 This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!
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- For the final level of Serious Sam: The First Encounter, see The Great Pyramid.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex. It plays a critical role in both Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Overview[]
The Great Sphinx of Giza in the Giza complex.
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid is the only one to remain mostly intact. The pyramid was originally built as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, but it also served a grand purpose for the Sirians.[1][2]
The pyramid had a connection to the ancient structure located not too far from it, the Great Sphinx. There were many riddles and secrets associated with the Sphinx, and were referenced through hieroglyphs that professor Hermann Stein was working on.[3] The Sphinx also served as the entrance to the secret chamber located underneath the pyramid, as well as the Oracle's final resting place.[4]
Design[]
The appearance of both the exterior and interior of the pyramid greatly varied between the timelines.
Serious Sam: The First Encounter timeline[]
The top of the pyramid consisted of four large mechanical doors, which were activated from inside the pyramid's secret chamber. The interior of the pyramid is completely different, and serves as the boarding location for the SSS Centerprice. When someone entered this room, the Sign of Amon-Ra was needed to activate the boarding process. The Centerprice would only arrive at the pyramid once the obelisk (the transmitter) in Luxor was activated.[1]
Serious Sam 3: BFE timeline[]
The main entrance to the pyramid could be accessed via Robbers' Tunnel, which was dug by workmen employed by Caliph al-Ma'mun around 820 AD.[2]
The Sirians built a secret chamber within the Great Pyramid, where there was a large hologram displaying Karnak and Luxor; the locations of the two plasma generators which powered up the Time-Lock. On the previous floor was a tomb commeratored to the last Sirian remaining on Earth, the Oracle.[4]
There were two entrances (or one entrance and one exit) to the secret chamber; the main path to the door was accessed through via the Queen's chamber by entering through the Robbers' Tunnel. However, this door was unable to be opened by conventional means, since it was a Sirian door that could only be accessed with their technology.[4] The other way into the secret chamber (the intended way in) was accessed via the Great Sphinx.
Deep underneath the Sphinx was a long corridor that contained several traps designed to deter intruders and thieves.[4] One of these traps involved a ceiling that was lowered upon the activation of a switch. Anyone quick enough to turn on the lever had to retreat into a hidden part of the room. Once the ceiling had been lowered, it revealed a hidden flight of stairs that could be used to access the secret chamber's entrance and the Oracle's tomb. The Sirian Mutilator was needed to access the door, which will lead someone to the secret chamber via an elevator.[4]
History[]
Serious Sam: The First Encounter[]
The pyramid was built during the height of the Egyptian Empire. With help from the Sirians, the Egyptians started massive construction projects in their favor, most of which took place in Karnak, Luxor, and Thebes, with the largest of these projects being the Great Pyramid itself.[5] In this timeline, the Great Pyramid was located in Thebes, near Luxor. In Luxor, the Egyptians were told of how to contact the Sirian spaceship, the SSS Centerprice; this ritual consisted of activating a tall obelisk, which served as a transmitter. The spaceship would depart to Earth, fly over to the Great Pyramid, illuminate it with a beam, and then head back into space.[6]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
Approximately four to five thousand years ago, the Sirians sent out a scouting party to Earth, where they first encountered humans in ancient Egypt. During this time, the Sirians had the Egyptians build the Great Pyramid. Unbeknownst to the Egyptians, the Sirians constructed a large secret chamber inside the pyramid itself.[2]
Sometime after the fall of the Sirians, the last one believed to have been on Earth at the time, The Oracle, was laid to rest in his tomb within the pyramid, with 'the Arrow' in his possession.
Several millennia later, the pyramid would serve yet another great purpose: revealing the location of the Time-Lock's plasma generators.
Appearances[]
Serious Sam: The First Encounter[]
The SSS Centerprice hovering above the Great Pyramid, with the mechanical doors opened.
In The First Encounter, Sam ends up in the Temple of Hatshepsut and starts his journey to find the four elements, which are needed for him to access Thebes. After collecting the elements, Sam enters Memphis and collects the Sign of Amon-Ra, which is vital to summoning the Sirian spaceship that he will need to depart to Sirius. Sam eventually fights through Mental's forces until he reaches Luxor, where he uses the Sign of Amon-Ra to summon the Sirian spaceship. The ship receives the transmission signal from Egypt and begins to make its approach to Earth.[7]
With the ship on its way, Sam hurries to the Great Pyramid. However, one of Mental's evil servants, Ugh-Zan III, is summoned by Mental in a last-ditch effort to stop Sam from boarding the spaceship. Because Ugh-Zan III can regenerate his health and Sam's weapons are no match for his endurance, the only option for him is to run. Sam manages to enter the pyramid after a close encounter with Ugh-Zan. Once the ship's boarding process is complete, Sam takes the elevator up the top of the pyramid begins to open up, revealing a large arena where Sam confronts Ugh-Zan once again.[1]
To be able to defeat this giant, Sam has to jump through four hoops which are scattered throughout the arena. Once he activates all four hoops, Sam gets Ugh-Zan to stand in the middle of the area, and the Centerprice uses its laser beam on Ugh-Zan, wounding him greatly and leaving him unable to regenerate. With Ugh-Zan weakened, Sam finishes him off, boards himself onto the spaceship, and departs to the planet Sirius.[1]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
The Sirian door inside the secret chamber.
The Great Pyramid plays a much larger role in Serious Sam 3 compared to the First Encounter. It has been spared from destruction during Earth's invasion in the Mental War, seeing as it likely served of little strategic value to Mental.
