Sam Stone Is Back Baby! Serious Sam 4 – Review (PC)

By Phil Neyman Last updated Sep 23, 2020

Serious Sam 4 gives you that same feeling that you have when you return home for your high school reunion. You feel as though you’ve changed and want to evolve, yet there is something comforting about the familiar things that remind you of home. Since the original Serious Sam game was released nearly twenty years ago, the FPS genre has gone from the fringe to the main stage and has been led by franchises such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. Thank God Sam has returned to throw his hat into the stagnant feeling genre.

Serious Sam had us spraying bullets at hordes long before The Covenant and Zombies were sending wave after wave at us to defeat. This time around, Mental will be sending more hordes than ever and it will take Sam’s entire arsenal and team working together to survive. They are the Earth’s last defense force and if Sam fails the earth will be lost. However, don’t expect everyone to make it out alive. The enemy foes do not play fair and, unfortunately, Sam will have to tell some family members that their loved ones won’t be coming home. It’s moments like this that make you realize that this isn’t just your run of the mill horde mode, but that Croteam really care about the story and this world that they’ve created.

Like any game or film that deals with some of the horrors that this game has to offer, comedy is a key element here as well. Listening as the rookie tries a one liner for the first time after getting his first kill is hysterical. The back and forth banter between the team while literally the fate of the world hangs in their fingertips is not only hilarious, it’s necessary.

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Gameplay has never felt better. Throughout the course of the game you’ll wield fifteen different weapons and each of them feel fast and responsive. Weapons can also have secondary functions added to them which feel just as good. There is something incredibly rewarding about blasting an enemy in the face and as they fall over, sending a grenade into the crowd behind them as they do so. You’ll need to take full advantage of the space here in order to survive. At times, you may even be moving backwards more than you are going forward in an attempt to flee from the hordes and destroy them at the same time.

Once you get the hang of cycling through the weapon wheel, which can be a little clunky at times, you’ll have a second layer on the wheel with items that can be used to help you on your journey. One of our favorites actually slows down time so that you can fight your way through some of the more densely populated areas without dying. Finding this item was hilarious too as the writing here is truly top notch in the comedy department.

Upon completion of each level, you’ll see your stats. One of our favorites involves the time it takes you to complete the level compared to how long they think the level should take you. Completing it in less time will give you bonus points… but fail to complete the level in the time they’ve allotted, and you’ll take a hit in the point department and be penalized.

Throughout the levels are side missions that appear as well. These don’t have to be completed to advance the story, but they tend to tie into the game a lot better than most side quests in games and give you some pretty badass gear to use along the way.

The enemies that come at you are varied and familiar but can be downright terrifying at the same time. Hearing a Beheaded Kamikaze screaming at you with bombs for hands will give you night terrors. Playing the game with headphones will help you pinpoint which direction these and the other enemies are coming from because each has a very distinct sound associated with them and this gives you a little more sense of control if you can locate them as quickly as possible. Stringing together melee and ranged attacks will have you giggling with glee while you take down each wave of alien scum. Certain perks will even give you health for melee attacks so using them at the right time can really be a life saver.

Serious Sam 4 can be as difficult as you want it to be. Some of the difficulty levels are downright maddening and you’ll be cursing the day that you were born as you fight your way to the end credits, but fear not, even in your darkest hour the game will tell you that you suck and ask you if you want to lower the difficulty that you are playing on. We’ve written articles here at Handsome Phantom about paying games on easy, there is no shame in that, especially if it helps you enjoy your experience more. Serious Sam 4 has plenty of difficulty levels to choose from and you can always adjust the difficulty as you go. Those who enjoy co-op will have the ability to play the game with a friend as well.

Recommendation: For any fans of the franchise, this game is a no brainer. It improves in nearly every way from the third game released in 2011. In playing through this game it was hard not to think that this is what we had hoped Doom Eternal would have felt like. Its fast, but not too fast. And it tells a fun story and has enough weapons for keep it fresh without being overwhelming. Welcome back Sam, we’ve missed you.