Reviewed by Brandy Shaul
The Serious Sam games have never been known for groundbreaking storytelling, and in the First Encounter, that hasn’t changed. It’s the year 2104, and monsters have been released from another dimension. The human population has been decimated, and those that have survived decide to use an ancient device called the Time-Lock to send a person back in time to stop them. Sam, being the badass that he is, is the obvious man for the job, and is teleported to ancient Egypt in the year 1378 B.C.
Beyond that, there is no real story, at least in the traditional sense of the word. Text messages serve as introductions to your enemies, weapons and objectives both before and during each chapter, but other than that, you’re basically on your own.
Over the first few levels, you’ll become progressively better armed, by finding new pistols and shotguns, grenade and rocket launches, a Gatling gun, and even a hand-held cannon, among others. What any of these items are doing sitting around ancient Egypt is anyone’s guess, but as you find yourself shooting decapitated humans and floating meatballs, by then all common sense is already gone, and the continuity (or lack thereof) is best ignored.
You won’t find terrific graphics or ingenious level design here, but, as with other games in the franchise, The First Encounter doesn’t present itself as an in-depth, awe inspiring experience. Rather, it’s a fairly straight-forward shooter that combines very simplistic puzzles (pulling switches or pressing knobs) and item hunts with the standard “shoot everything that moves” ideology.
The difficulty level here is two-fold. When playing cooperatively (the game supports up to four players), there are infinite respawns, while on the single-player, a death means reverting to the last checkpoint. Overall, the multiplayer experience is far more entertaining, as said respawns allow you to fly through the story in one sitting, blasting everything in your path, no defensive strategy necessary.
Single-player, then, is much more monotonous, as a balls-to-the-wall strategy won’t get you very far; rather, you’re much better off slowly clearing a room before moving onto the next. When going it alone, boss battles are also frustrating, as it takes forever to lob enough cannon balls or shoot enough lasers at your current enemy to actually bring it down. One particular complaint comes at the end of the game, as defeating the final boss relies far too much on luck when you don’t have a buddy around to employ as a distraction, as there is an added puzzle element, which, while not giving too much away, requires that the boss be in a very particular location to be killed, and since it consistently chases you around the arena… You see where this is going.
That being the case, The First Encounter is definitely better suited to a multiplayer experience. While the game becomes far easier, and can therefore be cleared in one 3-4 hour sitting, it still contains a bit of challenge in the sheer amount of enemies thrown your way (even if the enemy variety itself is lacking), and in the unfortunate repetition of the level design, which can leave you a bit lost when searching for items and trying to recall which areas you’ve already explored.
While not entering the realm of complexity found in other first person shooters, Serious Sam does contain a few fun touches, like being able to change the color of the blood spray (including a hippie option that paints daisies on the ground) or change your character model in co-op sessions (Santa Sam, anyone?), but these changes are strictly aesthetic. Other additions include hidden objects (aside from those you’re required to find to advance the story) and corridors that complete the feeling of playing a game from decades past.
Overall, Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is one of those games that requires little forethought to play and definitely doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s a silly, entertaining title that’s worth playing if you can find at least one like-minded individual to go at it with you, but can also be a bit too boring or difficult without them.
Special thanks to Blain Howard and Majesco for providing a copy of this title.