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Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem

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This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem is a first-person shooter video game developed by Timelock Studio and Croteam, and published by Devolver Digital. It is a standalone expansion pack for Serious Sam 4 and was released on 25 January, 2022 for Microsoft Windows and on 6 October, 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The DLC received mixed views from video game critics.[1]

Plot[]

Set directly after the events of "The Package", shortly after Serious Sam acquires a boat and escapes from the oil rig "Thunderbird", he arrives on the north coast of Russia, aiming to reach Tunguska to stop General Brand, who took possession of the Holy Grail and to destroy the portal being used by Mental's forces to invade Earth.

Having arrived on the mainland, Sam finds a radio and attempts to contact HQ, but without success. He infiltrates the Thunderbird Oil Refinery and discovers that there is a survivor trapped in the communications tower sending a SOS signal.[2] Sam reaches the tower and meets up the survivor, but he is killed by a Draconian Burner before he can be rescued.[3] Sam fights the beast and kills it. He then climbs the communications tower and hears a radio transmission from Igor Ledov, the head of a local partisan squad. Ledov is aware of Brand's betrayal and appeals to all armed human units to shoot his plane down on sight. Ledov offers Sam assistance and asks him to go to the village Kalinovka in southern Siberia, where his squad will be waiting for him.

After escaping from the refinery, Sam finds a snowmobile and departs south. Meanwhile, Earth Defense Force soldiers manage to locate Brand's plane and shoot it down.[4] Continuing south, Sam travels through the Siberian tundra and forests, clearing out alien outposts along the way. In one of the villages surrounded by Octanian troops, Sam meets with One-Eyed Olga, a legendary Russian sniper who was believed to have been killed during the storming of the portal in Tunguska. Olga reveals she was shot by enemy soldiers and faked her death to avoid drawing too much attention to herself.[4] She has hid in an abandoned church in the meantime and was also responsible for shooting down Brand's plane. Sam and Olga fight together against approaching enemy forces. Sam asks her to tag along with him, but she declines.

Sam meets Ledov

Sam meets up with Ledov and his partisan squad.

Sam continues his journey south through Siberia's tundra and soon reaches Kalinovka. There, he meets Ledov's partisan squad: the stern and dense Ivan, the energetic and militant Natasha, the silent Vlad and the leader of the group himself, the former rock musician Igor Ledov. Ledov tells Sam that there is an abandoned railway depot on the outskirts of the village, where a working locomotive is present which they can use to reach the closest town, Ustinov, and travel to Tunguska from there.[5] Sam and Ledov's partisan squad fight through Kalinovka and reach the depot. While Natasha and Vlad are preparing the train for departure, Sam with two of the rest partisans clear the depot and help to pick up the equipment wagons. Finally, having beaten off significant enemy resistance, the heroes board the train.

On the way, the team enjoy Ledov's songs and reminisce about Father Mikhail, who was killed by Brand shortly after his betrayal. Soon, the train arrives at the Ustinov station. Ledov says that his squad has to go through the town and reach the hydroelectric dam, from there, raft in boats to the mouth of the Tunguska river.[6] Sam with the squad fights his way through the town and stumble upon the remains of another partisan group, in which Ledov recognizes Pavlov's Squad, another band of partisans. Someone or something dealt with these people with unprecedented cruelty. Sam suspects something is wrong, and they are subsequently ambushed by Octanian Raiders that bomb the town, undermining a nearby building. General Brand himself, in his monstrous form, suddenly appears and grabs Ivan and tries to convince Sam to join Mental's forces in exchange for the partisans' lives. Ivan harshly dissuades Sam and pays for it with his own life as Sam and the rest of the partisans open fire on the traitor, but he manages to escape.[6]

Brand with Ivan

Brand appears, with Ivan in his clutches.

