Egypt

                   

This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

Egypt
General information
Location	Africa, Earth
Status	Destroyed (Serious Sam 3: BFE timeline) Active (other timelines)
Destroyed	After the destruction of Earth (Serious Sam 3: BFE timeline)
Usage
Affiliation	Earth Defense Force (formerly) Egyptians Sirians (formerly) Children of Amon Ra (formerly) Arc-Al-Magi (formerly)
Era	Old Kingdom (Serious Sam: The First Encounter timeline) Mental War (Serious Sam 3: BFE timeline)

For the level in Serious Sam: Tormental, see Egypt (SS:T).

Egypt is a location that has appeared in many Serious Sam titles. It is one of the most frequently visited locations and plays a pivotal role in the series.

Overview

Egypt is a country located in the northeastern corner of Africa. It has one of the longest histories of any country, and is considered to be a cradle of human civilization.

History

The Great Pyramid is a famous landmark in Egypt.

Egypt has a very long history spanning back many thousands of years. Many cities and large settlements began with the rise of the Egyptian Empire. Around 3000 BC, an advanced extraterrestrial race known as the Sirians discovered Earth during their interstellar travels. They sent a scouting party to the planet, and upon arrival, landed in Egypt and established contact with the humans.

The humans were astounded by the Sirians superior technology, and worshiped them as gods. The Sirians took advantage of this and had the Egyptians begin massive construction projects in their favor, such as the Great Pyramid of Giza and some of the largest cities in ancient Egypt. While the Egyptians were busy with the construction projects, the Sirians, in secret, built massive plasma generators and other large complexes underground. Two of these generators were built under Karnak and Luxor, which would activate the Time-Lock when powered up.

Rise and fall of the Egyptian Empire

In exchange for the construction projects and the way the Egyptian people treated the Sirians, they helped the rise of the Egyptian Empire. Two large cities, Memphis and Thebes, were built over the generations. Memphis was a civic town, and considered the greatest during its time, while Thebes served as a sacred place and the heart of the Egyptian religion. The Sirians also lived in Thebes for a while, especially in Luxor. Eventually, the leaders of Memphis became unsatisfied with Thebes' influence over the people of Egypt, and started a massive riot. During the riot, the leaders of Memphis stole many religious artifacts, such as the Sign of Amon-Ra. After Thebes had been raided, the survivors locked their doors and sealed the city, essentially cutting off contact with Thebes and the rest of Egypt.

The Sirians' demise

Soon after Mental found out about the Sirians and wiped them out on their home planet, the survivors on Earth found out about the genocide of their own race, and fell into a deep depression. Riots, violence and the like began to consume the whole of Egypt. With the city of Thebes having been looted as well, this sparked the downfall of the Egyptian Empire. Torn apart with the battles for power, exhausted in wars with many countries that they conquered, and without any help from the Sirians, the Empire soon fell apart. Soon after, the Sirians went into hiding in Luxor and were never seen or heard from again.

Shortly before their extinction, the Sirians felt humanity wasn't yet advanced enough to use their superior technology, so they sealed away their structures and devices hidden underground, and they kept their spaceship, the SSS Centerprice, hidden on Saturn's moon, Titan. As a further precaution, the Sirians kept their devices locked with special doors which were impervious to any known human technology. However, this didn't mean they didn't want the humans accessing their technology, so to solve this problem, the Sirians hid keys that could be used to unseal the doors. Additionally, the Sirians left behind various clues, puzzles and hidden mechanisms deep inside many of the Egyptian temples.

A major discovery

Around two thousand years later, in the year 2063, humans discover the devices and structures left behind by the Sirians, including the Time Lock. Places where Sirians left major traces were Abu Simbel and the Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, where they left the Time-Lock. Mankind soon began making astonishing discoveries by taking advantage of and reverse-engineering the Sirians' technology. This discovery had a profound impact on humanity, and eventually led to them making interstellar travels and establishing colonies in other star systems, such as Alpha Centauri.

Appearances

Serious Sam: The First Encounter

Egypt is the location where the entire events of The First Encounter takes place. After entering the Time-Lock, Sam ends up at the Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut in 1378 B.C. He makes his way throughout Egypt, and has to pick up the four elements of water, fire, earth and air, and then place them inside the city of Memphis. He learns from NETRICSA that there is an important artifact inside the city that he will need for his mission, so he makes his way there. He goes deeper into the city, where he obtains the Sign of Amon-Ra, though he doesn't know what its purpose is for.

