’t found one that has me coming back. The ones I’ve played just seem too Doom adjacent or too self-indulgent, and has me going back to the original. Nothing beats original vanilla Doom (and its sequels) for me. Hopefully this one changes my mind. Looking forward to your thoughts on the new Silent Hill 2 gameplay

[@HerculeDevantrien]

_"They hated him, because he told them the truth."_

[@dmdjt]

Your reviews are currently the most valuable to me, because I'll actually know if I'd like the game at hand. We look for slightly different things in games, so you will often dislike something I like (or the other way around), but that's easy to account for.

[@bloodyzombies1333]

Great review, Mayo! I appreciate that you're always willing to give such thorough constructive criticism even if it risks backlash.

[@underthemayo]

If I didn't, I feel like the people who still watch me would be really disappointed. And I wouldn't be happy with my work.

[@MrMadXenomorph]

I haven't played the game since the demo they released like 2 years ago and it was a completely miserable experience. Without a doubt my main problem was level design. You're moving through a labyrinth so cramped you can barely stretch your hands, every room looks exactly the same, there's a ton of visual noise with like 40 light sources per area, but still everything is just grey grey and more grey. As if that wasn't enough, 90% of the gameplay was just walking around looking for stuff to do. The amount ot times I had to backtrack through the entire area multiple times in a row was unironically giving me a headache. I can play Titanfall or Doom Eternal for hours without feeling any dizziness, but Sulaco was so exhausting I had to quit after like 90 mins. The shooting was literally the only part I found to be fun in this game. Did they fix any of these issues?

[@LeflairZone]

No, I'd say that level 2-3 are even worse than the first(demo) level in that the maps are *even bigger* and now they're brown/worse lit. There's a few more linear parts after that, but the map opens up to some huge (somewhat nice looking, but pretty empty) areas - but then you're just spending a lot of time running/sliding across an empty map looking for stuff to do/fights. Almost all areas have parts where you need to look for a button/switch that opens a gate "somewhere" else on the map (no indication), find a keycard to open another door "somewhere else", and the worst ones - find a big heavy battery "somewhere else" to drag to a machine to power a button to open a door "somewhere else". If you time it you'll spend more gameplay doing these "puzzles" and backtracking than engaging in the pretty good (would be really good and fun with some mentioned fixes) combat system.

[@MrMadXenomorph]

@@LeflairZone thx for letting me know

[@LeflairZone]

@@MrMadXenomorph You can always check out some stream or video of longer gameplay to see if it fits your cup of tea. There's no story spoilers to be had (because there's not much of a story in the released episode 1).

[@davitsk1]

I also played the game on commander difficulty, and didn't find it that hard except for a few moments. Would have chosen a harder difficulty, if i could have switched mid-way. Except for that great game. I really enjoyed it, except for a few moments where i was stuck. happened maybe 2-3 times, and i'm to blame for not focusing more on the map/and the objectives (The clues are there). The game ended just when it got really interesting and hectic, oh well - we just need to wait for the 2nd chapter.

[@TLPWRlifter]

I'm definitely not a fan of under the mayo but I respect nearly every critique he made in this video and believe that the game will be better if the developers listened to his criticism. With that being said I don't agree with his characterization of the game I think it's much better than he suggested

[@bertruger]

I played the demo before and though I liked the game, I had found similar issues for me like the limited movement and slow weapon switching. I also wished you can shoot behind cover by peaking out. I bought the game today but seeing your criticisms makes me want to refund it. I'll probably buy it again on full release and if they made significant changes on the combat and back tracking. Edit: re-purchashed it again bundled with Mullet Madjack for a 20% discount. I'm going to check if the shotgun switching will cause me some problems during combat.

[@davidgipe997]

Ok, its been a bit since I've checked in and that fakeout cue was hilarious.

[@ThisHandleIsDefinatelyTaken]

thanks for helping me thwart the impulse to become a paying beta tester

[@underthemayo]

You wouldn't even be a beta tester. It's two freaking days.

[@plume...]