The partisans, enraged, decide to kill Brand by all means and avenge the death of their comrade. Sam tries to dissuade Ledov and his people, but are cut off from Sam by a collapsed building, forcing them to split up and intercept Brand on the dam. Alone, Sam decides to get to the dam by a detour. On the way there, he tries once again to contact his friend on the radio, but communications are blocked. Sam finally reaches the dam, but Mental's forces have overwhelmed Ledov's Squad, Vlad and Natasha are dead leaving Igor to hold a valiant defence. Seeing Sam, Ledov warns Sam that it's a trap, but Brand appears, ambushes Sam and tosses him off the bridge. [6]

Meanwhile, the enemies knock down Ledov and surround him. Exhausted and wounded, Ledov grabs the C-4 detonator and a bag of explosives and sacrifices himself to halt Mental's forces from advancing. Sam angrily starts a fight with Brand, who stabs himself with the Grail, absorbing the power of the artifact which evolves him into an even more frightening creature.

Brand's final moments

Brand's final moments.

Despite this, Brand is defeated by Sam who kills him without any regret or hesitation. Shortly afterward, a time portal suddenly appears, from where emerges Sam from the future. The future Sam tells Sam that killing General Brand in this timeline will result in a darker fate for the Earth. One-Eyed Olga also walks out of the portal and reports that she has killed Napoleon, but this did not affect the future in any way. Future Sam says that he just wanted "someone to shoot that little twerp", and presents Sam and Olga with a new mission, to go to 1352 BC, where the Pharaoh Akhenaton has just discovered a buried Sirian ship. The three of them go through the closing portal, and the game credits roll.[6]

In a post-credits scene, the present Sam comes out of the time portal, puts Ledov's guitar on the stove next to the graves of all four partisans and, after standing in silence for a while, leaves into the portal again.

Characters[]

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Weapons[]

Most of the weapons from Serious Sam 4 return, along with two weapons exclusive to the campaign. Like Serious Sam 4, some weapons come with additional secondary fire modes that need to be equipped first. Unlike the latter, however, these do not need to be unlocked through side-quests and can simply be found in briefcases along the main path.

  • Combat Knife: A standard Earth Defense Force knife intended for close-quarters combat. It can be used to slash weak enemies at close range or deliver finishing blows.
  • SOP38 Pistol: A semi-automatic handgun that is only useful against weak enemies. It holds 10 rounds in its magazine and can be zoomed in to fire more accurate shots.
  • 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun: A classic weapon from the Serious Sam serires. Like the Serious Sam 1 version, it doesn't have to be reloaded.
    • grenade launcher attachment - The grenade launcher attachment fires grenades as a secondary fire option. It can be mounted on the pump-action shotgun.
  • Double Barrel Coach Gun: A powerful double-barrel shotgun that can deal heavy damage at close-range. It also reloads faster compared to the previous games.
  • AK-74MX: A classic Russian assault rifle that holds 50 bullets per magazine and comes equipped with a standard sight. This rifle can fire accurate shots even from a distance. It replaces the M29 Infantry Assault Rifle.
  • XPML21 Rocket Launcher: An experimental rocket launcher that can fire missiles and can deal heavy damage on armored enemies.
    • Multirocket: A secondary fire mode for the rocket launcher. Loads up to five homing rockets that will lock onto enemies when fired.
  • TCC-2 "Perun" Crossbow: A long-range electric crossbow with a sniper scope, devastating enemies with accurate, high-damage shots. It replaces the RAPTOR Sniper Rifle.
  • C-4 Demolition Charge: A throwable plastic explosive. Once it's triggered, it deals extreme damage over a wide area. It can also be attached to an enemy and can also destroy structures such as pillars, statues and walls once thrown.
  • MK III Grenade Launcher: A weapon returning from Serious Sam 1. This grenade launcher can fire grenades over large obstacles and can deal damage at close range enemies. Grenades can explode after 3 seconds once it's fired or can explode directly into a enemy.
    • Remote trigger: A secondary fire mode for the grenade launcher. Detonates grenades that have been fired into smaller grenades that explode a short time afterwards.
  • XM214-A Minigun: A very powerful and rapid-firing weapon that has an extreme rate of fire and can deal extreme damage to hordes of weak enemies.
  • XPMR "Burner" Raygun: An experimental thermal weapon reverse-engineered from Draconian Burners. After a brief heating time it fires a long distance beam at whatever it's pointed at, quickly heating up enemies up to 2500°C. If held on an enemy long enough they will explode upon death, damaging anything close to them. The larger the enemy, the bigger and more powerful the explosion will be. Enemies not killed will cool down over time.
  • SBC Cannon: An iconic weapon from the Serious Sam games. This portable cannon can fire explosive powered cannonballs at enemies and is useful at mowing down hordes of enemies in a row.
  • FRPCL: A unique weapon that fires chainsaws at high speeds that can track targets. The chainsaw projectile will repeatedly slash at the target and kill it. Projectiles are extremely damaging and can tear tough opponents apart in seconds This weapon is only obtainable in New Game+ mode.
    • Chainsaw attachment: A secondary fire mode where, instead of firing the chainsaw, this attachment uses the loaded chainsaw that inflicts strong melee damage much more rapidly than the knife. It comes with the weapon by default, unlike the other weapon upgrades.
  • Autoshotgun: An automatic shotgun that fires shells to deal a rapid and powerful attack at close range. It holds a magazine of 20 shells and has to be reloaded after expending its magazine. It is a now a secret weapon in this game, and can only be found in a hidden area.

