I highly recommend Selaco, even in its current early access state. The 31 stages/6 levels and bonus level offer up plenty of content that other devs might have released as a 1.0 product. The complexity in enemy AI behavior, particle effects, lighting, and level scale that the devs have been able to squeeze out of GZDoom is very impressive.

The gunplay is punchy and satisfying, with firefights devolving into bouts of intense chaos followed by downtime to explore and soak in the atmosphere. Those going into this expecting boomer shooter style run and gun game play may find themselves shocked by how quickly enemy squads can gun you down. On commander difficulty and higher, taking cover or dodging by sliding around is key, with some amount of planning and thoughtful tactics needed to handle the challenge posed by enemy squads. They feel coordinated and intelligent, regularly flanking you and adjusting to your play style by flushing you out if you are hiding behind cover or backing off if you are highly aggressive.

Outside of just the firefights, the additional mechanics keep the game play feeling fresh as you progress through the campaign. The invasion system keeps the enemies interesting by giving them new equipment and abilities over time, while the weapon unlocks, kits, and upgrades help you keep up with your own arsenal.

The levels are complex, varied, and oozing with detail. Since the game isn't constantly throwing squads at you and filling all of your time with action there is plenty of time to explore, and you are rewarded for doing so. There are plenty of secrets and environmental storytelling to stumble upon to learn more about the world. While the narrative isn't explicitly told to you in the current release, there are plenty of datapad log entries scattered about to learn more about the fall of Selaco and the story of its inhabitants.

I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the content this dev team has planned, Selaco is likely to be my favorite shooter of this year.