Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
The game picks up the moment we left Sam — rocketing toward the alien world of Sirius to defeat Mental. But a convertible space-buggy housing 24 little guys dressed like Sam, with gargantuan heads, careens into the flying saucer, hurling it down to South America.
Think that’s absurd? Just wait. If there was any doubt that the kooky Croatians are on foul, illicit substances, authorities now have proof.
Take this bit of evidence. Red phone booths are hidden about the levels, from which you call yourself in other time periods, except one booth from which you call Blondie in Las Vegas. A Canadian accented “Jones” picks up, and tells you, “Blondie will show up when he’s done, boy.” Five long levels later, you’re walking up a medieval spiral staircase, and you hear: “Psst! Hey! Hey!” There’s a one-inch-tall red demon hidden on the windowsill, whispering at you. Shoot him, and a booming voice says: “Oh my God! You killed Blondie!” And you’re awarded some secret health.
What does this mean? It means if you like non-sequitur humor, this game will have you in stitches, because there’s some totally messed-up stuff going down.
Thankfully, the purple haze lifted from the Croteam offices long enough for them to add some gameplay, including a new sniper rifle that drops werebulls a mile out, and a flamethrower that’s especially handy in situations of beehive-like overcrowdedness.
You’ll deploy these weapons against 27 unique enemies, including a memorable chainsaw-revving, pumpkin-headed abomination named Cucurbito the Pumpkin. Enemy AI is still quintessentially Serious Sam (run toward player; kill player), but now you’ll find a wider variety of evil galloping toward you at any given time.
Croteam, amid auditory hallucinations, heard fans’ pleas for more varied environments. While the South American maps feel like Egypt covered with lush vegetation, you also lay waste in underground lava maps, a snowy village, an ice castle, and some trippy anti-gravity rooms inside stone castles.
Oh, did I mention you’re after the Holy Grail this time? Not that the plot’s important.
You’ll also face three entertaining end-bosses, the most original being an ancient wind god who’s constantly releasing tornados that send you and the galloping minions of Mental hurling miles into the sky and back again. He can also deflect rockets, sending them whirling out of control. It’s a cool sight.
Further solidifying an allegiance to Doom-style gameplay, Croteam hid a ton of secrets (126, in fact) for explorers to uncover. A word of warning, though: not all surprises are happy ones. Half the time, picking up a hidden health disc will turn a nearby shrubbery into a chaingun-toting shrubbery. And keep an eye out for the Secret K.O. Boxing Glove, Secret Snowman Avenger, and Secret Santa Jam!
Multiplayer options are intact, offering 16-player co-op play and eight new DM maps.
At its core, this encounter has enough Serious, balls-out, guns-a-blazin’ goodness that you can easily justify paying the measly $20 price. There’s at least as much gunplay as in the first episode, and the new variety makes this sequel a more stimulating ride. Lord knows, the designers were stimulated.