It's a fantastic game, but the 1st person weapon animations locked to 30fps whilst you can unlock the world to a billion fps is pretty jarring. The game "Sable" suffered from this too. The main character and npc's are limited to 24f/30ps, as was the game when it first came out for a "Cinematic look". People complained. The devs then allowed an unlocked fps in the options. Great!! Unfortunately having a game world running at 90fps yet all the char animations are still at 24/30fps is a bit shit :(

[@Lonely_Gamer85]

You really got me Mayo with that part" it starts with D..."😂

[@MrDowntemp0]

I haven't had this much with a video game in years. I don't agree with some of your criticisms, but you raise very good points. The Dev team seems real passionate and open to this sort of feedback though, so let's all hope 1.0 is as incredible for you as EA is for me :)

[@thedootslayer3339]

Having like 3 different assault rifles and only one shotgun makes me kind of sad. I want more super shotguns yk...

[@godgaveyouhands2848]

are these three different assualt rifles in the room with you right now?

[@thedootslayer3339]

@@godgaveyouhands2848 sorry, not assault rifles, I meant rapid-fire guns, like there's the assault rifle, the smgs, and the Penetrator, but only one shotgun....

[@godgaveyouhands2848]

@@thedootslayer3339 fair

[@samv2023]

I agree with nearly everything you said The movement and animations are too slow. This is meant to be a hectic game, so, apart from the gameplay benefits, the player ought to be frantically moving. It would make it much fairer and more fun. I second the pacing issue - it definitely does feel like 'ah! things are gettting fun!' ... then it's over - this gets frustrating. The story telling part is also lacking - getting to know who the player is, why they're doing what they're doing, what her main goal is. You can get a bit of a sense of this from reading data tablets - and I think this could be a great way to tell the majority of the story - but I agree, more is needed or clearer. Enemy ambushes when backtracking would help a lot too - like you said Visibility is too much of a problem also - when fighting, it takes next to no time before you can barely see the enemies or what's going on, because of all the smoke Some things you didn't specifically mention that I thought of : The dash movement should be longer - at the moment it is so little that it's barely worth bothering with. I also didn't like was that you cannot dash forward - you should be able to slide forward, but when that move is no longer available, you should be able to dash forward also.

[@r.g.thesecond]

I mean, getting the rhythm of animations down is important in many games, and if an experienced FPS player like you found them too long it probably means they didn't get that rhythm right. I don't think shortening those animations is the way to go because I personally enjoy it when tactical games nickel and dime me on how much time I get to switch weapons. Makes the action much more deliberate.

[@underthemayo]

Well look, I'm okay with long reloads. Long recovery. But taking a full second to put a weapon down and pull out another in a game so fast is just annoying to me.

[@MakBot]

NOOOO EVERY FPS MUST PLAY LIKE MUH DOOM ETERNAL!

[@un-for-given]

Welcome to this new episode of “Mayo hates everything”.

[@Player-10]

My exact thought when I saw the title 😅

[@badpiggy4177]

He didn't hate it at all lol. If anything he praised the game a lot in this vid Along with some constructive criticism

[@rawmaw]

14:16

[@Player-10]

@@badpiggy4177 have yet to continue the vid but the impression he often leaves is critical. I shall have to watch the rest

[@underthemayo]

I think he's just playing. Though these days it's very hard to tell.

[@fourohsevenfishing]

i had to refund it, for some reason i got 7fps anytime a gun fires no matter what settings i change

[@JPROP-vb7sv]

Weird. I get like 240 on a 3070

[@fourohsevenfishing]

@@JPROP-vb7sv never dipped below 144 until the second an explosion/gun fired then it dips to sub 10fps. i actually repurchased the game yesterday and was able to fix it by plugging headphones in 🤷‍♂

[@ktynn]

Imagina a Left 4 Dead style coop survival shooter in this aesthetic/engine. With hordes of enemies and tactical survival gameplay. Ugh. Untapped potential!

[@ThoughtsFew]

I enjoyed the demo so much. I don’t think I’m signing up for what this game has ultimately chosen to be. Key cards and pass keys in random pda’s can rest in piss.

[@thegrimreaper7]

good riddance, no one gives a fuck

[@Urine666Deity]

Wtf I feel exactly the same

[@theblobconsumes4859]

I personally love the combat a lot more than you do, but I do hope all your criticisms are addressed; I do think the game would turn out better without the issues you pointed out. Except for the visibility problems. I didn't have any issues with that.

