The table refers to the original version, but the images are taken from the 2009 “HD” remaster. I felt like treating myself. The multiplayer offers, in addition to the standard cooperative campaign, deathmatch arena modes. These modes can be played via local network, Internet, or split-screen (the latter being limited to four players).
Deep-sunken memories resurfaced while playing Serious Sam, when monsters rushed at me from all sides. I could start by talking about Smash TV or Robotron but that would be rather predictable. Let me share a more personal association:
Dare I say that Serious Sam is to Doom (or Duke Nukem 3D for the modernists) what Eat Mine is to Boulder Dash (or Emerald Mine for the well-born aesthetes)? At first glance, it appears to be a vulgar knockoff without scope. “Flat” and uninspired levels, but crammed with monsters to the point of making the floppy disk burst. The result is extreme difficulty, which could be deemed unfair, and a unique style (perhaps unintentional), a sort of rhythm in chaos that united a generation of fans. I must acknowledge that the Eat Mine fan club is rather quiet at the moment. In any case, the similarities in leveldesign jumped out at me…
More obvious, of course, is the resemblance between Sam Stone and Duke Nukem (right down to the alliterative surname), two archetypal 90s heroes, dressed in jeans, trainers and t-shirt, with macho personalities, dispensing rockets and one-liners at anything that moves.
Copycats? Certainly. The Croatian studio cut their teeth with a shameless plagiarism of Sensible Soccer titled Football Glory (Amiga, 1994). At least for Serious Sam, they distinguished themselves from the countless clones of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom or Duke Nukem 3D, popular in the late ’90s, by making the effort to develop their own 3D engine (it was then cheaper than licensing contemporary technology). The engine in question proves particularly sophisticated for its time, capable of displaying vast environments enhanced with convincing lighting effects and populated by dozens of enemies, all without slowdown on a mid-range PC. And while I cannot judge the merit of this last accomplishment, the monsters, rendered in 3D, have the property of exploding into little pieces!
Visually, the game closely resembles Exhumed because the entire campaign takes place in Egypt, but the style differs radically. Serious Sam is exclusively focused on combat, providing a more substantial arsenal, but as I hinted above, little care was given to architecture, exploration or story.
The environments alternate between tight passageways and vast open arenas, allowing us to see enemies bearing down on us from afar, but in such great numbers that we generally end up overwhelmed, despite our extravagant firepower. Among the iconic (and noisy) enemies: the kamikaze, a headless, bare-chested man who runs straight towards us screaming, before exploding on contact; and the quadrupedal skeleton (kleer) which superbly embodies the expression “trotting along the long road”. We encounter these two troublesome beasts, like the rest of the menagerie, in excessive and continuous waves…
The second trademark is these perverse traps, between waves (or concurrently), devoted to tormenting the player relentlessly. This can be stimulating when well executed. For example, the giant Indiana Jones boulder, precariously balanced at the top of a slope, at the end of a narrow corridor; or the time I was locked in a cage, when monsters invaded the room and began to encircle me while growling, before the four portcullises surrounding me rose simultaneously…
Alas, the majority of these ambushes take the form of lazy “scripts”, where crossing an invisible line triggers the teleportation of monster hordes at close range, and often behind our back. Not 30 seconds would pass without hearing me shout “That’s disgusting!” (among other colourful exclamations). Even the traditional secret caches containing weapons, ammunition and armour are largely trapped, making their pursuit not necessarily worthwhile.
This type of script isn’t new, Doom and Heretic employed them, but it’s a question of dosage. Like jump scares in horror films, it quickly becomes tiresome. Moreover, the levels lack personality and differentiation, as the same monsters abound everywhere, without apparent planning. I find Serious Sam absolutely delightful for the first two levels. Beyond that, frustration and boredom gradually take hold. It’s certainly a different story in cooperative multiplayer.
Another missing element, which could have alleviated this fatigue, is the array of secondary items, transportable by the player and usable wherever they please (examples: Heretic’s tomes of power, or Duke Nukem 3D’s holograms, which added a touch of tactics).
The series nevertheless has a reputation for being more “technical” than other first-person shooters. While it’s certain that the difficulty is very high and that I play like a wet noodle, I would put into perspective a technicality that largely stems from memorising enemy spawn locations and the number of rockets to dispatch at each type. The rest of the time, it’s merely a matter of shooting whilst backing up and turning (“circle-strafing” if you want to shine in society).
The serious uncle’s devotees will still assert the absolute necessity of constantly changing weapons to adapt to the enemy before you (“dancing with weapons”). Personally, I like having the choice, and once a game provides me with a double-barreled shotgun, I’m content to use only that (it’s my only fond memory of Borderlands 3!). This approach is not advisable in Serious Sam, due to the multitude of fast enemies that attack in close combat. Our avatar, very fragile, doesn’t seem advantaged at close range (even though I must admit I sat on the knife for too long).
To be thorough, other details irritated me tremendously: the flashing notifications on screen calling attention to uninteresting blocks of text (they are fortunately less visible in the remaster); doors through which we entered that lock without reason, preventing us from going back to collect armour deliberately left behind; and above all, that unbearable screech uttered by the giant scorpions at every turn!