Sam next travels to Thebes, and NETRICSA tells him that from the Sirian pictographs she has analyzed, he is supposed to use the Amon-Ra item in a sacred temple that the Egyptians used to invoke a ritual for the gods. Once he makes his way inside, he uses the item and a rising obelisk appears from the ground, which transmits a signal to Saturn's moon Titan, where the SSS Centerprice was placed by the Sirians. With the ship on its way, he makes his way to the Great Pyramid. However, as Mental knows that something is up, he sends in Ugh-Zan III to stop Sam for good. As Sam's weapons are no use against Ugh-Zan, Sam retreats into the pyramid and activates the Centerprice's security system inside. Once he makes his way to the top of the pyramid, he finds that Ugh-Zan is there waiting for him. He manages to kill Ugh-Zan by activating the ship's laser cannon on him. With Ugh-Zan defeated, Sam boards the SSS Centerprice to Sirius, but not long before something collides into the ship, sending it down to Earth again.

Legend of the Beast

Set after Sam enters Memphis, it turns out that the Sign of Amon-Ra was not inside the Temple of Ptah as NETRICSA had previously thought. She tells Sam that a religious cult, the "Children of Amon-Ra", have stolen this relic and given it to a verocious, man-eating "Ram-God" as part of a sacrifice. She further explains that this creature is likely to be inside a large religious building called the Grand Obelisk. To get the Amon-Ra artifact back, Sam travels through the numerous yards and temples until he finally makes it to the Grand Obelisk, where the "Ram-God" is waiting for him. Sam, thanks to some clever thinking, kills the beast and obtains the Amon-Ra item and makes his way to Thebes to complete his mission.

Serious Sam Advance

Sam is sent back in time to ancient Egypt to start his quest after the events of The First Encounter. Prior to the game's events, scientists have found a way to manipulate the Time-Lock into sending someone to any time period. In Egypt, as usual, Sam notices that Mental's forces are there to stop him once again. He keeps fighting them on until he reaches the Sirian Sphinx. After killing him, Sam is ready to be warped back home, but, due to Mental's tampering with the Time-Lock, is instead sent to ancient Rome.

Serious Sam: The Random Encounter

After traveling back in time, Sam returns shortly after and reports that "The First Encounter didn't go according to plan. Instead, he is sent further in time to kill Mental. After making several allies, Sam and his friends fight their way to the Great Pyramid as they are being chased by Ugh-Zan, even when they go aboard the spaceship. The trio manages to kill Ugh-Zan, and nothing is known from that point.

Serious Sam 3: BFE

Taking place before the events of The First Encounter, Egypt is set during the 22nd century in Serious Sam 3: BFE. During this time, humanity have discovered the Time-Lock after nearing the brink of extinction. However, as they are unable to know how to power it up, a scientist known as Hermann Stein took interest in the matter, and began conducting his own research.

Like The First Encounter, the events of the game all take place within Egypt in various locations. The first few levels are set in Cairo, and then in Giza, Karnak and Luxor.

Jewel of the Nile

On Sam's way back to headquartes, Wilson escorts Sam to the island of Philae, as it turns out the Time-Lock didn't come online, even though he had turned on both plasma generators. Quinn suspects that there is a 'fail-safe' mechanism inside the temples on Philae, so Sam is sent to investigate.

With a Sirian Seal bearing the marking of Isis in his possession, Sam heads into the Tomb of Isis and unlocks the door, only to find a metallic key, rather than the Time-Lock control room he was looking for. Quinn spectates that this key might unlock something inside a temple in Abu Simbel. Sam makes his way there via motorboat, and solves a complex riddle involving the statue of Ramses the Great and his wife, Nefertari. Inside the Great Temple of Ramses, Sam is disappointed to find yet another key. Quinn deduces that the key bears the seal of Set, so with any luck, it should open a Sirian door inside the tomb of Sethirkopshef.

Sam makes his way over to the Aswan Dam, and eventually reaches the tomb of Sethirkopshef. Inside, he succeeds in finding the Time-Lock control room, turns it on, and the Time-Lock comes online. Quinn says that a helicopter is on its way to extract him. Before he can make it out, however, he first has to deal with Raahloom, the Imposing Prototype, an extremely tough Scrapjack Mental has sent to stop Sam from escaping. Sam kills the beast using C-4 charges and Wilson arrives to pick him up and take him back to HQ.

Serious Sam: Double D

Sam is sent to Egypt to investigate a crystal beacon after he tells NETRICSA that he has defeated Mental. She grows suspicious of Sam after noticing that Mental's forces are in Egypt as well. He reveals that he had taken a vacation and decide to shut down NETRICSA for a while, and that Mental is still alive.

