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Serious Sam 4 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital. It is part of the Serious Sam series and the prequel to Serious Sam 3: BFE. The game was released on 24 September, 2020 for Microsoft Windows and Stadia.[1] On 7 December, 2021, the game was released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S systems.[2]
A standalone expansion pack, Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, was released on 25 January, 2022.[3]
Plot[]
In the year 2112, and about a year prior to the events of Serious Sam 3: BFE, a massive portal suddenly appears in Tunguska, Russia, allowing Mental's forces to invade Earth. The Earth Defense Force, Earth's main military force, is scrambled along with local resistance fighters to repel and contain the threat. This conflict initiates the Tunguska Offensive.
Several weeks have passed since the portal appeared, and several smaller portals have become established in densely populated areas, such as France and Italy, which have resulted in Mental's forces establishing a foothold in Europe. Lord Achriman, one of Mental's most trusted servants, is overseeing the campaign on Earth. Meanwhile, in Rome, the Alien Artifact Acquisition team, consisting of the infamous Serious Sam, Hellfire, Rodriguez, Jones, Carter, and recruit Kenny, are being escorted by an Earth Defense Force convoy on the way to the Vatican Library to rendezveous with Father Mikhail, a Russian priest and expert in archaic languages and ancient texts, who claims to have knowledge of the Holy Grail's whereabouts.[4] According to Father Mikhail, the Holy Grail is a powerful artifact hidden inside the Ark of the Covenant that could potentially aid mankind in their fight against Mental. On the way to the Vatican, the convoy is bombed by Octanian Raiders, and Sam's car is hit by the blast, separating him and Kenny from the rest of his team.[4]
Sam and Kenny are forced on foot through the winding streets, and they soon meet up with Father Mikhail. Mikhail tags along, and the three of them eventually make it to the Piazza della Repubblica to await extraction by Hellfire.[5] Some tough fighting ensues, and Hellfire is able to rescue the team out of Rome and escorts them back to base, where they meet up with General Brand, professor Gottlieb Kiesel, and communications officer Quinn.
With Lord Achriman's Raider fleet dominating the airspace in the region, Professor Kiesel theorizes that unless Mount Vevusius were to erupt, the Raider flee will continue to reign supremacy over the skies. Carter, thinking of an idea, suggests that they utilize the seismic capabilites of the HAARP weapon to force the volcano to erupt, which will ground the enemy's air forces. Meanwhile, Carter escorts Father Mikhail back into to Rome to get to the Vatican Library.[6] The team are taken to Pompeii, and set up 8 beacons to activate the HAARP, but Jones is killed during the mission after being eaten by a Khnum. Sam battles the beast and kills it. Once the final beacon is set up, Brand orders that the HAARP be activated, despite not giving the team enough time to establish a safe perimeter from the volcano. The HAARP activates, causing Vesuvius to erupt and fill the ruins of Pompeii with lava. Sam and his friends manage to get out alive and head back to base.[7]
Back on base, Sam is informed by Quinn that they have been unable to reach Carter and Mikhail, so Brand orders Sam and Rodriguez to go back into Rome and find them. Sam makes his way to the Colosseum, Carter's last known location, and encounters Lord Achriman in person. Achriman forces Sam to fight against Mental's forces inside the Colosseum and then summons a massive creature, the Swamp Hive, to kill Sam. He defeats the monster and Rodriguez appears from underneath the Colosseum, telling Sam he has found a way into the catacombs. The two are able to rescue Carter and Father Mikhail, and he tells Sam that they are actually looking for a sacred text and not the Holy Grail. He says that the text is hidden inside the Vatican Library, and reading from it will help them find the Ark of the Covenant.[8]
Sam makes his way to the Vatican, and along the way he meets a gun-toting old lady called Nonna, who assists him with directions to get to the Vatican. After getting hold of a mech and killing a huge alien creature, Sam obtains the book from the Vatican Library. The team board a plane to Carcassonne, in France, which is the location of the Ark and the Holy Grail. Brand informs the Triple-A team that they will meeting up with Michelle, the leader of the resistance cell in Carcassonne. Suddenly, the team are forced to jump out of the plane after it comes under attack by Octanian raiders, and they are separated from one another upon landing in the French countryside.[9] Sam manages to get to Carcassonne, where he meets up with Kenny. After fighting off some of Mental's forces, Sam is confronted by Achriman, who further taunts him and kills Kenny before fleeing.[10]