[@danielx1224]

The Messenger OST in the review❤

[@VRGalaxy_762]

Selaco seems to suffer from a bit of an identity crisis. It sounds like this game is very ambitious in what it is trying to do and I think there is some merit to that. However, the overall execution does seem to be a little haphazard. I remember playing the demo a long time ago and feeling the same back then. I for one would really like to see a mini map implemented. I can only speak for myself, but having grown up in the era of Wolf 3D, Doom, Quake, Unreal, etc.--what I like about those games is that you could just easily pick them up and start blasting away for a few hours of fun, without always having to worry about dying or getting completely lost on the map, without having a map to reference, or barely having any ammo/health/items to pick up. Don't get me wrong--I have been anticipating this game just like many others and I do think it looks cool, especially the art style/aesthetic, but the steep difficulty/no map/getting lost & turned around/lack of drops, etc does put me off. All the empty backtracking, long train rides between level areas, etc. reminds me of how System Shock can be very arduous. I do hope they continue to work on the game and take these things into consideration. I think the game has a lot going for it and I do want to see it succeed! It does look like a blast! I'd just like to see something that overall is easier to pick up and play.

[@avoo6069]

There is a mini map.

[@VRGalaxy_762]

@@avoo6069 AFAIK, there is only a map which you can toggle on as an overlay, but not a constant-on mini-map in the corner HUD.

[@zer0dave]

Who else heard the Batman NES level 1 and TMNT NES under water bomb level music?? 😎

[@GangsterFrankensteinComputer]

How does the level design change as the game progresses? Looking at the gameplay I've seen, it all looks like the samey corridor/office environment in the demo with no verticality. Also shoutout to those great crosshairs, love them lol.

[@underthemayo]

It's kinda samey, as you're just moving through the city locations. I didn't mind it so much after a few hours but it's a valid criticism. And no, there's not much verticality to combat.

[@LeflairZone]

There's a few outdoor areas with flying enemies or snipers up above (or behind you), and a few 2nd floor windows you need to platform your way up to (or... slowly drag a bunch of barrels around to reach, sigh).

[@GangsterFrankensteinComputer]

@@LeflairZone I'm on the fence about it. I'll keep an eye on it though as ep2 and 3 might really mix it up. I actually just realised if this is in GZDoom it's probably quite flat as you can't have movable areas above/below another moveable area. Unless you go and perform a load of trickery like myhouse.wad

[@LeflairZone]

@@GangsterFrankensteinComputer yeah not a bad idea to wait for the next episode in... hopefully not 4+ years. One patch came out pretty quick to adress like 3 of my pet peeves with the bad rifle damage, player armor being paper tissue and enemy speeds being zoom-zoom vs the player (although no adressed for all enemies).

[@theoutsider0724]

Are you planning on making a video on the new Silent hill 2 trailer?

[@underthemayo]

Yeah tomorrow.

[@PointlesslyNecessaryConvos]

I’m ready for those thoughts on Angela lol

[@theoutsider0724]

@@underthemayo I have a feeling it won't be your calmest video lol

[@underthemayo]

@@theoutsider0724 it's kinda 50/50.

[@Ninjadonkey100]

Game is incredibly unbalanced, between the bland enemy visuals that blend into the chaos, their prefiring that is just a tad too over the line, the overabundance of visual clutter and bullet spongy designs. The weapon roster feels bloated and confused, weapon switching needs to be much faster. Enemy pain states more consistent. Ai seems to just ran at you with a two way split for directions, its neat that they flank but the level design rarely compliments this.

[@rawmaw]

i feel like games that looks and plays exactly like this releases daily on Steam. it's really weird.

[@nonenothing4412]

Name 10 games

[@rawmaw]

​@@nonenothing4412 Prodeus, Turbo Overkill, Warhammer 40k: Boltgun, POSTAL: Brain Damaged, ROBOBEAT, Dread Templar, STRAFE, RIPOUT, Phantom Fury. That's more than 10. You might disagree with me, and if you're lucky they'll have a different setting, sure. But then ask your parents to differentiate any of them. That's not me saying any of them are bad... tho some are... but HOLY SHIT WE DON'T NEED THIS MANY.

