Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Moderate overall intensityWhat's in it
The player mows down endless hordes of alien monsters and mutants with an arsenal of firearms; enemies bleed and burst apart into bloody chunks when hit by heavy weapons.
Killed enemies spray blood and burst into scattered remains, rendered in an exaggerated, cartoonish style rather than realistically.
The setup frames an alien overlord attempting to wipe out humanity across time; this sits in the backstory and is not shown or dwelt on.
The player character delivers occasional mild profanity such as 'damn' and 'hell' in campy action one-liners.
Who can reach your kid
What it is
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a fast, arcade-style first-person shooter, a visually upgraded remake of the 2001 original. You play a lone hero, Sam Stone, blasting through ancient-Egyptian ruins against constant waves of alien creatures and undead foes sent by an overlord called Mental. The action is chaotic and over-the-top: huge open arenas, dozens of enemies charging at once, and oversized weapons. Combat is bloody — enemies spray blood and leave remains when killed — but the presentation is exaggerated and cartoonish rather than realistic. There is no sexual content, no drugs or alcohol, no gambling, and nothing to buy with real money. It can be played solo or in online co-op for up to 16 players, where voice and text chat with strangers are possible.
How it's framed
The game frames its violence as tongue-in-cheek spectacle — one hero mowing down endless monster hordes with campy humor and no attempt at realism or moral weight. The near-annihilation of humanity is a backdrop that sets up the action rather than a theme the game treats seriously.
Details
- Developer
- Croteam
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Released
- Nov 24, 2009
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