- Kenneth Orkanti: "These things, are they?"
- Sam Stone: "Yep, the Processed. Humans turned into cannon-fodder for Mental's Horde. Cute, aren't they?"
- ―Kenny and Sam[src]
The Processed Anthropolyp, commonly referred to as the Processed, is a mutated human whose brain has been removed and replaced with a colony of Polyps. They are featured in Serious Sam 4 and its standalone expansion pack Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem as common enemies, often appearing in groups that can range from just a few individuals to a large horde.
Overview[]
Processed Anthropolyps are human beings who have been abducted by Harvester Drones, taken to Octanian Harvester Leviathans (colloquially referred to as "Motherships"), and converted into alien fighting machines to serve in Mental's Horde. During this conversion process, a large portion of the human brain is removed and replaced by a colony of Anthropolyps that take over the host's body and nervous system.[1] After the polyps have been inserted, metallic spokes are attached to the Processed's arms, amplifying the creature's close-combat abilities. Despite their humanoid appearance, it should be noted that the conversion process is irreversible.[1]
Appearance-wise, the Processed is a person wearing an orange jumpsuit and black boots, with metal framing that has been surgically fitted to their head. Polyps can be seen protruding from where the upper portion of the victim's skull used to be.
Application[]
Processed are very common units in Mental's army, serving as disposable close-range assault units. They are more commonly found in urban areas than in rural environments, especially where Motherships are present.
Being melee units, the Processed are usually deployed in large numbers to harass the target and swarm all over them. Their tendency to swarm their prey can lead to one becoming overwhelmed relatively quickly.
Appearances[]
Processed are one of the most common enemies in both Serious Sam 4 and Siberian Mayhem. They can appear from small groups to large swarms that can easily overpower the player. They are much more numerous when playing on Serious difficulty or New Game+.
Serious Sam 4[]
Along with Zubenhakrabian Spider Nymphs, the Processed are one of the most commonly encountered enemies in the game. They first appear in small groups in "Death from Above", and then in medium groups and big hordes on almost every level onwards. They are usually encountered with other weak enemies to provide support.
[Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem]][]
Processed first appear in "A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails", as the player makes their way into the Thunderbird Oil Refinery. They are then encountered as extremely common enemies for the remainder of the game. They are also much more numerous when playing on Serious difficulty or New Game+.
Behavior and skills[]
In combat, the Processed will use two attacks; its first attack is charging towards the target and slashing them with their metal claws. This attack deals moderate damage. Their second attack consists of slashing at the player from close range. Their slash attack is not as dangerous as their charge attack, but given their tendency to swarm, large numbers of Processed slashing at the player can rapidly drain them of their health and/or armor if they are not eliminated quickly. Despite their dangerous attacks, Processed are one of the weakest enemies in the game; they can be taken out with just a few shots from an assault rifle or pistol. They can also be killed with a single headshot. Groups of Processed can be easily dispatched with a shotgun or explosive weapons.
Processed are not very intelligent, and will give chase to the target as soon as they see them, which can often lead to them getting caught in the line of fire from both their opponents and Mental's forces. They are attracted to the sound of gunfire, and the majority of the group will start giving chase towards the player if they open fire within a group of Processed. These creatures are very fast and aggressive, and can easily catch up with an adult human. Even sprinting away from them is ineffective.
When running towards the player, the Processed will sometimes attempt to flank the player in a manner similar to that of Kleer Skeletons. Processed will immediately charge towards the target when they spot them, and will begin swarming all over the target, which can make large groups of them very dangerous when encountered. This is especially true when playing on higher difficulties or if there are other enemies present.
Like other weak enemies, a Processed can be instantly killed with a melee attack at close range. This is initiated by pressing the Use key when it shows up on the player's screen. When prompted, Sam will take out his knife and stab the Processed in the head.
When idle, Processed can be heard making snarling and growling sounds, which is an indicator of their presence.