On his way through Egypt, Sam enters a pyramid and discovers a Jump Pad inside. He clears the pyramid of enemies and encounters the Chimputee Battle Master soon after exiting it. He kills him and, soon after, a strange green crystal emerges. NETRICSA says that this crystal is the beacon that they were searching for. He destroys the crystal after learning it has a connection to Mental. Once he does, he is teleported back in time to the Jurassic period in Nova Scotia.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour

Setting place after The First Encounter, Sam enters the Temple of Ptah to find the Sign of Amon-Ra. Soon after exiting the temple, Sam finds out about the Mental-Altani corporation and uncovers their reasons for being on Earth. Sam makes his way to Alexandria, and he discovers that one of Mental's commanders, Major Slick Stinger, has been stationed there. It seems that he is responsible for sending so many of Mental's troops down from the north. After Sam kills him, he makes his way out of Egypt and boards a ship departing to Greece.

Sam returns back to Egypt to resume his original journey after destroying the Mental-Altani base on the Moon.

Serious Sam: Tormental

Sam visits Egypt after his helicopter is shot down by a Major Bio-mechanoid. He fights his way through and kills it before heading into a tomb that is said to contain a cursed artifact called the Mentaloptican. Sam finds this artifact and destroys it, only to end up being transported inside Mental's mind.

Notable locations

Abu Simbel

Main article: Abu Simbel

The Great Temple of Abu Simbel.

A village located in Upper Egypt that was home to several thousand people before the Mental War. The village is famous for its various temples and the four statues that resided oustide the Great Temple. It was one of the first places visited by the Sirians when they came to Earth. They left behind large mechanisms and a series of artificial caves that astounded archaeologists when they discovered it.

Alexandria

Main article: Alexandria

The second-largest city in Egypt. During the ancient Egyptian times, the world's largest library, the Great Library, was located here. It is also where Mental deployed his troops and sent the Mental-Altani units to begin establishing bases in the southern part of the region. Major Slick Stinger, one of Mental's commanders, was tasked with guarding the city from Sam.

Anubis generator

Main article: Anubis Generator

The Anubis generator is one of the two plasma generators located in Egypt. It is located under an excavation site in Luxor.

Cairo

Main article: Cairo

The capital of Egypt, Cairo is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in Africa. It saw heavy fighting and minor to medium-scale skirmishes during the late days of the Mental War. The city also took a lot of structural damage.

Egyptian Museum

Main article: Egyptian Museum

A museum dedicated to the history of Egypt. It was home to a vast collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. It was abandoned and turned into an auxillary depot in 2015. Despite this, many artifacts can still be found here.

Great Pyramid of Giza

Main article: Great Pyramid of Giza

This large structure was constructed by the Egyptians to serve as a tomb for the Pharoah Khufu, though it actually serves as the location for the two power generators in Karnak and Luxor, as well as to activate the SSS Centerprice.

Great Sphinx of Giza

Main article: Great Sphinx of Giza

An infamous statue and one of the Earth's oldest artifacts that overlooks the Great Pyramid. There was a famous riddle associated with it that could help one access the secret chamber within the Great Pyramid.

Horus generator

Main article: Horus Generator

The second plasma generator. This one is located under an excavation site in Karnak.

Karnak

Main article: Karnak (location)

A region of Thebes with shrines and temples dedicated to various Egyptian deities and pharoahs.

Memphis

Main article: Memphis

One of the largest cities in Egypt, Memphis was considered the greatest city during the ancient Egyptian era. In the center of this grand city was a large temple where the Sign of Amon-Ra could be found, one of the artifacts stolen by the leaders of Memphis during the riot in Thebes.

Luxor

Main article: Luxor (location)

An important location in Thebes where the Sirians allegedly lived during their stay on Earth.

Philae

Main article: Philae

Philae is an island in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser in Egypt. It is here where the first Time-Lock control room was located.

Thebes

Main article: Thebes

Thebes was the center of Egyptian religion and also where the Sirians lived before they died out. In order to access the city, four elements needed to be placed on their respective altars. By doing so, an ancient guardian of death would be summoned. Defeating this guardian would grant one access to the city.

Valley of the Kings

A valley containing many tombs dedicated to various pharaohs that ruled throughout Egypt, especially during the New Kingdom. One of these temples contained one of the four elements that Sam needed to be able to access Thebes.

List of appearances

• Serious Sam: The First Encounter (First appearance)
• Serious Sam: Xbox (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam Advance (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
• Serious Sam: Double D (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack! (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam: The Random Encounter (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam 3: BFE
• Serious Sam: Double D: XXL (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam's Bogus Detour (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope
• Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam: Tormental (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam Classics: Revolution (non-canonical appearance)
• Serious Sam 4 (Mentioned)
• Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem (Mentioned)