Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem – Spotlight

Serious Sam has long been considered a cult classic among fans of first-person shooters. Since its inception, the Serious Sam series has fused elements of Duke Nukem and Quake with Doom and Quake II to create frantic first-person shooters that are both realistic and gritty.

Pros:
Feels classic in the best way
Awesome levels
Tons of variety for both weapons and enemies

Cons:
Minor optimization issues

Score – 8/10

The release of Serious Sam 4 in 2020 marked the franchise’s first new entry in nine years. Although critical reception to Sam Stone’s return was mixed, the series’ high-octane action was enough to bring Serious Sam back into the spotlight.

Serious Sam Siberian Mayhem will be released by Croteam and Timelock Studio, a team of hardcore Serious Sam fans and modders. After the events of Serious Sam 4’s penultimate and final levels, this new instalment acts as a “midquel” to explain what happened in the interim. It gives die-hard fans more context for what happened, while still delivering on the promise of mind-numbing firefighting with a flurry of cannonballs, missiles, and other deadly weapons.

As part of the Alien Artifact Acquisition Team, Serious Sam 4’s General Howard Brand betrays humanity by siding with the alien army in the battle against Mental’s Horde for the Holy Grail (turning into a monster figuratively and literally in the process). Sam Stone is now on his way from the Arctic Circle to Tunguska to deliver the Grail to Mental and save humanity from General Brand.

Siberian Mayhem has plenty of the series’ trademark one-liners and witty prose. Aside from featuring classic Serious Sam dialogue and a diverse cast who all play up Russian stereotypes, Siberian Mayhem delivers on what fans have come to expect from the series: an entertaining storey with colourful characters who guide them through the game’s more intense moments.

Hardcore Serious Sam fans will appreciate the new plot twists, but the game’s trademark old-school gore gameplay is still the star. As is customary, your arsenal will grow from a simple handgun to a real cannon—the kind that shoots cannonballs.

With the addition of Siberian Mayhem, the series gains a new raygun and three new weapons: an electric crossbow and an AK-47. When used in conjunction with traditional weapons and the dual-wielding strategy, these weapons are a potent combination for fending off hordes of foes.

Siberian Mayhem adds four new enemy types to the mix. For a change of pace in battles, there are the Draconian Burner, Octanian Grenadedier, and Hopper, but Sentry Towers can be difficult to take down and require a lot of concentrated power. Fortunately, Serious Sam’s iconic Beheaded Kamikazes are still around, as are all of the other infamous villains from the series.

A few new weapons have been added, as well as a couple of new gadgets. Designators can summon a barrage of missiles to deal swiftly with powerful aliens or hordes of lesser foes. Hoverboard scooters may not have much firepower, but they’re great for getting around the game’s more open areas.

Like Serious Sam 4, Siberian Mayhem emphasises exploration as you progress through the game’s various environments. It’s packed with secrets, Easter eggs, and puzzles of varying difficulty to keep things interesting between the signature gunfights. There are branching options for optional objectives, which allow the player to go directly to the objective or take the scenic route, which can unlock hidden areas, skill points, and boss fights.

Siberian Mayhem’s open-world exploration is a welcome change of pace, but the tightly packed gunfights in cramped warehouses and corridors bring out the best in Serious Sam. Jump pads, health, and ammunition are strewn throughout certain rooms, encouraging you to run and shoot your way through the horde and open the next hallway’s door. In Siberian Mayhem, these sections are some of the most exhilarating.

In addition, each level has a section that has a unique twist. In Siberian Mayhem, you can use everything from a tank to a mech equipped with a chainsaw, giving you the firepower to quickly dispatch hordes of foes. Siberian Mayhem features some of the best combat sequences in the franchise’s 20-year history because of the hysterical action it provides.

For Siberian Mayhem, Croteam has made “a bunch of general fixes, engine upgrades, tweaking and updating for existing mechanics,” as well weapon and enemy balance modifications. However, even on a mid-range PC, Siberian Mayhem still performs well during intense battles with a large number of enemies in view at once. In the future, there is no doubt that additional optimizations and bug fixes will be implemented, along with the addition of seasonal content that encourages players to revisit the game.

Croteam has worked closely with die-hard Serious Sam fans to bring their vision to life, and the results speak for themselves. This sequel to Serious Sam’s ruthless alien-killing action with plenty of puns keeps things fresh with new weapons, enemies, and gameplay variations in Siberian Mayhem.