Gadgets[]

Returning from Serious Sam 4, gadgets are unique objects that can only be used once and are found either as secrets or as rewards for completing side quests. Two new gadgets also make an appearance. Just like in Serious Sam 4, the player can only carry a limited number of them. Gadgets can be selected through the player's weapon wheel.

  • L.I.F.E.: A portable health pickup. When used, it will give the player a boost of 50 health.
  • Time Warp: A strange device of Sirian origin that creates a 'time bubble' around the user. Enemies will be slowed down while the player and any NPCs are unaffected.
  • Rage Serum: A performance-enhancing drug that increases the player's speed, strength and endurance.
  • Hacked Drone: A hacked Octanian drone that will protect the player and fire upon enemies for a while until it explodes.
  • Hoverboard Scooter: A deployable, fast-moving vehicle with laser guns mounted on it. It has limited battery life which is depleted quicker when moving around or using the scooter's laser guns.Unlike other vehicles, it is not possible to shoot other weapons while on it.
  • H.E.A.R.T.: A portable defibrillator which revives the player when they die.
  • Black Hole: A portable gravitational singularity that that can suck and pull in enemies, resulting in their death.
  • T.A.C.T.: A targeting device that calls down an air strike in a large radius around wherever it's aimed at.
  • Mini-Nuke: A surface-to-surface missile that creates a massive explosion when detonated, killing all enemies within the range of the blast.

Vehicles[]

Vehicles make an appearance once again, along with a new vehicle that is useful for traversing the rough, snowy terrain on large open levels.

Sirian Artefacts of Might[]

The Sirian Artefacts of Might system returns once again. Just like with the Serious Sam 4 campaign, only 10 S.A.M. eggs can be found in the entire campaign (more can be obtained when playing during the Christmas period or through New Game+ mode). Note that unlike Serious Sam 4, the "Dual Wield Harder" and "Born To Run" skills are also connected to the Full Speed Ahead and The Bigger They Are skills respectively, allowing easier access to the skills that the player wants.

  • Healing Punch (gain health upon melee kill)
    • Long Distance Relationship (increases the range from which melee attacks can be made)
      • Objection, Your Honor (allows the player to use melee weapons found in the environment (like lamposts or stop signs) as melee weapons
      • The Bigger They Are (allows for melee attacks on medium sized enemies like Scrapjacks or female Gnaars)
        • Rodeo Time (allows the user to mount and drive large enemies like Khnums, Octanian Zealots or Sirian Werebulls)
        • The Harder They Fall (Allows for melee attacks on almost all enemies)
  • Looter Shooter (enemies occasionally drop ammo upon death)
    • The Quick And The Dead (all weapons gain a faster reload time (should they have a reload))
      • Unflinching (reduces all splash damage taken by 50%)
      • Full Speed Ahead (increases rate of fire for all weapons that have a reload, after reloading)
        • Beserker (increases damage as health decreases)
    • Dual Wield (allows the player to use 2 knives and pistols at once, use the aim button to use the alternate weapons)
      • Born To Run (allows for the use of weapons during sprinting)
        • Footsure (allows for aiming down the sight while walking normally)
      • Dual Wield Harder (allows for the dual-wielding of medium weapons such as shotguns, assault rifles and Devastator)
        • Dual Wield With A Vengeance (allows for all weapons to be dual-wielded)
          • Mix It Up (allows for any combination of weapons to be dual-wielded)

Gameplay[]

Mechanics[]

New Game+ option

The New Game+ mode that becomes avaiable after beating the campaign for the first time.

