Beheaded Firecracker

SS1
SS:XB
SS:NE
SSHD
SS:DD
SS:TRE
IHRB
SS4

Beheaded Firecracker

General information

Type

Cyber-zombified infantry

Affiliation

Mental's Horde

Individual information

Health

3 (IHRB normal variant)
10 (IHRB tier 1 variant)
19 (all other games)
20 (IHRB tier 2 variant)

Attacks / weapons

Chainsaw (20) (SSHD, SSVR & SS4 only)
Kick (20) (SS4 only)
Projectile (4)

Equipment

Life control unit
Vocal synthesizer

Size

6 ft (1.8 m) standing

Game information

Point value

20 (IHRB)
35 (IHRB tier 1 variant)
45 (IHRB tier 2 variant)
150 (SS:NE)
200 (other games)

Entity name

Firecracker (other games)
Beheaded_Firecracker (SS4 & SS:SM)

"In a symbolic gesture surely intended to disturb, the Firecracker carries his own head in one hand."

―Serious Sam 4 NETRICSA description^[src]

The Beheaded Firecracker is an executed Sirian soldier that has been resurrected by Mental with his cyber-zombie technology. They appear in many Serious Sam games and serve as lightweight infantry in Mental's Horde.

Overview[]

The Beheaded Firecracker appears as a headless man in a red shirt, combat pants and boots. Like other beheaded infantry, he has been implanted with a life control unit and vocal synthesizer. The life control unit controls the Firecracker's central nervous system and contains crude sensory modules. He carries his own head to receive audio and visual information. He uses his head as a weapon in all of his appearances.^[1]

Application[]

Like other beheaded soldiers, Firecrackers serve as lightweight troops, and they can be easily dispatched with pretty much any weapon in the player's arsenal. When they appear, they are usually found accompanying Beheaded Bombers or Beheaded Rocketeers, occasionally spawning on elevated places such as higher floors or low pillars. When positioned on the ground, they are considered cannon fodder in comparison to Rocketeers.

Appearances[]

Compared to Beheaded Rocketeers, Firecrackers are lot more uncommon, and rarely appear on most levels in the series.

Serious Sam 1[]

Firecrackers are quite rare enemies in both Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. In The First Encounter, they appear on pretty much every level except for The Great Pyramid. Firecrackers are slightly less frequent i The Second Encounter, and are often replaced by Zorg Mercenaries.

Serious Sam: Double D[]

While uncommon in most games, Firecrackers do appear quite frequently Double D, and are encountered on almost every level.

Serious Sam 4[]

Unlike previous games, Firecrackers are now much more common enemies, especially in the early levels. Later on, they are replaced by stronger enemies such as Octanian Commanders and Octanian Gamma Troopers.

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

Firecrackers first appear in the first level, A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails and appear every now and then onwards.

Weaponry[]

In Serious Sam 1, the Firecracker is equipped with a strange claw-like weapon in his right hand which is never used in combat, and holds his projectile-spewing head in his left.^[1] In Serious Sam HD and Serious Sam 4, the claw is replaced with a chainsaw for melee combat.

Behavior and skills[]

When the Firecracker spots a target, he will shoot a spread of five magic missiles from his weapon that will spread along the floor/ground in a diagonal fashion (the center projectile shooting straight). These missiles can slide along walls and other tall obstacles if they connect at a low angle. These projectiles are relatively easy to evade if the player pays enough attention to the Firecracker's attacks. . Firecrackers are immune to their own attacks.

In Serious Sam HD, the Firecracker will swing his chainsaw at the player if they get too close.

In Serious Sam: Double D, the Firecracker's projectiles behave a bit differently compared to other games and will bounce along walls for a while until they disappear.

In I Hate Running Backwards, the Firecracker fires several energy projectiles in a fixed pattern which cannot be deflected. Their firing pattern is not aimed directly at the player like in the Serious Sam games, but rather pre-determined. Two upgraded versions Firecrackers also exist. These variants fire more projectiles, have increased health and movement speed and have slightly different firing patterns.

In Serious Sam 4, the Firecracker behaves the same like his Serious Sam 1 counterpart, but he has a slightly longer cooldown between firing. He will swerve his head around, which charges it up, and then fires it. If the player gets too close to him, he will kick the player away or slash them with his chainsaw, which deals moderate damage.