[@nonenothing4412]

@@rawmaw yeah man I get what you mean but I respectfully disagree. I'm an fps veteran (30 years of experience) and I haven't finished most of the games you mentioned for one reason or another (Prodeus - stupid checkpoint system, Boltgun - sequence of boring arenas, Phantom Fury lacks any fun at all etc). Yet I have 300 hours in Trepang2 and Selaco will probably get at least 50 from me. It's a matter of taste I guess because I was a huge fan of FEAR series.

[@nonenothing4412]

@@rawmaw I agree on the FPS scene being oversaturated atm but nobody forces us to play all of them haha. Get the ones you like and enjoy :)

[@FPSthetics]

@@rawmaw As someone who has beaten Selaco multiple times now, none of those games feel similar to it, barring maybe Phantom Fury which if you've heard most people thought's on it, would not recommend. Sure shooting enemies is in all of these games but the level design, progression, feel, atmosphere and all are completely different feeling to Selaco.

[@maddawgzzzz]

I have no idea where I’m going in this game. I returned it on steam. Maybe I’ll buy it if they fix this issue

[@AlyxxTheRat]

Those are very fair criticisms. I think you CAN adapt to a lot of this as you play, as I have, but if it is a problem for you then you obviously should voice that opinion.

[@adamkallin5160]

The game is really hard to read visuallt. Not sure if that’s on purpose but doesn’t feel like the best choice for a brutal, fast paced shooter.

[@BEkov-kd8cf]

I'm enjoying Selaco a lot, but I do agree I feel you are far too sluggish in many ways. I get that the idea is to take cover and be tactical, but it's a bit too much imho. Lower dash cooldown and a bit faster movement speed would go a long way for sure.

[@optchurch1402]

Maybe it’s just not the game for you? Example some people disliked halo when it came out, slower movement, 2 weapon limit, regen shields. But that’s another reason why there are massive fans of the games, my self included. Selaco is not a boomer shooter. It’s a game heavily inspired by the more paced shooters shooters of the 2000s. Fear, half life, halo, doom 3. All slower games, with reloading and an incentive to take cover. I get the impression the devs want their players to be more tactful with when and where you reload and also the best time to take cover.

[@Vaznazza]

this a good review, very fair points of criticism, hopefully the devs take it into account!

[@mazenmarvel7342]

Where's that dmc4 review, man???

[@granglerarcade1950]

You stopped me at puzzles no thanks but good video and bitrate

[@underthemayo]

I try to do everything at 1440 now

[@MalibuRacer102]

Hoping this comes to console at some point. Looks fun!

[@benprins8240]

Absolutely excellent review, I love fps, gzdoom, atmosphere and secrets. So there's a train between levels? Ah that's ok to me, so it's $29.25 Canadian for me, think it's worth full price? Would you score it a 9 out of 10?

[@underthemayo]

I'd give it an 8. But definitely a recommendation.

[@underthemayo]

Taking a break. I'll get there

[@benprins8240]

@@underthemayo k

[@MrExnihlo]

I wanted to try the old demo, but couldn't because it didn't have gamepad support. I have a disability so I have to use my pad. I couldn't understand why it wasn't available because GZDoom has had amazing built in gamepad support for a very long time. So I went on the steam forum and made a post simply asking why they had turned off gamepad support. I said I thought the game looked awesome and was bummed I couldn't play the demo. The dev responded with a one word sentence: Yawn. Also, he had me permanently banned from the forum. I'm playing the game right now. I didn't get it from steam, if you know what I mean. The game is really fun, but the dev is an asshole and also total genius who clearly doesn't need my money or support. lol.

[@Blackmark52]

Flashlight that runs out : Good grief, Alyx told us that such a flashlight was flawed kit years ago. And a multitude of bindings to contend with. *ouch* I play left-handed, and it's hard enough to figure out how to make right-handed games playable as it is. (nothing can be worse than RDR2 though, that sits collecting dust.)

[@tomaspardo2013]

I agree it is a tad slow. Faster weapon animations could be added as upgrades along the campaign.