Just like in Serious Sam 3: BFE and Serious Sam 4, the mechanics are all the same, and other features such as sprinting, reloading and aiming down weapon sights return once again. NETRICSA is also the same, although unlike in Serious Sam 4, NETRICSA'S theme is colored blue. The Sirian Artefacts of Might system also returns.

Like before, there are optional side objectives for the player to complete, which provides them with various awards like gadgets or S.A.M. eggs.

Perhaps one of the biggest features is the addition of New Game+. This feature allows the player to start the campaign again, and is unlocked after beating the game for the first time. The player gets to keep all their weapons, gadgets and ammo from the first time around, so they are all carried over with each playthrough. New Game+ is much more challenging compared to normal gameplay, and enemies start becoming a lot more numerous (this, of course, depends on the enemy multiplier option in the game settings). Tougher enemies are encountered a lot more earlier than usual as well, such as the player facing off against a Major Bio-mechanoid and an Octanian Sentry Tower right on the first level. The Cryomorph Gnaar Pair are also encountered as a boss twice throughout the campaign as opposed to just once. With each New Game+ playthrough, gameplay becomes even more challenging as enemies begin spawning exponentially, see an increase in speed and health, and their attacks get stronger.

When playing on New Game+, the player can choose to upgrade their weapons using S.A.M. eggs, which are used as in-game currency. The upgrade menu is opened by pressing the "Way to go" key (C by default). When weapons are upgraded, their damage output is increased and makes them more useful in big fights and battles.

Locations[]

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem is set primarily in Siberia in Russia.

Compared to Serious Sam 4, which is set in a mixture urban and suburban, Siberian Mayhem takes place in a more rural landscape, and towns and cities are far and few between. Some of the levels feature large-scale maps with vast, open terrain consisting of large plains and taiga forest.

As the game is mostly set in the Siberian wilderness during the winter, the environment is snowy and cold. Blizzards will occasionally blow in during gameplay, rendering visibility difficult. There is also cold water that will cause the player to take damage from hypothermia if they stay in for too long.

Weapon mechanics[]

File:AK-74MX Hot Blood concept.jpg

A weapon skin for the AK-74MX.

There are three new weapons introduced to the game; the AK-74MX, a Russian assault rifle, the XPMR "Burner" Raygun, a powerful energy weapon that heats up enemies and causes them to explode, and the TCC2 "Perun" Crossbow, a powerful ranged weapon which replaces the RAPTOR Sniper Rifle and A-24 Devastator from Serious Sam 4.

Weapon skins are a new feature introduced into the game. The player can select a skin from the "game options" in the settings menu. These are cosmetic options for weapons that alter the weapon's appearance. Most skins have to be unlocked by completing a certain (and sometimes quite challenging) task. The "Hot Blood" skin, for example, is only unlocked after the player manages to defeat Howard Brand on Serious difficulty without loading a saved game.

Enemy mechanics[]

All of the enemies from Serious Sam 4 return to Siberian Mayhem. There are several new enemies, such as the Draconian Burner, a tougher and more dangerous version of the Draconian Pyromaniac equipped with thermal beam guns that deal a high amount of damage, and the Octanian Legionnaire, essentially a tougher version of the Zealot, that carries a shield to block incoming attacks and is armed with a mace.

A new type of behavior has been given for Combat Drones and they can now carry Beheaded Kamikazes onto the battlefield, which makes them more dangerous and a higher threat than they were initially.

Christmas theme[]

When the game is played during the Christmas season or in New Game+ (if enabled in the upgrades menu), the player can access a "Christmas area", which is accessed via a portal decorated with candy canes. Each area is different, although most of the time it involves fighting enemies in uniquely-designed arenas. After completing a Christmas area, the player is awarded with a Christmas present. Completing all five Christmas areas awards the player with the "Freezer" skin for the Burner weapon.