Sayid, a member of the French Resistance, appears and leads Sam to a bar, where he meets up with Michelle, the leader of the French Resistance cell in Carcassonne. Sam and the resistance fighters make their way to the informant, an Arachnoid called Charlie, who knows how to get into the castle where the church is located.[11] With help from Charlie and the resistance, Sam makes it to the castle and makes contact with his friends.[12] Sam and the rest encounter heavy resistance and eventually reach the church. Lord Achriman shows up again, but Sam kills him to avenge Kenny. Before Sam and his team enter the church, Father Mikhail doubts the Grail they seek is what it actually seems, and that it was kept hidden away for a reason. When Mikhail uncovers the Ark, he finds that it actually contains a golden scepter with the figure of a snake wrapped around it, which bears a great resemblance to Aaron's Rod. General Brand and his soldiers appear, who reveals himself as a traitor with the intention of offering the Grail to Mental as a gift. Brand takes the artifact and allows himself to be bitten by the snake figure, transforming him into a monster. Mikhail intervenes to stop the now monstrous Brand, but he kills him and captures Sam along with the rest of his team.[13]
After a tranquilizer trip, Sam wakes up to find himself inside Brand's transport plane. Just as he is about to leave, Brand tells him it's too late to save his friends and convinces him to give up fighting, but Sam shrugs it off and escapes by parachuting from Brand's plane. After Sam makes it down to the ground again, he finds himself in at an abandoned Russian oil platform in the Arctic. There, he obtains a boat and departs to Tunguska to stop Brand.[14] Upon reaching land, Sam is assisted by a version of himself from the future who provides him with a snowmobile before leaving. At the site of the portal in Tunguska, Sam finds that his friends have also escaped from Brand and joins them a large scale battle between the EDF and the alien hordes, where Mental sends his toughest forces at them. Brand recaptures Sam and offers both him and the Holy Grail as a gift to Ugh-Zan VI, one of Mental's most powerful servants, but the creature isn't interested it and flicks him off with his finer. With help from his friends, Sam kills Ugh-Zan VI with the Grail and straps Brand to an ICBM that the team then launches into the portal, destroying it.[15]
After the battle, Sam and his remaining friends celebrate while remembering their lost companions. Sam indicates that their next mission will be in Egypt. In a post-credits scene, future Sam arrives at Nonna's house via a portal and tells her that he has a mission for her. She is happy to see Sam again, despite him being a different version of himself, and he takes her through the portal.
Characters[]
Allies[]
- Sam Stone
- NETRICSA
- Fiona Starr aka "Hellfire"
- Mikhail Obruchev
- Dwayne Rodriguez
- Daniel Carter
- Thomas Jones
- Kenneth Orkanti
- Gottlieb Kiesel
- Penelope Quinn
- Michelle Djabali
- Sayid Lรฉcuyer
- Charlie
- Bill Corwin
- Massimo Murena
- Paolo
- Garibaldi
- Gabriella
- Nonna
- Annabelle
- Aubrey
- Filibert
- Fulbert le Fou
- Vermetti
- Dmitry
- Princess
- Alessandro
- English airman (Not seen)
Other[]
- Lord Achriman
- Mental (Not seen)
- Ugh-Zan VI
- Howard Brand
Enemies[]
- Adult Arachnoid
- Adult Zubenhakrabian Spider
- Aurigan Haemovore
- Beheaded Bomber
- Beheaded Firecracker
- Beheaded Kamikaze
- Beheaded Rocketeer
- Combat Drone
- Common Aludran Reptiloid
- Draconian Pyromaniac
- Emetic Anthropolyp
- Gnaar
- Hatchling Arachnoid
- Kalopsy
- Khnum
- Kleer Skeleton
- Lava Golem (Easter Egg)
- Major Bio-mechanoid
- Megalopolyp (Boss)
- Minor Bio-mechanoid
- Octanian Commander
- Octanian Gamma Trooper
- Octanian Harvester Leviathan
- Octanian Raider
- Octanian Sniper
- Octanian Zealot
- Processed Anthropolyp
- Saggitarian Sidewinder
- Scrapjack
- Scythian Witch-Harpy
- Sirian Werebull
- Space Mummy
- Skeleton
- Swamp Hive (Boss)
- Technopolyp
- Witch-Bride of Achriman
- Zubenhakrabian Spider Nymph
Weapons[]
In addition to new weapons, some of the weapons from previous games have optional upgrades that can be acquired through optional side objectives.