[@marianellaslovak6553]

havent seen the video yet does it mention the all ion fury ripoffs? gman did but only on the surface its actually lotsa more

[@underthemayo]

No. I only played ion Fury once 5 years ago so I wouldn't know.

[@Metaphoricallyamaan]

Ripout review next ?

[@moreauclement9702]

Welp, I saw that one on steam frontpage and just skip it. Time to put it on wishlist then.

[@melancholyman369]

Played this beauty, and it's noice 👌 I do wish there was more environmental interactivity ala Bioshock but there's plenty of in-sim interactivity so that's a subjective take. The gore is great and varied; foes get torn apart, mistified, maimed, and they paint the walls. Sure the blood is purple but it works because it is so dynamic. And yah F%$k note-based storytelling.

[@gregoryberrycone]

really don't understand the hype behind this one. it looks... fine? the first (ironically) red flag i saw was the purple blood in the early trailers. id almost rather have no blood in the game, it just looks stupid

[@kaporal890]

The Ai is great ,still i've liked Prodeus a lot more , in fact even Project brutality take the cake the win for me (even with the bloated weapon problem that PB has).I don't know , to much walking around without action , puzzle for puzzle sake without actual story outside of notes that i don't want to read . I think It has the boomershooter DNA but without the mindless fun . The AI is the best thing about selaco imo. the rest is just a few a step above Meh , imo

[@AintPopular]

Destructible surroundings is insta W

[@GoodTalkHQ]

Thanks as always Mayo!

[@monkey4386]

ill buy the game when its fixed and fully released. getting kinda tired of early access tbh.

[@SteffenHarder]

You just want every game to be D.......ead Space!

[@danielx1224]

This game is Eternally Doomed to not be as good as Dead Space

[@paulgerald1985]

I appreciate that when you provide criticism it always comes from a place of trying to be constructive. Helping the dev's make their creation better in legitimate ways, and not just nitpicking for nitpicking sake. When you level a complaint about a mechanic of the game, or an issue with the games systems (FOV, borderless windowed) it is for a legitimate reason. Keep up the good work Mayo!

[@underthemayo]

Usually! When I'm mad and personally offended by a game, constructiveness goes out the window lol. But you guys only get 1, maybe 2 of those a year. Starfield and Redfall last year.

[@CartRay-gf2tp]

@@underthemayo idk man u went full mayo on ur trepang vid

[@underthemayo]

@@CartRay-gf2tp I didn't. I never called Trepang2 bad. I put it in my best of the year video. I just criticized aspects of its design that don't make sense. Not my fault the fanbase is a bunch of weirdos that can't handle it.

[@CartRay-gf2tp]

@@underthemayo all seriousness are u a rage baiter or is this your actual stance?( in general i mean)

[@gilbertlopez2333]

We love ya mayo. Keep criticizing. Hit us with that silent hill 2 remake review! It’s just resident evil hill 2

[@underthemayo]

I saw that camera glitch out as he walked through the door.

[@mikedunlap7917]

Thank you Under the Mayo

[@ab_shootin]

salute for the review...even with the criticisms...i dont get why critiques get frowned on when they are merely suggestions...like you are going out of your way to ruin the game for folks by saying the issues you had with it....weird...but lookin forward to takin a dive

[@GangsterFrankensteinComputer]

Early access developers want the criticism too, to refine the game.

[@deathgun2792]

this looks impressive

[@corbtv]

Game feels tedious to play. Movement sucks (muscle memory kicks in to run and I awkwardly slide instead for some random duration), I have constant ocd and need to sniff every corner in case I missed some secret or something - especially because so much of it is interactable. The shooting turned into strafing behind the wall every shot. I dropped it after the first juggernaut.

[@Ninjadonkey100]

The juggernaut encapsulated the various issues I have with the game perfectly. He's bullet spongy. Hes perfectly accurate within a split second. He has an atrocious leap attack and oh boy I sure do love poorly animated sprite jumping around in GZ.

[@kar-en-tukmuhporkchops2961]

Imma be honest for the backtracking segment i genuinely thought you were gonna compare this to resident evil lol

[@underthemayo]

Could have. Same principal, but too different of circumstances because of the resource limits and combat avoidance.