Tactics[]
- While Processed may seen intimidating, especially given their frightening speed, they are very weak enemies. It only takes three shots to kill one with the SOP38 Pistol or M29 Infantry Assault Rifle on Normal difficulty, or one shot from either weapon if they are shot in the head.
- Effective weapons for dealing with groups of Processed are the 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun (especially with the grenade launcher upgrade), Double Barrel Coach Gun, and Autoshotgun. The latter weapon can easily mow down hordes of this enemy, assuming that the player has enough ammo for dispatching them with it.
- The coach gun works extremely well against small to medium groups of Processed. The coach gun's spread and the Processed low health means the player can effectively take out up to 3 (or even more if all pellets land) Processed in a single shot.
- For maximum accuracy, it is recommended to have as many Processed spread out and within the crosshairs as possible to easily dispatch them.
- The coach gun works extremely well against small to medium groups of Processed. The coach gun's spread and the Processed low health means the player can effectively take out up to 3 (or even more if all pellets land) Processed in a single shot.
- Their charge attack, while dealing moderate damage, can be easily dodged by strafing or sidestepping.
- Processed are very fast, and can easily overwhelm the player when they become numerous and if not eliminated quickly.
- The Combat Knife is an ideal weapon against a few Processed if the player is low on ammo. The pistol also works well in these situations.
- The melee attack feature is only useful against individual Processed. It takes a brief amount of time to initiate the melee attack and it can leave the player vulnerable to attacks from other Processed, so it is ill advised to do this when faced with groups.
- While an individual or several Processed pose a minimal threat, groups of them can become a nuisance if the player is busy fighting other enemies.
- For larger groups of big hordes of Processed, rapid-firing weapons such as the XL2 Lasergun, XPMR "Burner" Raygun, or XM214-A Minigun work brilliantly. The lasergun's damage output will also increase when fired continuously, and can decimate an entire group of Processed in seconds, while the Burner can kill one Processed and instantly destroy other nearby Processed due to its explosive effects.
- C-4 Demolition Charges work very well against medium or large groups of Processed that are packed tightly together.
- The FRPCL can be used for hordes of Processed, but is not really recommended, given how scarce ammo is for the weapon. It is best reserved for when playing on New Game+ modes and if the player has enough ammo to spare.
- On their own or in small groups, Processed are a low-priority threat. They can, however, become more dangerous on higher difficulties, especially with their charge attack. Larger groups of Processed should be treated as medium-priority or even high-priority threats.
- If the player is riding a slow enemy like the Draconian Burner, Khnum or Major Bio-mechanoid, Processed become a high-priority threat as their attacks can easily wear the monster down before it can kill them, depending on its health. This also applies to slow vehicles like the combine harvester or tractor.
Behind the scenes[]
- Early concept designs of the Processed show the creature equipped with a mechanical device on its head, similar to the cybernetic equipment worn by Cloned Soldiers.
- Another early design shows the Processed having a more swollen and bloated appearance, resembling the Belcher in appearance.
- Processed had a slightly different model in pre-Alpha. They also used different running and attack animations.[2]
Trivia[]
- The Processed bear a slight resemblance to the The Infected from The Last of Us franchise. They also behave very similarly, given their tendency to swarm all over the target and occasionally trying to flank them.
- In the first level of the game, a Scrapjack can be seen shoving a Processed out of the way. After being tossed off-screen, the Processed can be heard emitting a Wilhelm scream.
- The Processed appears as one of the heads the player can equip for the Beheaded Kamikaze in Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack!.
- The Processed's AI can occasionally glitch when they are pursuing the player, which can often lead to them getting stuck in odd positions.
- The metal spokes on the Processed's arms are very similar to Wolverine's signature claws.
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
Pre-Alpha[]
Retail[]
Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack![]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam 4 (First appearance)
- Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack! (non-canonical appearance) (Cosmetic only)
- Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem
References[]