Warning: Upgrades will only be available in the playthrough in which they are acquired. So starting a mission that comes after when the upgrade would be acquired will not be available and cannot be obtained.
- Combat Knife: A classic melee weapon from the classic games. Despite being a small weapon, it is extremely powerful and also has piercing abilities, which can allow the player to kill several enemies in a row with it. It can also be used to perform finishing kills.
- SOP38 Pistol: Returning from Serious Sam 3, this semi-automatic handgun can be useful in a pinch, but features a small magazine that has to be reloaded after expending it, which precludes its use in large fights. The player can use the weapon's iron sights to deliver more accurate shots to enemies.
- 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun: A classic weapon from other Serious Sam games. Unlike its Serious Sam 3 incarnation, it does not need to be reloaded.
- Grenade launcher attachment - The grenade launcher attachment launches grenades as a secondary fire option. It can be mounted on the pump-action shotgun and is fired with the secondary fire key.
- Double Barrel Coach Gun: A powerful double-barrel shotgun that can deal a high amount of damage upon close-range. It also reloads faster compared to its previous incarnations. It can instantly kill certain medium sized enemies when they are shot in the head.
- M29 Infantry Assault Rifle: A rapid fire automatic assault rifle that now holds 80 bullets and has a holographic sight. This rifle can fire accurate shots from a distance.
- XPML21 Rocket Launcher: An experimental rocket launcher that can fire missiles and can deal heavy damage on armored enemies. The loading mechanism is similar to Serious Sam 3: BFE.
- Multirocket: A secondary fire mode for the rocket launcher. Loads up to five rockets with targeting capabilities that will lock onto enemies when fired. Rockets are loaded with the secondary fire key.
- RAPTOR Sniper Rifle: A powerful long-range sniper rifle that can deal heavy damage to small and medium-sized enemies from a distance. The built-in scope also helps eliminate enemies more easily and accurately at longer distances. It can also take out large enemies if the player fires at their weak spot such as their head. It now holds magazines and has to be reloaded.
- C-4 Demolition Charge: A throwable plastic explosive that can be thrown or attached to an enemy or surface. Once detonated, it deals extreme damage over a wide area. It can also be used to destroy obstacles such as pillars.
- 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. When activated, it detonates grenades that have been fired into smaller grenades that explode a short time afterwards.
- Autoshotgun: An automatic shotgun that fires shells to deal a rapid and powerful attack at close range, but has a high ammunition cost due to its fast rate of fire and the fact that it uses unique ammunition. It holds a magazine of 20 shells and has to be reloaded after expending it.
- XM214-A Minigun: The most iconic weapon in the series. It is a very powerful and rapid-firing weapon that has an extreme rate of fire and can mow down large hordes of weak enemies. Unlike other games, with the exception of Serious Sam 2, the player can hold up to 1000 rounds in the weapon.
- A-24 Devastator: Introduced inSerious Sam 3, this powerful automatic shotgun fires high-piercing explosive rounds and deals explosive damage to smaller enemies and deliver damage upon impact to larger enemies.
- 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.
- XL2 Lasergun: An iconic and powerful energy weapon that fires slowlight energy pulses towards enemies and deals high damage. The Lasergun has an extremely high rate of fire and, unique to the game, now deals more damage when fired continuously.