Sam uploads the data from Professor Stein's cell phone to Earth Defense Force headquarters and is contacted by Quinn, who informs him that there is a Sirian chamber inside the Great Pyramid and that he should make his way there. Once Sam is almost out of Cairo, Quinn tells him that the scientists have found a second larger chamber underneath the pyramid, but is unable to find out how Sam can enter it.[3] She also tells him that back at HQ, they are attempting to decipher a riddle that Stein found that which corelates to the Great Sphinx. Sam, disinterested, ends the call and fights through the slums to reach the ruins near the Great Pyramid.[4]
Eventually, Sam reaches it to the Sphinx. He contacts HQ and asks Quinn if they've made any progress as to how to enter the Sphinx. She says they're still working on it, but Sam, losing his patience, is more than prepared to try it his way. He heads over to a crate full of C-4 and places several charges around the Sphinx. With the charges set, he contacts HQ again to check on their progress. Dissatified with how long it is taking, Sam detonates the C-4, creating a massive explosion that destroys the Sphinx, but in turn also reveals a secret underground entrance leading to the pyramid.[4]
Sam enters through the hole, and manages to evade the deadly traps. He eventually makes his way through a long hallway. At the end of the corridor, Sam comes across a room that has a metallic hallway at the end. Unable to open the door, Sam looks around to see if there's a way to gain access to it. Next to the main room is an entrance to a tomb dedicated to the Oracle, a high-ranking Sirian who was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians.[4]
Inspecting the alien mummy, Sam discovers that there is a strange device on his wrist. Sam takes the device to see what it does. He walks back to the door, and, after testing the newly acquired device on it, the door unlocks and opens. Past the door is an elevator that leads to him a gigantic room with a hologram of Karnak and Luxor. Sam, astonished, contacts HQ and uploads them the data from the map. HQ then tells Sam that he should leave the pyramid because there's a helicopter arranged to get him out. After leaving the pyramid and fighting some more enemies, Hellfire arrives to pick Sam up. She then takes Sam to Karnak to begin his quest in activating the generators.[4]
After Sam escapes into the Time-Lock just as Earth is obliterated by the Moon, the pyramid, along with everything else on Earth, is destroyed after Mental sent the Moon hurtling towards the planet.[8]
Features of interest[]
Secret chamber[]
Deep inside the Great Pyramid was a large Sirian war room, featuring the same alien-shaped statues as the ones in the generator rooms and on the Time-Lock itself. In the middle of the room was a holographic display of Karnak and Luxor, which revealed the location of the two plasma generators.
In The First Encounter, this room has changed drastically in design, and was accessed from the main entrance. Inside was a pedestal where the Sign of Amon-Ra had to be placed. Once the artifact was put on the pedestal, it would activate the boarding process for the SSS Centerprice. After a while, the two statues guarding the door would grant access to an elevator, which would take someone up to the top of the pyramid, where the ship would be waiting for them.
The Oracle's Shrine[]
This room was the Oracle's tomb, where he had been laid to rest on a golden throne surrounded by four alien statues, with the 'Arrow' bracelet in his possession. Outside the entrance to the tomb was a tablet which depicted the Sirian bracelet, stating that, upon the Oracle's request, the bracelet be returned to his shrine and placed with him, where his ancestors would watch over him after his death.[9]
The Sphinx[]
The Great Sphinx was the main attraction of the pyramid complex and was built approximately around the same time as the pyramids, although it may have been even older. It was located not far from the entrance to the Great Pyramid, and served as the entrance to the secret chamber which would lead to the Great Pyramid. There were many riddles associated with the Sphinx. One riddle said that entering the Sphinx would "open the door to eternity", according to Quinn, although she was unsure of what it meant.[3]
Trivia[]
- In The First Encounter, there is a clock above the pyramid's entrance counting down in binary.
- The Sphinx and most of the Giza complex are missing in The First Encounter. This could be due to the game being set in a different time period.
- At the end of the level "Broken Wings", the pyramid appears much closer than it actually should be, as it appears further away in "Under the Iron Cloud".
- Also, in "The Silent Riddler", Cairo appears to be much further away from the pyramids than they are in real life.
- In Serious Sam 4, when Future Sam arrives to help his present self, Kenny can be heard through the time portal informing Future Sam that the pyramid (most likely referring to the Great Pyramid) is done "charging".[10]
- Serious Sam 3s menu theme (SirianPyramid) plays while the player is inside the pyramid's Sirian chamber. This also occurs when the player has taken the elevator down to activate the plasma generators.
- A tablet depicting the Great Pyramid and the SSS Centerprice illuminating its top with a bright beam of light can be found at Dig Site no.36 in Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, in the level "Roadside Picnic" should the player choose to activate the optional side objective.
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
Serious Sam: The First Encounter[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam: The First Encounter (First appearance)
- Serious Sam: Xbox (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
- Serious Sam 3: BFE
- Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter
- Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope
- Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE
- Serious Sam Classics: Revolution (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam 4 (Mentioned)
- Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem (Depicted on tablet only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Serious Sam: The First Encounter level: "The Great Pyramid"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Serious Sam 3: BFE NETRICSA description
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Serious Sam 3: BFE level: "Under the Iron Cloud"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Serious Sam 3: BFE level: "The Silent Riddler"
- ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - Sirian Pictograms
- ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - Thebes - Luxor
- ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter level: Luxor)
- ↑ Serious Sam 3: BFE level: "The Guardian of Time"
- ↑ Serious Sam 3: BFE level: "The Silent Riddler" (hieroglyphic tablet)
- ↑ Serious Sam 4 level: "From Earth With Love"
External links[]
Great Pyramid of Giza on Wikipedia
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