Here, a gift. To be listened to on loop for half an hour for an authentic experience:
In addition to the countless mods and arenas created by players (the original version came with a level editor), the series has seen about a dozen sequels, expansions, adaptations or re-releases. I shall only mention the most notable ones.
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Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (2002)
Near the end of the first game’s development, they decided to divide it into several parts (originally three, but only two were released). Of the forty or so levels created, only 15 were included in First Encounter, then 12 more in Second Encounter. The latter shouldn’t be confused with Next Encounter, which is a console exclusive (GameCube and PlayStation 2, 2004), developed by another studio.
Second Encounter is thus a collection of additional levels serving to recycle ideas they didn’t have time to implement in the first episode. It installs independently (no need to own the first game). Some refinements were made to the 3D engine, the AI was modified (enemies execute encirclement tactics) and eight new monsters bolster the bestiary (including the iconic cucurbito).
Regarding equipment, three new weapons (the sniper rifle, chainsaw and flamethrower) perfectly complement our arsenal, for both long-range and close-quarter work. Some power ups also make their appearance (super speed, invulnerability, and the Serious Bomb which eliminates all monsters on screen).
The action takes place this time in South America. The levels exhibit a more experimental character. There’s notably a traumatising sequence where our character, as well as the enemies, bounce uncontrollably upon touching the ground. Other passages with modified physics, or rotating wall sections are particularly random and irritating.
Finally, like its predecessor, it’s mind-numbingly repetitive. Although fewer in number, the levels seemed endless to me.
The HD remasters incorporate several additional modes, notably “survival” against infinite waves of enemies and team deathmatches. I recommend waiting for Steam sales to purchase them. I found First Encounter for €1.49 and Second Encounter for €1.99 (the right price, in my opinion, for games over fifteen years old). Launch them through the Serious Sam Fusion interface, which will be automatically and freely added to your library after purchasing either of these games.
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Serious Sam 2 (2005)
It’s the eccentric cousin of the family, whom we avoid mentioning. It seems to have been disowned by its creators, who didn’t include it in the various compilations and re-releases that followed. This episode is much more cartoonish and colourful (to the point of not always being able to distinguish enemies from the scenery). I wonder if the style wasn’t “influenced” by Fable (2004), particularly when villagers cheer the hero as he passes. The story is completely zany, the humour isn’t sophisticated, but I applaud the exuberance! It’s a game that, at least in its release year, fully embraced what it was: an inexpensive and entertaining piece of tomfoolery.
Combat seems simpler and more “unleashed” than in previous episodes. It’s no longer necessary to change weapons for each type of enemy (the shotgun, notably, works well at medium range). Some purists actually snubbed it because of this. Moreover, it’s possible to drive vehicles at times, or operate fixed turrets. They also incorporated a (rough) system of physical object management, which theoretically lets you stack crates to climb on them and reach hidden items. Speaking of crates, you won’t be surprised to learn that this title doesn’t score highly on the Time to Crate scale either. This is a satirical method that evaluates the degree of imagination in level design by measuring how long it takes the player to encounter the first crate…
Against all expectations, Serious Sam 2 was updated in 2021, inspired by the passionate work of the amateur modding community. They added various options, such as disabling this incongruous limited lives system, granting the ability to sprint (same way as Lichdom did…), and most importantly, being able to equip two weapons simultaneously (combo weapons). The difficulty is reduced but that suits me perfectly. It’s a gentle way to take my revenge, after what the previous episodes put me through. Only problem, I couldn’t find how to activate the sniper rifle’s zoom in this mode.
Oh, of course, I still find reasons to grumble. Despite notably more varied enemies and environments, the levels are still just as flat and linear. I also found myself several times stuck on the wrong side of a door that opens and closes, and won’t open again; forced to commit suicide to continue (oh, the liar). Like its predecessors, perhaps even more so, the beginning amused me before the game and its humour dragged on. By the end, I couldn’t take it anymore. The counter indicates I played it for 16 hours. It felt like triple that!
Incidentally, I notice that mapping movement controls to the keyboard arrows is no longer offered by default. It claims to be old school and doesn’t use arrows, pfff…
However, it’s not my fault if square monitors have disappeared from shops, so the original 80-degree field of view is no longer feasible! I suggest pressing “²” to access the console and copy-pasting the following command: “plr_fFOVOverride=100”.
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Serious Sam 3 (2011)
No pictures, I’ve had my fill. Serious Sam 3 takes the opposite direction, a “photo-realistic” visual style that some judged dull and conventional. Fans didn’t appreciate that certain weapons now required reloading. Personally, I played it years ago in co-op. I didn’t find it bad, nor particularly memorable…
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Serious Sam 4 (2020)
Buggy at launch, poorly optimised (even more so on consoles), justly slated by critics, because releasing an unfinished game is unacceptable. It certainly wasn’t worth its price yesterday. Today, on sale, with a powerful PC, I think I might be tempted one day. The Siberian Mayhem expansion is, apparently, very good.