- Death ray: A secondary fire option for the Lasergun. It unleashes an extremely powerful beam that can cut through enemies, but consumes ammunition quickly.
- FRPCL: A strange weapon that functions similar to the rocket launcher, but fires homing explosive chainsaws. These projectiles burrow into an enemy's flesh and tears them apart, allowing it to destroy even the toughest enemies. When the target is killed, the projectile will then seek out another until the projectile explodes. If no target is available to lock onto, the projectile will function like a standard rocket.
- 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.
Gadgets[]
Gadgets are unique objects that replace power-ups from the classic games. They are usually awareded to the player for completing side objectives, but can also be found as secrets. They can be selected through the player's weapon wheel or by pressing the "1" key. The player can quickly activate a pre-selected gadget by pressing the gadget selection key (Z
).
- L.I.F.E.: A nano-medicinal device that delivers a quick boost of 50 health points when activated. It can go over the normal 100 health limit without the player having to rely on health items.
- Holodecoy: A hologram emitter that creates a decoy to distract enemies. Enemies will attack the decoy instead of the player while it is active. Like other gadgets, it has a limited amount of lifetime, which is indicated by the bar next to the player's health and armor.
- Rage Serum: A performance-enhancing drug that drastically increases the player's movement speed, weapon's rate of fire and damage output, and increases reloading speed. Behaves similarly to Serious Damage from The Second Encounter.
- Time Warp: A time dilation device of Sirian origin that creates a 'time bubble' around the user. Enemies and projectiles are slowed down upon the gadget's activation. Players and NPCs are immune to the gadget's effects.
- Hacked Drone: A hacked Octanian drone that guards the player from enemies and will fire upon them for a while before its timer runs out and explodes. Like the holodecoy, enemies will target the drone whenever possible.
- Psychotropic Grenade: A nerve agent that causes enemies to attack each other instead of the player.
- Black Hole: A portable black hole that can suck in enemies, which will instantly kill them. Enemies will be sucked in for as long as the black hole lasts until it eventually dissipates. Players and NPCs are not affected by this gadget.
- Mini-Nuke: A surface-to-surface missile that creates a massive explosion when detonated, causing instant death to all enemies within the range of the blast. Behaves just like Serious Bomb from Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.
- H.E.A.R.T.: A portable defibrillator which revives the player when they die. The player is given the option to start again, which uses up the gadget, or reload to the last save point.
Vehicles[]
A feature not seen since Serious Sam 2, vehicles make an appearance to the game. Their main purpose is to help the player easily traverse the terrain on large, open levels that are much more time-consuming to travel on foot. There is also a large mech that can be used during boss fights or for dealing with large hordes of enemies. All vehicles all have a health bar of 100, and will take damage from explosions, projectiles tossed by enemies, or environmental sources (trees, bushes, etc.).
Sirian Artefacts of Might[]
The Sirian Artefacts of Might system is a unique feature introduced to the game. Only 10 S.A.M. eggs can be found in the entire campaign. The player can select which skills to choose, and deselect them at any time to use for another skill later on.
- 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)
- Long Distance Relationship (increases the range from which melee attacks can be made)
- 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)
- Dual Wield With A Vengeance (allows for all weapons to be dual-wielded)
- Born To Run (allows for the use of weapons during sprinting)
- The Quick And The Dead (all weapons gain a faster reload time (should they have a reload))
Gameplay[]
Gameplay remains much the same as all of the other games in the series, which involves making it to the end of the level and eliminating massive hordes of enemies in the process. There are no puzzles in the game, except for finding keys that unlock doors. There are optional side objectives which, upon completion, will reward the player with gadgets, access to supplies like ammo or health and armor, or weapon upgrades. Like in Serious Sam 2, friendly NPCs will fight alongside the player and assist them as they progress.
