Insomnium
- November 29, 2020
- Rakanishu
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreInsomnium is a 2 levels pack for Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. This campaign features two levels, brand-new enemies, new enemy types and variations making a total of 17 new enemy classes, types, skins and variations. It also contains 1 home-made new boss and an original art-style. The following stats are for the Original Edition of the maps. Author: Rakanishu Version: 1.1 Release date:…
Reviews
- The game features more environments, enemy types, and weapons compared to the first installment, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- The humor and one-liners from the protagonist, Sam, add a fun and entertaining element to the game.
- The level design is varied and includes unique traps and gimmicks, making for engaging and dynamic gameplay.
- Some players find the difficulty spikes and enemy placements to be frustrating and unfair, particularly in certain levels.
- The game can feel repetitive at times, especially with the similar mechanics and enemy types carried over from the first game.
- Certain gameplay elements, like the platforming sections, can be tedious and detract from the overall enjoyment.
- graphics64 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the impressive visuals and art style for their time, while others criticize the outdated graphics compared to modern standards. The HD remakes are frequently recommended for players seeking enhanced visuals, as they significantly improve upon the original graphics. Despite some negative opinions, many players still find the graphics enjoyable and fitting for the game's fast-paced action.
“The graphics of this game, even today, are superb.”
“From the details on your gun to the environments themselves, the graphics shine.”
“The original game was known for its impressive visuals, but this updated version takes things to the next level.”
“Ridiculous, bad graphics, most often flatish maps.”
“Seriously, the graphics are so bad it looked like it had just one eye.”
“Yes, the graphics are outdated. Get the HD remake of this and the first encounter.”
- gameplay62 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Serious Sam: The Second Encounter" is widely praised for its fast-paced, adrenaline-filled action, featuring a mix of humor, diverse weapons, and hordes of enemies across various arenas. While some reviewers note a lack of innovation and repetitive mechanics compared to its predecessor, the overall experience remains enjoyable, with improved graphics and level design enhancing the classic run-and-gun formula. Players appreciate the game's replayability and cooperative multiplayer aspects, although some express concerns about linearity and visual repetitiveness.
“The gameplay is just perfect!”
“Through the lush environments, funny dialogue, great weapon and enemy design, and just overall great gameplay and replayability, this game comes out to be a superb game, even by today's standards.”
“This game has everything you would want from a shooter - adrenaline-filled gameplay, various different areas and challenges, beautiful environments, witty one-liners, and a large enemy roster.”
“However, the games are almost the same in terms of mechanics and gameplay balance.”
“Personally, I think the core gameplay of fighting off hordes of enemies in arena after arena gets old and wears out its welcome long before the game is over.”
“Its fast-paced action was marred by repetitious visuals and linear gameplay that really hasn't aged all that well in the last 15 years, given the massive quantity of FPS games that we have today.”
- story51 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Serious Sam" games is generally considered minimal and often overshadowed by the gameplay, focusing on Sam's humorous and action-packed quest against alien invaders. While some players appreciate the comedic dialogue and the continuation of the plot from the first game, many feel that the narrative is convoluted and lacks depth, serving primarily as a backdrop for the frenetic combat. Overall, the story is seen as a secondary element, with mixed opinions on its execution and relevance to the overall experience.
“The story follows Sam 'Serious' Stone as he is employed to travel back to ancient Egypt after aliens take over the world in the near distant future to put a stop to the invasion in the first place.”
“It continues the story from number one, but adds a couple new twists and turns.”
“With this installment, players don't even need to trek through the first Serious Sam in order to enjoy it, as the story is better explained at the beginning than it ever was during the entire first game.”
“It hardly matters because the story is almost nothing to you when you are just blasting enemies out there in the beautiful environments with fantastic music.”
“Overall, the story isn't too big of a deal in this game, but it could have been somewhat better.”
“As you can tell, the story is still just as convoluted as it was in the first game, although there's a lot more dialogue in comparison.”
- music46 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in "Serious the Second Encounter" has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising it as a significant improvement over its predecessor. The soundtrack is described as epic and engaging, perfectly complementing the game's environments and action, particularly during intense moments like boss battles. While some found the music to be less impactful, the overall consensus highlights it as a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience.
“The game music is truly one of the best I've ever experienced in video games.”
“The music is just so epic!”
“The soundtrack is also a worthy mention, it's much more engaging than what was heard in the prior release, with tracks that suit the new landscapes and also some heavy metal boss battle music.”
“The soundtrack just doesn't do anything for me.”
“Music quality varied from poor to sub-par, but this is understandable.”
“The soundtrack isn't anything special.”
- humor27 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Serious Sam: The Second Encounter" is widely praised for its goofy and over-the-top nature, featuring witty dialogue and absurd scenarios that enhance the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the blend of humor with action, noting that the game's secrets and character interactions often lead to genuinely funny moments. While some find the humor to be cheesy or forced at times, it remains a significant and enjoyable aspect that contributes to the game's replayability and overall charm.
“This story, however, is made true through great dialogue, and that's what makes the game really funny. Sam's voice really sounds like someone of Serious Sam's face, and the dialogue is genuinely funny.”
“You'll be running, gunning, and laughing maniacally all the way through!”
“The humor in this game is much goofier as well.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its high replayability, attributed to its engaging environments, humorous dialogue, and well-designed weapons and enemies. Reviewers note that it offers good replay value, with some even considering it infinitely replayable, rating it an 8/10 for replayability.
“Through the lush environments, funny dialogue, great weapon and enemy design, and just overall great gameplay and replayability, this game comes out to be a superb game, even by today's standards.”
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“• replay value: 8/10”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some encounters can feel tedious due to long battles and ambushes from hard-to-spot enemies, the introduction of new monsters and improved level design helps mitigate redundancy, making the overall experience more enjoyable than frustrating.
“Seriously tedious... but it's good for what it is!”
“The issues of hard-to-spot enemies being cheaply placed around the map to ambush you, and many of the battles against enemy waves going on too long and becoming tedious, are still here from the first encounter. It's not a deal breaker by any means, but still frustrating.”
“Having played the second encounter through a few times now, I'd say it has some of the best and worst that Serious Sam has to offer, but overall the game's easily more fun than frustrating, as the worst parts usually involve a room with a tedious gimmick of some kind.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Serious: The Second Encounter" is highly praised for its fantastic music and varied sound design, which enhance the experience across diverse locations. Players appreciate the bright environments and open maps that contribute to an engaging and immersive atmosphere, making it a significant improvement over its predecessor.
“The sounds of the enemies are really varied and add to the atmosphere of certain levels well.”
“Secrets, environment, and an amazing bright atmosphere with open maps.”
“The second encounter is a marvelous sequel that greatly improves upon its predecessor, featuring fantastic music and an incredible atmosphere across three types of locations.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its great performance and impressive visuals, particularly for its release period, indicating effective optimization that enhances the overall gaming experience.
“Great performance and impressive visuals for the time.”
