Female gnaars are ape-like monsters with fluid, complicated running cycles, while the male counterparts move like their mannequin like forefathers from TFE. Croteam has embraced their B-game status fully, despite flexing that they can do a more polished, traditional release, giving the game a personality that fits it well. The former can be seen in just how ridiculously big the mobs can get (even for this series), while the later becomes more obvious in play. This seems to be a mixture of maximizing the engine for allowing as many models as possible on screen and helping the player read mobs better. Textures have a habit of popping in a lot more then usual for these sorts of games, and animations range from polished to barely existent. You’ll also noticed that Serious Sam 4 runs very weird compared to its contemporaries.
He’s even properly polite after helping a lesbian sniper couple in a French valley. The whole cast does great work, including the hammy accents for the Italian and French characters, but Dick really steals the show, as he should. Dick, who gets to really show his acting chops and give one of the most one note characters in gaming some emotional layers nestled naturally in his normal himbo lines (“Gunfire isn’t a problem, it’s a solution!”).
It’s difficult to describe how well the game manages to balance the goofiness of 2, the manly grimness of 3, and the new elements from the script writers, but the effect is clear when the ending credits have some of the cast shoot the shit, drink some beers over a fire, and mourn those who didn’t make it and it might actually make you feel things. It’s still a very stupid time, but entirely with tongue in cheek and a little wink. It’s a carefully balanced mix of jokey fun and sincere character drama, complete with arcs, set up and paid off story beats, likable heroes, and moments of cleverness you’d never expect from this franchise before now. Jonas and Verena Kyratzes’s writing is brilliant in how much emotion is squeezes out of its stereotypical cast by just giving them moments to breathe and emote, not to mention the fun meta playfulness. Dick style sci-fi story and using that both for comedy and straight drama. One thing that instantly stands out is the fixed tone issues of the previous games, settling on a 80s action movie cast set in a Phillip K. The team is tested in turbulent trials of combat, unexpected allies are found, and all set against the scenic backdrop of lived in European countryside and towns. However, they have to deal with the general in charge of Mental’s European front, Lord Achriman, to get there. The set-up is that we’re in the middle of Mental’s invasion, as Sam (now confirmed as a former space captain) and his crew travel the world in a play to find the holy grail and get a new weapon against the hordes.
The game is another prequel…maybe? Serious Sam 4 is purposefully playful with its continuity, with nods to the time travel concept possibly affecting the current story, and it ends on a note that could go in all sorts of wild directions. It’s not without some leftover issues from BFE, but you can really tell just how much Croteam have grown as a game studio, even keeping the amateur vibe of their past games with the constant borrowing of ideas from the big boys alongside their own shenanigans. Serious Sam 4 isn’t just good, it might be the single best game in the entire franchise, a smoothed out perfecting of just about every mechanic and design concept in the series with a surprisingly strong script and characters, with some of the largest fights in any game period, the first and last level (the first being a tease for the last) having 100,000 enemies on screen, just as promised (though they’re mainly props, it’s still very impressive). There were warning signs everywhere, plus some iffy word of mouth due to some review builds before the day one patch missing tons of content. The marketing machine for SS4 was there but not as large as you’d expect, trailers being cagey with showing off details on what the game would contain. Croteam had members leave and return, released a demo to show off some ideas they had for Serious Sam 4, realized those ideas were better elsewhere and made The Talos Principle, got the writers of that game to pen SS4‘s story, finally re-announced it as Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass, dropped the subtitle and branding a few months before release, and, due to money, the console versions were delayed for Stadia timed exclusivity.
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