Mechanics[]
A major feature in the game is the introduction of the Sirian Artefacts of Might system. This feature functions as a skill tree similar to the one in Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope. Upgrades can be developed to focus on either melee or long range combat, decrease reloading speed, increase a weapon's rate of fire after reloading, and unlock unique skills. Skill points can only be acquired through the acquisition of S.A.M. eggs, which are found scattered throughout the campaign in wooden crates. Skills are unlocked by going diagonally along the tree. The player can unlearn a skill that was previously learnt and use a point to unlock another skill.
One of the unique features that can be unlocked from the skill tree is the ability to mount enemies, such as Octanian Zealots or Sirian Werebulls. The mechanics vary depending on the type of enemy being mounted. For example, a mounted Zealot can whack enemies with its hammer, and a mounted Werebull can be used to ram enemies out of the way with its horns. Once mounted, the player will be able to control the enemy's movements and attacks. Enemies will attack the enemy the player is controlling instead of the player's character. The player can use the enemy's attacks with the primary fire key. If the player is mounted on a Werebull, the player can use any of their weapons and control the Werebull's movements at the same time. The enemy has a limited amount of health when mounted, which is displayed on the bottom-left corner of the screen. Once the enemy dies, the player will be dismounted. For some enemies to be ridden, like the Khnum or Major Bio-mechanoid, the player has to stun them first, which is achieved by reducing their health to a certain extent (but not enough to kill them), and then mount them while they are incapacitated.
Game mechanics from Serious Sam 3 such as sprinting, melee attacks, iron sights and reloading make a return. Dual-wielding, a feature first introduced in the virtual reality ports, returns once again. The player can dual-wield two of the same weapons or two different weapons at once. Unlike the VR games, however, the player needs to unlock the respective skills from the S.A.M skill tree to be able to do this.
Locations[]
The game takes place in three countries; Italy, France, and Russia. The maps see a drastic increase in size, which can range from several hundred meters to a few kilometers. These large-scale maps make traveling on foot more difficult. Thus, vehicles now make a return to the game, a feature which hasn't been seen since Serious Sam 2. There is a motorcycle, which the player gets to use on the first level that takes place in France, a tractor, combine harvester (which can be used to slice up enemies with its cutting platform), ATV, and so on. There is also a large mech equipped with powerful miniguns and rocket launchers, which are needed in boss fights or for taking on hordes of tough enemies.
Enemy mechanics[]
A few new enemies have been introduced to the game, such as the Emetic Anthropolyp, Processed Anthropolyp, and the Octanian Zealot. Other new enemies behave just like enemies from past games. For instance, the Octanian Gamma Trooper behaves just like the Cloned Soldier, while the Octanian Zealot functions like Cucurbito the Pumpkin. Recurring enemies such as the infamous Beheaded Kamikaze, Beheaded Rocketeer, Gnaar and Kleer Skeleton are back. The Beheaded Bomber and the Beheaded Firecracker also appear, having not made any new appearances in the main series since Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. Enemies from both Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope and Serious Sam 3: BFE reappear, like the Khnum, Saggitarian Sidewinder, and the Scrapjack.
Hordes of enemies are now much larger than before, which makes the game more challenging. Also, a significant number of enemies will now spawn all around the player, including behind them, compared to very few in the previous games, which makes the common tactic of running backwards while gunning to be useless. Some enemies have been give more advanced AI than the previous games, and will try to flank the player as opposed to just charging straight at them. The final level of the game introduces a spawning feature called the Legion System; its purpose is to control the spawning of NPCs and enemies that appear with the player during the battle that takes place in the final level.
A unique feature in the game is the introduction of the critical hit system; critical hits deal three times as much damage compared to hitting other parts of the enemy's body. A critical hit is indicated by a red mark that appears on the player's crosshair when they fire at an enemy's weak spot. Most enemies in the game have weak spots (usually their head), but not all of them are located in the same place. For example, the Space Mummy's weak spot is the glowing flame within its chest.
Aside from the critical hit mechanic, armored enemies make an appearance to the game as well, similar to the armored variants of regular enemies from Serious Sam: Double D: XXL. An example of this is the Octanian Zealot, which resists damage from small-arms fire, and can only take regular damage when firing at its back. It can take damage from explosives, but the amount of damage the enemy takes from enemies is greatly reduced compared to when using in on regular enemies.
