- "Another hideous mutation, courtesy of Notorius Mental."
- ―NETRICSA's description of the Fiendian Reptiloid Demon[src]
The Fiendian Reptiloid Demon is an enemy in the Serious Sam series. It is a ranged enemy that throws lava balls at its target from a distance. It is exclusive to Serious Sam: The Second Encounter and its HD and VR remakes.
Overview[]
The Fiendian Reptiloid Demon is a large red creature that, owing to is namesake, carries a mixture of both reptilian and demonic features. The Demon is around the same size as a Common Aludran Reptiloid, stnading at approximately 20 feet tall. Despite its name, the Reptiloid Demon is actually a different species compared to the Aludran Reptiloids. The Demon was originally a simple lizard-like organism from the planet Fiendia Prime, but was crossbred and mutated by Mental over several generations to create the creature.[1]
Application[]
The Demon is often spawned far away from their target, which grants them a good view of their surroundings. Their purpose is similar to that of Arachnoids and Aludran Reptiloids; to "snipe" the player from a distance and to distract them with their fireballs. They are usually positioned on towers, columns and rooftops. Occasionally, though, they may be encountered on the ground.
Appearances[]
Reptiloid Demons appear rather infrequently compared to other enemies, though there are instances where several of them are encountered at once, like at the end of the "Courtyards of Gilgamesh" and in "The Grand Cathedral". They are first encountered in the level "Valley of the Jaguar", on top of the pyramid in the ceremonial plateau after they pick up the first golden jaguar statue. A second one appears after picking up the last statue. In the later levels, the Demon is positioned on top of buildings and is generally stationary in most of its appearances, though there's some instances where it can move.
Like other tough enemies, Demons are more frequently encountered when playing on higher difficulty settings.
Behavior and skills[]
The Demon is a formidable opponent in Mental's Horde. Having been reinforced with a titanium skeleton thanks to Mental's tampering, this gives the Demon high endurance, and it can take a lot of gunfire to take one down.[1] It is able to withstand small-arms fire to a certain degree, but it can take moderate damage from other sources, such as high-caliber sniper rifle rounds and explosives like grenades and rockets.
When the Demon spots the target, it will summon a floating ball of molten lava into existence, which it will throw at the target as a projectile.[1] This projectile is extremely fast, and is much harder to avoid as opposed to the green fireballs tossed by the Common Aludran Reptiloid, as instead of traveling in a straight line, it will fly past the player and attempt to circle back and hit them again. Unlike the projectiles tossed by the Common Reptiloid and much like the Highlander Aludran Reptiloid's fireballs, the fireballs thrown by the Demon cannot be destroyed in the classic version of the game except by a cannonball. However, in the HD and VR renditions, it can be destroyed with other projectiles, such as grenades, laser beams, rockets, or even flames created by the XOP Flamethrower. If the ball does not hit the player at first, it will bounce around until it either hits the player, a wall at a non-low angle, or it explodes on its own after traveling around in the air, sometimes moving around in a pecuilar corkscrew motion. These lava balls can last up to six or 12 seconds before exploding, depending on the version of the game being played.
The Demon's secondary attack is hitting the player with its claws if they get too close. This attack is difficult to avoid and deals a lot of damage. It is not usually possible for a Demon to get close to a player, though, considering that most of them that appear are spawned far away.
Tactics[]
- The player should not try to get close to a Demon, regardless of the Demon's elevation level. When close to the Demon, the fireball is too fast for the player to dodge. Additionally, its melee attack is incredibly powerful.
- Generally, Demons are more dangerous in very open spaces, especially in groups, as a fireball which doesn't hit a wall comes back at the player and can do so a few times.
- While the ball thrown by the Demon is easy to avoid at medium or long range, the Demon can be deadly if it is in a tight or indoor area. If it appears in one of those areas, it should be one of the first enemies killed.
- The RAPTOR Sniper Rifle is the perfect weapon for dispatching this enemy from medium to far range, as it is frequently placed in faraway locations. It takes roughly four to five shots to kill it, depending on the version of the game being played. The RAPTOR is far much more effetive against the Demon when Serious Damage is active, being able to take a Demon down with a single shot. The player should use serious damage combined with the sniper rifle whenever these enemies appear.
- Multiple faraway Demons can be dispatched with the XM214-A Minigun or XL2 Lasergun. Their high rate of fire and accuracy make them a great weapon for quickly taking out multiple Demons, although the lasergun will require the player to strafe in order to avoid wasting ammo due to the lava balls absorbing the laser beams.
- If playing in Serious Sam HD, the player can use the XOP Flamethrower to destroy the Demon's fireballs and then finish it off with a better weapon before the Demon tosses another fireball at them.
- If the player wants to conserve bullets or RAPTOR ammo, the MK III Grenade Launcher and XPML21 Rocket Launcher are effective against Demons. Because it never moves, it is easy to land multiple rockets or grenades on it in a very short amount of time. However, If used at medium or long range, at least one rocket or grenade will be destroyed by the lava ball thrown by the Demon when not sidestepping, and the player additionally risks damaging themselves from the exploding rocket or grenade if too close.
- The Demon can be made to flinch if it is damaged before it spots the player. Otherwise, it is normally unable to be stunned upon taking damage. The player can use this to their advantage, depending on the situation.
- The CDF-ST-005 Plasmathrower in Serious Sam Classics: Revolution is an effective weapon to use against Demons; two alternate fire shots will kill one as long as most or all of the projectiles hit.
- The SBC Cannon also works very well against groups of Demons; just one charged shot will kill one.
- Compared to other enemies, Demons are medium priority targets and should be eliminated as soon as possible due to the damage, speed, and lifespan of their fireballs. On higher difficulties, they should be treated as high priority targets and taken out immediately.
Trivia[]
- Even though their fireballs can be destroyed in Serious Sam HD, the Demon's NETRICSA information says that it's impossible to destroy them.
- The Demon's projectile behavior can be assigned to any projectile in the Serious Editor by setting its SS1 projectile type to
Demon. - The Demon can be found in Serious Sam 3: BFE's game files, despite not appearing in-game.
- Despite having wings, the Demon is never seen using them to fly.
- The Demon's entity parameters file is set to have it play its wound animation after taking 1000 damage, which is strange as most enemies have a wound damage number lower than their maximum health. This makes the Demon able to flinch only if it is damaged before it spots the player.
- In the classic releases, the Demon will play its wound sound during its melee animation.
- In the PC versions of the classic games, the Demon uses the same animation for getting wounded and using a melee attack.
- In Serious Sam: Xbox, the Demon has a new melee animation that has it punching the player with its left arm. This was carried over to its HD rendition.
- In the classic and HD releases, if a player dies to a Demon in co-op, an on-screen obituary message reading "A Demon executed [player name]." will appear.
- Two Demon statues can be found outside the entrance to the Church of Sacred Blood in the level "The Grand Cathedral".
Gallery[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (First appearance)
- Serious Sam: Xbox (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam VR: The Second Encounter (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam Classics: Revolution (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam 3: BFE (Game files only) (non-canonical appearance)
References[]