Tactics[]

General[]

The missiles fired by the Firecracker can easily be evaded by jumping over them or hiding behind walls or obstacles.
Both alone or in groups, Firecrackers can be simple targets in comparison to Rocketeers.
Like other beheaded enemies, he can be taken out with two shots from a bullet-firing weapon, such as the M29 Infantry Assault Rifle, Schofield .45, SOP38 Pistol, and Thompson submachine gun.
Groups of Firecrackers can be easily dispatched with the 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun from close range, or the Double Barrel Coach Gun at medium range.
It is not recommended for novice or inexperienced players to get too close to a Firecracker and attempt to use melee weapons on him such as the Military Knife, as the player will take damage from all of his projectiles and risk being hit by his melee attack. If the player wishes to use the knife, it is best reserved against lone Firecrackers or small groups.
Compared to other enemies, Firecrackers are generally considered to be low-priority targets. However, the Firecracker may be a potential threat if the player's health is low and when they are other enemies attacking. If at all possible, he should be shot down from his perch or the ground to avoid being finished off without warning.

Serious Sam 1[]

Like other beheaded enemies, Firecrackers can be taken out in two shots from the Schofields or the Thompson. Both shotguns are also effective against them.
In Serious Sam HD and Serious Sam VR, attempting a melee attack on a Firecracker can be a lethal gamble, as the chainsaw inflicts five times more damage than a single projectile. If the player is quick enough, they can use the knife on the Firecracker instead of the chainsaw, as the knife will instantly kill him.
Firecrackers on elevated areas are more of a nuisance, as the projectiles travel downwards in an angled-dipping fashion.

Serious Sam: Next Encounter[]

The Firecracker is a bit deadlier than his Serious Sam 1 counterpart. His magic missiles do not touch the ground and stay clustered much further than in the aforementioned games. If all of the magic missiles connect, the player will suffer quite a bit of damage.
When dual-wielded, the Shofield Desert Hawk works just as well as is does on the Rocketeer. However, their increased deadliness makes it a bit dangerous to take on large groups of Firecrackers with the Desert Hawk.
Because of how dangerous Firecrackers can be, the Shofield Uzi Pistol works best to kill them quickly before they can do too much damage.

Serious Sam: Double D[]

The Firecracker has very low health, so nearly any gunstack works on him. Even the Type II Machine Pistol can kill him in a few shots.
Groups of Firecrackers can easily be cleared out with the 12 Gauge Shotgun or Thompson. They both fire enough projectiles to quickly kill a group of Firecrackers.
He is a low threat when paired with other enemies. His projectiles can easily be dodged, but if the player has a moment, they should briefly target the Firecracker with weapons like the Thompson or the LM32 Rocket Launcher. A shot or two from those weapons should easily clear out any Firecrackers mixed with other enemies.

I Hate Running Backwards[]

As they possess the lowest base health of all the enemies in the game, Firecrackers can be killed by pretty much any ranged weapon in one shot, unless they are on an upgraded tier.
While Firecrackers are very weak in terms of health, they can still be a potent threat to the player.

Serious Sam 4[]

Firecrackers are easy targets and can easily be gunned down with two shots from the assault rifle or pistol.
A single close-range blast from the coach gun or pump-action shotgun works against Firecrackers as well.
The assault rifle is useful for taking out Firecrackers that are positioned far away, especially on levels such as Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, where they are spawned some distance away from the player.
The knife or the FRPCL's chainsaw mode can be used to eliminate small groups of Firecrackers, but the player should be mindful of their melee attack.

Behind the scenes[]

In Test 1, the Firecracker was initially equipped with a chainsaw with his right hand but in the final version of The First Encounter, the chainsaw has been replaced with a claw-like weapon, resembling the electricity-shooting weapon used by Ugh-Zan III . While the chainsaw-wielding design can be seen in Test 1, it's virtually useless, only serving for decorative purposes. In Serious Sam HD, the original version has returned, sporting a brand-new chainsaw.

In Test 1's files, a beta model of the Firecracker was recovered, which reveals an interesting former appearance: the red t-shirt was once a jersey with a strange pattern embedded, the military-fashion pants were matching-red shorts, a pike protruded from the Firecracker's neck, the head was red and inhuman, and the chainsaw had a futuristic-industrial texture. The Beheaded Bomber had a very similar design in the Alpha version as well, the similarities being the head, the pike, and the chainsaw.