Some enemies have also been given advanced AI; Combat Drones, for example, will perform evasive maneuvers around the player while engaging them, which can make it hard to track them and shoot them down. There are also 'passive' enemies, which do not attack the player and are only scripted for certain events. The Propaganda Drone, for instance, does not attack the player or have any offensive capabilities on its own, instead it will come to life on a loudspeaker and broadcast propaganda messages or, even, speeches from Lord Achriman himself, whenever the player approaches one. Harvester Drones are another 'passive' enemy that can be seen snatching people and taking them to an Octanian Harvester Leviathan to be prepared for processing.
Weapons and upgrades[]
There are over 15 weapons in total, with the introduction of two new weapons; the Autoshotgun and FRPCL. Several classic weapons make a return, both from Serious Sam 1 and Serious Sam 3: BFE, such as the MK III Grenade Launcher and C-4 Demolition Charges. The Sledgehammer from Serious Sam 3 is absent and has been replaced by the Military Knife, which in turn has been renamed the "combat knife".
A few weapons can now receive upgrades, such as an underbarrel grenade launcher for the pump action shotgun, or the lasergun unleashing a powerful beam that deals rapid damage to enemies, and the rocket launcher firing multiple rockets at once that can track enemies. However, some of these upgrades can only be unlocked by completing side objectives, and they will not be available if a new game is started after the side objective for the upgrade was in a previous level.
Miscellaneous[]
NETRICSA, a main component in Serious Sam games, has changed. Instead of displaying a 3D image of the subject and text boxes, NETRICSA now shows a list on the left side of the screen and several categories (Enemies, Equipment, Dossiers, etc.) on the top left of the screen; a similar format to the Serious Sam 1 version. NETRICSA also shows the image of the subject in the middle, the information of the subject on the top right and the stats of the subject on the bottom right. It also displays "EDF tips" for dealing with dangerous enemies. Like in Serious Sam 1 and Serious Sam 3, NETRICSA doesn't speak like she in Serious Sam 2 or Serious Sam: Double D.
The player's HUD has changed, and objectives (both the main objective and side objectives) are shown on the left side of the screen, and distance markers have been added to show the player how far away their from the checkpoint. The main objective is marked yellow, while side objectives are marked light blue. If the player is stuck or lost on the map, they can press the "Way to go" key (C
by default) which will have NETRICSA show them the way with directional arrow markers.
During gameplay, the player can find letters or audio logs (which are found in NETRICSA's "Dossiers" tab), which can be read or listened to whenever the player wishes. Some of these letters/audio logs contain references to other Serious Sam games, and mention things like the Time-Lock, time travel, and various other details. Some of these objects need to be picked up in order to trigger a side objective.
Co-op mode[]
Serious Sam 4 features online multiplayer just like the previous games. Cooperative mode is back and includes campaign and co-op survival with up to 4 players. Other modes such as Deathmatch or Versus mode are absent from the game. It is not known when they will be added.
Digital Deluxe edition[]
If the Digital Deluxe edition was purchased, players can gain access to the game's official concept designs, original soundtrack (composed by Croteam's composer Damjan Mravunac) and the classic Tommygun skin for the assault rifle. The weapon skin is purely cosmetic and does not change the performance or the damage output of the weapon.
Development[]
Development of Serious Sam 4 was confirmed in June 2013. To help fund development, Croteam released the Serious Sam Humble Bundle, from which all revenue would go towards game development.
During developing and playtesting of the jammer feature from The Talos Principle - a movable device that can disable objects within a small radius - the team proposed that this along with other game mechanics would be better off being included in a different game, The Talos Principle, which was released in 2014.[16][17] In September 2015, the co-writers of the game, Jonas Kyratzes and his wife, Verena, were announced as the screenwriters for Serious Sam 4.[18]
Serious Sam 4 was announced under the name Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass in April 2018, during the opening of the Reboot Develop 2018 conference in Croatia, with a teaser trailer.[19] One level was demonstrated behind closed doors at E3 2018 that June.[20][21] At the time, the game was planned to be released in 2019.
