Ambitious shooter project Selaco has released a demo showcasing immersive world building and AI-driven sci-fi shooter and run-and-gun set-piece play. Selaco blends retro and recent FPS design, is built on the GZDoom engine, and is not only inspired by Quake and Doom, but also references F.E.A.R.'s AI design and the broader theme of destructible environments.

This is Selaco's second demo, an update to the previous demo released earlier this year. It is more thorough than the previous one, emphasizing environmental detail and AI behavior, with more of a "FEAR" influence as the AI recognizes the location of other AIs and works in tandem with them.

Perhaps the most interesting element of Selaco is its use of the "old" GZDoom engine, but it is set in a science fiction world that is intriguing on its own. In this world, Selaco is "an underground facility inhabited by refugees who have survived the destruction of the earth" and threatened by a new violent invasion.

GZDOom is a source port of the original Doom engine, which can be used to run older Doom games, but is becoming increasingly popular as an engine for making retro FPS and Doom mods. It also supports more modern lighting and graphics features; much like Unreal and Unity are used to create modern shooters, GZDoom was developed for retro FPS fans.

Selaco and its new demo are available on Steam. (Opens in a new tab) If you played the previous demo and want to know what's new, the patch notes are also available on Steam. (opens in new tab)

If you are interested in other innovative developments with the Doom engine GZDoom, check out this Indonesian FPS inspired by Portal. (open in new tab) [11].