Serious Sam 4 for PC / Windows is another major installment in the series of dynamic and bloody first person shooters. The first two installments (their HD remastered editions after nearly a decade) were released between 2001 and 2002. As usual, the game was developed by Croteam - a Croatian developer. Having released a well-received first person logic game The Talos Principle, the studio decided to return to their flagship series.


Story

The game is a prequel to the third installment in the series, in which Sam had to face Mental's armies in a futuristic version of Egypt. The creators hired Jonas Kyratzes to write the scenario for the game, who worked on the already mentioned The Talos Principle as well. As a result of this combination, the story in this installment is more mature in contrast to the previous games filled with adrenaline and testosterone.


Gameplay

Serious Sam 4 for PC / Windows does not bare significant differences to its predecessors in terms of game play. Thus, the gameplay consists largely of killing hordes of different enemies with various kinds of weapons. When it comes to the changes applied in this installment, the players receive more freedom, substantially bigger open maps with larger enemy groups than before. The game features some new, unexpected mechanics that are the results of the experience the studio gained during their work on the previous game.


Technical aspects

Serious Sam 4 for PC / Windows is powered by Serious Engine 4 used previously in The Talos Principle. However, it has been improved and adequately modified so it works fine in case of the substantially more dynamic gameplay Serious Sam 4 delivers. Moreover, the creators used motion capture and photogrammetry technologies in production of the game. The latter was previously used mainly in two Polish games - The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Get Even. In contrast to the rather gloomy visuals of the previous installment, the graphics in Serious Sam 4 are more realistic and a lot more colorful