In May 2020, Serious Sam 4 was re-announced without the Planet Badass subtitle and with a release window of August 2020 for Microsoft Windows and Stadia.[22][23] It was later delayed to 24 September. Due to an exclusivity deal with Stadia, versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were postponed to early 2021[24], delayed even further, and ultimately skipped over both platforms in favor of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X systems. They were later released for these platforms on 7 December, 2021.
Reception[]
Serious Sam 4 received mixed or average reviews from game critics,according to review aggregator website Metacritic. The site calculated normalised ratings of 68/100 for the Microsoft Windows version, 65/100 for the PlayStation 5 port, and 57/100 on Xbox Series X/S.[25][26][27]
Achievements and trophies[]
- Main article: Serious Sam 4 Achievements and Trophies
Serious Sam 4 has 54 achievements for PC[28], Xbox SeriesX/S[29] and Playstation 5[30], with a total of 1000 Gamerscore points, and 52 trophies; 47 bronze trophies, 5 silver trophies, 1 gold trophy and 1 platinum trophy.
Gallery[]
Promotional artwork[]
Official screenshots[]
Official images[]
References[]
- โ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/serious-sam-4-has-been-delayed-slightly-locking-in/1100-6480619/
- โ https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-12-07-serious-sam-4-out-now-on-consoles
- โ https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/serious-sam-shoots-through-siberia-in-a-standalone-expansion-this-month
- โ 4.0 4.1 Serious Sam 4 level: "Death from Above"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: "Death from Below"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: '"Gates of Hell"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: "When in Rome"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: "A Breakfast in France"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: "One for the Road"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: Vive la Rรฉsistance
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: In Carcassonne
- โ Serious Sam 4 (basilica cutscene)
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: "The Package"
- โ Serious Sam 4 level: "From Earth With Love"
- โ https://gamasutra.com/view/news/237807/Reactive_game_dev_How_Serious_Sam_4_became_The_Talos_Principle.php
- โ https://www.polygon.com/2015/3/2/8134649/talos-principle-reactive-development-gdc-2015
- โ https://www.pcgamer.com/the-talos-principle-writer-signs-up-for-serious-sam-4/
- โ https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-04-19-croteam-announces-serious-sam-4-planet-badass
- โ https://kotaku.com/serious-sam-4-is-aiming-for-100-000-enemies-on-screen-a-1826963510
- โ https://www.shacknews.com/article/105764/serious-sam-4-interview-first-encounters-of-the-badass-kind
- โ https://www.engadget.com/serious-sam-4-pc-august-release-date-001429033.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIm_gauPLza_CYG1lyyjfs74ZfE6ePUlnzMB3vCKJyw0dDnRJSHEypdilsz7HgWYnww3ZIKh1PIMhgknZBujuAbiO_vIM3ToUcrHIO5bZqiTnG2JqGF4frbxFnQyrpjSObDAp9q8X6TmZgYJ4I-BMoV-pDUI1egAIi92O6-jVaqC
- โ https://www.pcgamer.com/serious-sam-4-threatens-to-put-100000-enemies-on-your-screen-at-once/
- โ https://kotaku.com/stadia-exclusivity-will-keep-serious-sam-4-off-ps4-and-1843568732
- โ https://www.metacritic.com/game/serious-sam-4-planet-badass/critic-reviews/?platform=pc
- โ https://www.metacritic.com/game/serious-sam-4-planet-badass/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5
- โ https://www.metacritic.com/game/serious-sam-4-planet-badass/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-series-x
- โ https://steamcommunity.com/stats/257420/achievements
- โ https://www.trueachievements.com/game/Serious-Sam-4/achievements
- โ https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/14886-serious-sam-4
External links[]
- Serious Sam 4 on the Steam Store
- Serious Sam 4 on Croteam's website
Videos[]
- Teaser trailer on YouTube
- Official cinematic reveal trailer on YouTube
- Official launch trailer on YouTube
- Official gameplay trailer on YouTube
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