The Aurigan Cave Demon, colloquially referred to as the "Space Monkey" by Sam, is a strange enemy introduced in Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Overview[]
The Aurigan Cave Demon is a strange monkey-like alien. These creatures are a race of nocturnal, predatory beasts that originate from an unnamed planet located in Beta Aurigae, of the Sirius Supercluster.[1] On their homeworld, Cave Demons inhabit dark and cold caves and are known to bloodthirsty and dangerous predators, waiting for unsuspecting prey to ambush in the dark. They have a dark, purplish-red body, consisting of only veins and muscles, numerous bony growths on the nape and the line of the spine, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and eyes that glow in the dark.
At an unknown point in time prior to or during the Mental War, Mental discovered their planet and made them a part of his army, although the reasons for doing this are not fully understood.
Application[]
Cave Demons are often spawned in areas with lots of columns and pillars, and usually in dark environments such as inside ruins or tombs. Their main purpose is to harass the player while trying to solve puzzles or distract them from other stronger enemies. They can be considered a nuisance whenever they appear.
Appearances[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
Sam first encounters a Cave Demon in an underground chamber in "Unearthing the Sun". Later on, Cave Demons are commonly spawned in small to medium groups. Their final appearance is in the underground chambers in "The Last Man on Earth".
Jewel of the Nile[]
Cave Demons are much rarer than in the Serious Sam 3 campaign. About three appear on '"Gathering of the Gods", and several more are seen inside the Small Temple in Abu Simbel in "Together Forever".
Behavior and skills[]
On their home planet, Cave Demons are regarded as dangerous ambush predators. Being primarily nocturnal, they are used to hunting their prey in the dark, and will refrain from open fights.[1] When they lurk hidden in the dark, only their glowing eyes and monkey-like chatter give away their presence. Their sharp claws enable them to cling to walls and ceilings, and wait in ambush until their prey is near.[1] Once their target is within suitable range, the Cave Demon will dive at the target and slash at them with their claws. This is their only attack and it deals minimal damage. A Cave Demon's strong hind legs enable them to leap great distances, and can travel several meters in a single jump. This way, they can reach otherwise unreachable positions that can make it harder for their target to reach them.
Compared to other enemies, the Cave Demon does not charge at the player like most enemies do, but instead lurks on columns, waiting for its opportunity to leap towards the player and attack. If there are no columns around, it will instead latch onto walls or jump onto the roof of buildings. If the player fights back but fails to kill it quickly enough, it will quickly jump back away and hide in the dark.
Tactics[]
- Unlike the majority of other enemies encountered in the game, it is not required for the player to actively seek out and kill Cave Demons unless there are a large number of them present in a room or if they begin to become an annoyance and hinder the player's progress.
- Due to their low health, they can be easily dispatched with the 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun or M29 Infantry Assault Rifle; their health is low enough to be taken out at close to medium range with the shotgun, so as long as most pellets connect.
- In Serious Sam Fusion, Cave Demons have even less health than before, now being killable with just two bullets (one in the case of the XM214-A Minigun).
- If the player is quick enough, the Double Barrel Coach Gun can be used to gib a Cave Demon at close-range. However, as they are quick, time and accuracy is needed to take them down with this weapon. Also, due to the gun's high spread and long reload time, it isn't very efficient against groups and it makes for a poor choice at medium range.
- The SOP38 Pistol can be used to take out individual Cave Demons that are clinging onto walls, though because it takes many shots to kill one, this makes the gun ineffective for groups.
- Using C-4 Demolition Charges to kill multiple Cave Demons that are hiding behind columns can be a bit of a gamble, as they may leap to another column or onto a wall just as soon as the C-4 explodes.
- The XPML21 Rocket Launcher is ideal for destroying the pillars Cave Demons like to hide behind, although this may result in excessive ammo consumption if the player focuses entirely on destroying the pillars, especially in large rooms like the one in "The Dark Bride". Its splash damage can also kill a few Cave Demons in the process.
- The Sirian Mutilator is an ideal weapon against a Cave Demon or small groups of them; the player should wait for the Cave Demon to leap out at them, then immediately step sideways and use the Mutilator on it. The beam will stun it for as long as it has been lassoed by the beam. It can be an effective way of quickly dispatching Cave Demons without having to waste ammo when attempting to shoot them.
- This may not be a very effective weapon to use on them, however, given the time it takes to to lasso a target with the Mutilator. The player also leaves themselves vulnerable to attacks from other Cave Demons while using this weapon on them.
- When a Cave Demon jumps at the player, they should shoot at it whenever possible before it gets the chance to hide away.
- Killing Cave Demons is not always necessary, but it is recommended if they are numerous in the room and the player needs to solve a puzzle quickly.
- Its loud shrieks are a good indicator of when it will strike. An experienced player can kill the Demon in mid-air or avoid it by sidestepping or moving backwards.
- Due to their low health and the fact they don't usually appear with other enemies, Cave Demons are considered low-priority targets. Trying to chase after them leaves the player vulnerable to more dangerous and aggressive enemies like Kleer Skeletons.
- Another strategy for dealing with Cave Demons, especially in dark areas, is to increase the gamma correction option in the graphics settings menu. This makes the screen brighter, and thus it becomes easier to see Cave Demons in dark areas and eliminate them.
Related achievements[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
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| Kill 5 Cave Demons while they're in air. |
Serious Sam Fusion[]
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| Kill 5 Cave Demons while they're in air. |
Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE[]
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| Kill 5 Cave Demons while they're in air. |
Trivia[]
- Due to its complex AI, the Cave Demon will sometimes glitch as it attempts to leap onto a pillar or wall, causing it to get stuck. This is more likely to occur in the original version of the game than in the Fusion version.
- The Aurigan Haemovore, another strange creature and a member of Mental's Horde introduced in Serious Sam 4, inhabits the same home planet as the Cave Demon, and also lives in the same sort of environment.
- Like with the Cave Demon, the Hamemovore can also be considered to be a "nuisance" enemy whose sole purpose is to harass the player and distract them.
- The Cave Demon is the only non-boss enemy in Serious Sam 3 that doesn't have a special player obituary message associated with it, even in the original version of the game. If a player dies to a Cave Demon, the resulting obituary message will always read "[player name] is missing in action."
- The Cave Demon has a much larger awareness range of the player compared to other enemies, as the music will change to the fight music whenever they appear before the player can even see them.
- It is unknown why Mental added Cave Demons to his army. It was likely just to annoy Sam or harass him during his mission to power up the Time-Lock.
Gallery[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam 3: BFE (First appearance)
- Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE
References[]