Developer – Croteam

Publisher – Devolver Digital

Platforms – PC, Stadia

Serious Sam has been around the shooter genre for quite a long time. I still remember playing the original title and how it felt like a throwback to classics. The non stop barrage of screaming enemies and reverse bunny hop combat provided a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Serious Sam 4 fails to recapture any of that magic.

Now that last sentence may seem like I hated this title, but that’s not the case. I did enjoy several of the new mechanics the team implemented. I enjoyed the skill and gadget system a great deal. To be honest, the core shooting isn’t really innovative or exciting.

Adding a bit of variety with skills such as faster reloads, dual wielding, or riding enemies for some carnage adds a lot to a familiar gameplay loop. The gunplay is just okay. Most of the controversial changes in the previous installment, such as aim down sights and an abundance of realistic military weapons have been removed from 4.

One bright spot I wasn’t expecting was the story. It’s not award winning by any means, but it’s far better than any attempt at a cohesive narrative in the previous games. It features humor, some well written characters and a plot that’s easy to follow from beginning to end.

The level design is a step back in many ways. Most of the environments are simply too large for the small amount of enemies and players that can fight in them. The co-op has been reduced to four players from sixteen. The much talked about Legion system is mostly just talk. I can think of two instances where you see this system in action.

Even then it’s used mostly as background, with it never truly feeling like Sam is going up against a massive army of enemies. I often look at Serious Sam and Earth Defense Force in similar lights. They’re both arcadey, unapologetic, and supposed to be full of non stop action.

For some reason, Serious Sam 4 just fails to really push itself into any memorable territory. It’s never so dumb that it’s fun, or intense and pulse pounding. It lacks any true innovative weapons and set pieces that will stick as well.

Its also technically very demanding, and pushed my 2080ti a great deal for a game that doesn’t look great in any capacity. Now since it’s release, the game has been optimized and is less buggy. It’s still not a flawless product with multiple campaign bugs and visual issues all over.

Serious Sam 4 is an okay time. If you just want to load something up, turn your brain off and lay waste to a couple hundred enemies, this game will do that just fine. If you want a sequel that pushes itself and provides anything new or exciting, Serious Sam 4 will not do that at all.