Serious Sam: The Second Encounter

The gameplay of this part of the game is not very different from The First Encounter , with the exception of the added innovations. So, the player has new types of weapons: a chainsaw, a flamethrower, a sniper rifle and a “serious bomb”. In addition to them, paveraps ( Power Up ) were added - special bonuses such as invulnerability, increased player movement speed and weapon damage. Several new types of enemies have also appeared.

As in the previous part, there is a system of "secrets", each of which adds 10,000 points. This can be secret ammunition, health, various secret rooms, jokes from developers or enemy traps.

Externally, the design of the levels in a positive way differs from the first part. The developers modified the engine a bit and made the picture more juicy and colorful. A little monotonous Egypt was replaced by landscaped and colorful prairies, valleys and Gothic temples. At some levels of the game, one of the distinguishing features of the Serious Engine was involved - altered gravity, where the player and opponents, contrary to the usual laws of physics, could easily move around the ceiling or randomly rush from side to side.

Musical accompaniment of the “Second Coming” is composed of instrumental compositions from the Croatian heavy metal band Undercode , as well as the composer of the series Damian Mravunac .

The game begins at the end of the previous episode when Sam went to Sirius in a spaceship. Sam's ship was damaged by the Croteam Drawer Bus, and crashed to Earth. Sam landed in Central America, in the Mayan civilization age. However, not everything is lost: the Sirians left a spare ship on Earth. Since the ship is in the future, Sam needs to find Sirian temporary portals that will help him achieve his goal. To this end, Sam explores Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia, and, finally, medieval Europe, where the ship is stored. Along the way, Sam defeats two guards of temporary portals: the god of the wind Kukulkan and a biomechanical creature, exotech larva. Finally, in front of the Holy Blood Cathedral, Sam fights with Mordecai the Caster, the last obstacle to the Holy Grail . In the Cathedral, Sam finds the Holy Grail, and then confesses his sins to the Mental in the confession booth, promising to "come after him."

• The developers are asking not to call the “Second Coming” the second part, because the second part, according to them, is Serious Sam II , and the “Second Coming” is, rather, the second episode of the first part. ^[1] Many people who do not know this fact are often confused and make mistakes in the name of the games in the series .

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter received mostly positive reviews from critics and was warmly received by the players, which confirms its overall score on the Metacritic aggregator - 85%. ^[12] IGN rated the game very highly, saying that “Sam brings us back to the time when shooters were closely associated with clean, childish fun, unusual level design and did not try to impose on us a complex, dramatic story about which we all somehow forgot. " ^[13] Game Informer magazine called the game "a high-octane, shooting-fest killing festival that General George Patton would be proud of." The editor of the gaming site Gamespot noted that "this is not just the same shooter - it is a much more fun, creative and extremely intense game than the original." ^[fourteen]

Many reviewers noted in their articles noticeably prettier graphics and design locations. “The environment in the game also complicates the numerous battles, the developers tried to squeeze the maximum out of the engine in order to provide players with a lot of amazing places for battles and increase the degree of fun,” commented the portal Media and Games Online Network. ^[fifteen]

The Russian game press did not ignore the game. The Absolute Games website noted the atmosphere of the last, third part of the game - “The atmosphere is excellent. Monsters appearing around the corner, which, it would seem, have already got used to, are made to startle. On the street, I want to cringe from the dank wind and rain, and in the catacombs I want to quickly get out into the open space, caressed by the light of the full moon or illuminated by flashes of lightning. ” ^[16] Gambling noted excellent graphics, level design, and music -“ the music is simply gorgeous “Drumming, combined with heavy riffs, encourages the player in South America, and powerful organ melodies pour out under the walls of castles and vaults of Gothic cathedrals.” ^[17]

• English site about Serious Sam