The Aurigan Cave Demon, colloquially named the "Space Monkey" by Sam, is a strange enemy introduced in Serious Sam 3: BFE and Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE.
Overview[]
The Aurigan Cave Demon is a strange, monkey-like creature. The Cave Demon belongs to a race of nocturnal, predatory beasts that originate from an unnamed planet located in Beta Aurigae, of the Sirius Supercluster.[1] On their homeworld, they inhabit dark and cold caves. 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. 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 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 on The Last Man on Earth.
Jewel of the Nile[]
Cave Demons are much rarer than in the Serious Sam 3 campaign. About 3 appear on Gathering of the Gods, and several more are seen inside the Small Temple in Abu Simbel on Together Forever.
Behavior and skills[]
On their home planet, Cave Demons are known to be bloodthirsty and 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 unsuspecting prey is near.[1] Once their target is within suitable range, the Cave Demon will use its claws to slash at their victims. Their 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, they will instead latch onto walls or jump onto the roof of buildings. If the player fights back, they will quickly jump back away and hide in the dark.
Tactics[]
- 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.
- 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 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 lots of them present 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.
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 their 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 that is part of Mental's Horde, inhabits the same home planet as the Cave Demon, and alos lives in caves.
- 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. 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 whenever they appear before the player can see them.
- It is unknown why Mental added Cave Demon 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