Serious Sam: The Random Encounter
Serious Sam: The Random Encounter | |
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Single-player |
Serious Sam: The Random Encounter is a 2011
Announced in March 2011, The Random Encounter was created as part of the
Gameplay
Serious Sam: The Random Encounter is a hybrid of a
When firing a weapon, the player determines how it should be used. Revolvers aim automatically, while shotguns have an adjustable radius in which they automatically aim, doing more damage to enemies at close range. Several weapons can have their trajectory angled, of which most fire in a straight line; some fire continuously, while others only have limited shots per turn. Grenade launchers can shoot at a specific point on the screen. When a character switches weapons, they lose some time before also firing the newly equipped weapon. Items include additional health or armour for the characters, revivals of dead party members, a "Serious Bomb" that defeats the majority of visible enemies, and a "Kamikaze Bait" that spawns 100 (or more) Beheaded Kamikaze enemies.[1][7][8][10]
In each turn, the player characters perform their selected actions, while enemies also attack. Turns last five seconds, after which the player can assign new actions.[2][5][9] During a turn, the player may also move the entire party up or down to shift their weapons' aim or dodge enemies and their projectiles.[5][6][11] Individual enemies have different attack styles.[7][8] Characters take damage when hit by an enemy or projectile and die when their armour and health are depleted.[11] Should all party members be dead at once, the battle ends, with the party losing a life and being reset to its position prior to the lost battle.[2][11] Should the player lose all of their three lives, gameplay pauses and the active level is reset.[1][3][11]
Battles end normally once all enemies are defeated, although additional enemies may spawn during a battle.
Development and release
Serious Sam: The Random Encounter was developed by
The visuals for The Random Encounter were produced by Roy Nathan de Groot and Paul Veer.
The Serious Sam Indie Series was announced by Devolver Digital in March 2011.
Two trailers for The Random Encounter were edited by Kert Gartner.
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 64/100[34] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 7/10[1] |
Eurogamer | 8/10[8] |
GamePro | 3/5[9] |
GamesRadar+ | 2/5[10] |
GameZone | 7.0/10[2] |
IGN | 7/10[7] |
RPGamer | 2.5/5[5] |
Serious Sam: The Random Encounter received "mixed or average reviews", according to the
Donlan and GamePro's Nathan Meunier liked the variety in the available armament, with Donlan calling the individual weapons "endlessly satisfying".[8][9] However, Pinsof and Hodge found that some of them, especially the grenade launcher, only had limited usability.[1][10] Polansky and Hodge dismissed the puzzles in the overworld as "peripheral" and "unchallenging".[3][10]
Pinsof, Hodge and Shacknews's Ozzie Mejia felt that The Random Encounter's concept was a good fit for the Serious Sam series.[1][6][10] Mejia and Sanchez pointed out that the game's humour was well aligned with that of the rest of the series.[2][6] Polansky and Alex Fuller (RPGamer) disliked the lack of a proper plot.[3][5] Pinsof and Hodge noted an overall lack of polish, of whom Pinsof also encountered several bugs.[1][10] Its visuals and sound were considered by Sanchez as apt for the series, with the art described as "pleasing to look at" by Fuller.[5]
Many critics voiced their disappointment about the game's duration of roughly one to two hours, considering it insufficient.[2][5][6][9] Hodge contrarily called it "mercifully short".[10] Sanchez and Fuller consequently felt a sudden spike in difficulty after the first level.[2][5] Polansky observed that later battles had "unpredictable" difficulties.[3] Conversely, Mejia opined that the game had a good learning curve, although he found little replay value.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Pinsof, Allistair (24 October 2011). "Review: Serious Sam: The Random Encounter". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sanchez, David (4 November 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Polansky, Lana (16 December 2011). "Review: Serious Sam: The Random Encounter". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Kaharl, Jonathan (23 August 2020). "Serious Sam Spin-Offs (Part 1)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Fuller, Alex (25 October 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mejia, Ozzie (3 November 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter review". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Neigher, Eric (3 November 2011). "Serious Sam:The Random Encounter Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Donlan, Christian (17 November 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Meunier, Nathan (2 November 2011). "Review: Serious Sam: The Random Encounter (PC)". GamePro. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hodge, Ryan (28 October 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter review". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Walker, John (25 October 2011). "WIT: Serious Sam – The Random Encounter". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d Cameron, Phill (5 November 2012). "Two years with Vlambeer: the inside story on gaming's greatest new studio". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d Garcia, Louis (28 April 2011). "Interview Roundup: Croteam and indie developers discuss new titles in the Serious Sam universe". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Ismail, Rami (10 March 2011). "Serious news". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011.
- ^ on 10 September 2011.
- ^ a b Ismail, Rami; Veer, Paul (6 June 2011). "Paul Veer on Serious Sam: The Random Encounter". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 24 October 2011.
- ^ de Groot, Roy Nathan. "Serious Sam: the Random Encounter". Pixel-icious. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ Rad, Chloi (20 January 2015). "Starr Mazer Fuses Point-and-Click Adventure and Retro Shmups". IGN. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Fahey, Mike (9 March 2011). "Serious Sam Delivers Three New Games With An Indie Twist". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (9 March 2011). "Serious Sam goes indie". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Ismail, Rami (16 May 2011). "Indigo '11". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011.
- ^ Ismail, Rami (25 September 2011). "Fantastic Arcade & Serious Sam release info". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011.
- Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon 24 February 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon 16 November 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Ismail, Rami (9 September 2011). "Supermassive Blog Post". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011.
- ^ Ismail, Rami (7 October 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter – Gameplay Trailer!". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011.
- ^ Ismail, Rami (24 October 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011.
- ^ Gallegos, Anthony (11 October 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter Release Date Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Zacny, Rob (24 October 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter launches on Steam with a live-action trailer (of sorts)". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Hinkle, David (25 October 2011). "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter launches (a billion missiles)". Engadget. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ GameSetWatch. Archived from the originalon 11 January 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon 14 November 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Ismail, Rami (8 August 2017). "Announcement!". Vlambeer. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
External links
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 February 2024)