Another feature added to the game when playing during the Christmas season is the addition of Christmas-themed enemies, such as the Sirian Werebull having a glowy red nose (like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) and Howard Brand and the Draconian Burner being dressed like Santa Claus.

Miscellaneous[]

Unique to Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, there are five "classic areas"; these are sections of levels featured from Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. Some of these "classic areas" include the Marsh Hopper room from Valley of the Kings, the crusher trap hallway from Sierra de Chiapas, and the Kleer arena room from The City of the Gods.

Two new gadgets, the T.A.C.T. and the Hoverboard Scooter, are added to the game. The T.A.C.T. allows the player to call in a barrage of powerful missiles that are fired at a desiginated marker on the ground, andthe hoverboard scooter is a rideable vehicle armed with twin laser cannons that are useful for eliminating large hordes of enemies.

A new vehicle, the snowmobile, makes an appearance as well, but is only usable for a small portion of the game. Other vehicles from Serious Sam 4 also make a return, like the ATV and the tractor.

Co-op mode[]

Siberian Mayhem features online multiplayer just like the previous games. Just like Serious Sam 4, cooperative mode and co-op survival returns with up to a maximum of 4 players.

As of now, Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem does not have any Versus modes, but these could possibly be added in a future update. It is unknown if 16-player co-op and coin co-op will return or not.

Development[]

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem was developed by Timelock Studio, a Russian group composed of long-time members of the Serious Sam modding community, under the oversight of Croteam.[7][8] The Timelock Studio members had previously not been affiliated with each other but by chance worked together as testers for Serious Sam 4. The team felt that the game's levels set in Russia had unexplored potential and wished to develop them further. With initiative from their team lead Evgeny, they compiled an 80-page design document that they submitted to Croteam in September 2020, just before Serious Sam 4's release. The company greenlit the project as a three-level piece of downloadable content for Serious Sam 4, though it later expanded to a standalone expansion as it outgrew the usual scope for DLC. After settling on the name Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem for the game, the group of modders founded Timelock Studio in 2021.[9]

The development pipeline for a retail product marked a shift for the developers: according to director Igor Grinkevich, the workflow for an individual piece of content is creating and then simply releasing it, whereas the development for Siberian Mayhem introduced them to deadlines, marketing, and localisation. Each team member coincidentally had their own speciality, which Grinkevich described as a "wonder". In the design process, the developers sought to combine classic Serious Sam elements with modern ones to make up for faults they found in Serious Sam 4. Secrets and Easter eggs were added spontaneously. Croteam consulted Timelock Studio on creative and technical aspects, including optimisation, while Devolver Digital acted as the game's publisher.

The game was first teased via a 34-second video published to YouTube in December 2021, showing Serious Sam navigating a frozen landscape.[10] Devolver Digital referenced the video again in early January 2022, stating that it would announce a new Serious Sam entry later that week and release it later that month.[11] The company announced Siberian Mayhem on 10 January 2022 and released it on 25 January for Microsoft Windows via Steam and GOG.com. Owners of Serious Sam 4 received a 25% discount on the new game.[12]

Reception[]

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem received "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average rating of 70/100 based on twenty-five critic reviews.[13]

External links[]

Official[]

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.nme.com/reviews/serious-sam-siberian-mayhem-review-all-killer-no-filler-3144898
  2. ↑ Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem level: "A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails"
  3. ↑ Serious Sam :Siberian Mayhem level: "The Song Of The Stormbringer"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem level: "Siberiade"
  5. ↑ Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem level: "Roadside Picnic"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem level: "Crime And Punishment"
  7. ↑ https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/serious-sam-shoots-through-siberia-in-a-standalone-expansion-this-month
  8. ↑ https://www.hcl.hr/vijest/najavljen-serious-siberian-mayhem-stize-dva-tjedna-181491/
  9. ↑ Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem interview on YouTube
  10. ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/it-looks-like-things-may-be-getting-cold-for-serious-sam-4-and-this-possible-dlc-tease
  11. ↑ https://www.pcgamer.com/it-looks-like-a-new-serious-sam-game-is-coming-later-this-month/
  12. ↑ https://www.bluesnews.com/s/244598/serious-sam-siberian-mayhem-breaks-out
  13. ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/serious-sam-siberian-mayhem


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