Serious Sam: The Random Encounter
- October 24, 2011
- Croteam
Get on Steam"Serious Sam: The Random Encounter" is a turn-based RPG set in the Serious Sam universe. The game features fast-paced combat against hordes of enemies, retro-style graphics, and a blend of humor and action. Players control a team of characters with unique abilities, navigating through randomly generated levels to defeat the ultimate boss.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of turn-based RPG mechanics and bullet-hell gameplay, providing an interesting twist on the Serious Sam franchise.
- The pixel art style and soundtrack are enjoyable, capturing the retro aesthetic well.
- The humor and dialogue are amusing, adding a light-hearted touch to the gameplay experience.
- The game is plagued by technical issues, including frequent crashes, especially on modern systems like Windows 8 and 10.
- Gameplay can feel frustratingly random, with difficulty spikes that make it hard to progress without relying on luck.
- The game is very short, with a main campaign that can be completed in under two hours, leading to a lack of replayability.
- gameplay63 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is a mixed bag, featuring a unique blend of turn-based RPG mechanics and bullet-hell elements, which some players find refreshing while others deem frustrating and poorly balanced. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of combat and a lack of depth in mechanics, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel tedious and unfulfilling. Overall, while the game has interesting concepts and humor, it struggles with execution, leaving players divided on its enjoyment and value.
“The idea is great; shmup mechanics totally fit the Serious Sam universe, while familiar monsters from Serious Sam games, together with familiar weapons, add both fun and tactical variety.”
“Very fun little time waster, with a unique concept and fun gameplay.”
“The challenge the devs set themselves was to combine Serious Sam gameplay with its polar opposite gameplay type (turn-based RPG) and make it work.”
“Poor balance, frustrating mechanics, and a lack of serious action make this one spin-off that didn’t need to happen.”
“The gameplay is uninspired, and comes across as an idea that wasn't fully fleshed out before being tossed out the door with minimal concern for balanced weapon selection.”
“Due to this unpredictable and aggravating mechanic, it takes an unjustly amount of patience to even get to the final boss; a patience most players will probably lack.”
- graphics25 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the retro pixel art style while also noting it can feel somewhat lacking in depth or "soulless." Some reviews highlight the colorful and charming aesthetic, which fits the game's theme well, but others criticize the simplicity and lack of detail compared to modern standards. Overall, while the graphics are generally seen as enjoyable and fitting for the genre, they may not meet the expectations of all players.
“The graphics are nice and retro, and the sound design is decent enough.”
“+ nicely-drawn pixel art graphics and great cartoon art style that fits Serious Sam perfectly.”
“+ retro style graphics and music/sound fx.”
“Speaking of style, I'd like to touch upon the art style for a short while because I (like many others) am a huge fan of pixel art styles in games, but here it’s not exactly terrible; it just feels kind of soulless and I don’t know why.”
“Wow... where were my graphics? The pixel art was really bad.”
“Yes, the graphics are incredibly simple, and yes, Serious Sam is involved (good thing) with some other random characters (bad thing).”
- music22 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its charming, retro-style soundtrack and enjoyable sound effects. However, some users find the music repetitive or strange, noting issues with looping and a lack of variety. Overall, while the music adds a nostalgic touch, it may not be enough to redeem the game's other shortcomings.
“+ excellent GBA-style soundtrack”
“I really enjoyed the music while I played the game!”
“I think if it wasn't for somewhat decent music, I'd have said this game has no redeeming qualities.”
“I open the game up expecting Vlambeer's trademark poor programming and wasn't disappointed: the random encounter constantly freezes for multiple seconds at a time while looping Sam's screaming instead of music.”
“Some of it (especially the drumming) sounds like MIDI, and the rest is simply synth-based music.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of goofy, tongue-in-cheek elements and classic Serious Sam-style jokes, though opinions vary on its effectiveness. While some players appreciate the funny dialogue and comedic concepts, others feel that the humor falls flat compared to expectations from the Serious Sam franchise. Overall, the game offers a humorous experience that is entertaining but may not deliver the depth of jokes that fans anticipate.
“And it's a hilariously on-point demake that captures the essence of the classic Serious Sam games.”
“+ Goofy but funny tongue-in-cheek trademark humor.”
“Take the ironically hyper-serious series, make it a turn-based RPG, but make it look, feel, and play almost entirely as a side-scrolling shooter, and you've got a recipe for one hilarious adrenaline rush.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches that can lead to lost progress. Many users report that the game is overly buggy, with specific problems such as freezing during gameplay and issues with saving. Overall, the instability detracts from the experience, making it difficult for players to enjoy the game fully.
“Also sometimes the game crashes - in worst cases, it freezes so you need to kill the process via task manager, and in even worse scenarios, the game deletes your saves.”
“It barely works; I encountered multiple glitches.”
“I can't get this to work; it just freezes at the splash screen.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story in the game is criticized for being overly simplistic and underdeveloped, with a runtime of less than two hours. While the action is enjoyable and the game retains the familiar Serious Sam charm, the narrative feels like a joke and lacks the depth found in more traditional RPGs. Overall, the scripted nature of the game limits its storytelling potential, resulting in a brief and unsatisfying campaign.
“The story is simple, the action is fun and there are plenty of enemies to contend with.”
“They succeeded, but the result wouldn't be good enough to support a large campaign, hence the tiny length of the main 'story' mode here.”
“Keep in mind this is a scripted RPG, so no shops, no 'real' overworld and every item or weapon you get is found as part of the rigidly scripted story that's underwritten even for Serious Sam.”
“I mean, the art is really nice, the music is fine, but the presentation feels cheap and the plot is too much of a joke.”
“The main story is very short, taking less than 2 hours to complete.”
“Keep in mind this is a scripted RPG, so there are no shops, no 'real' overworld, and every item or weapon you find is part of the rigidly scripted story, which is underwritten even for a Serious Sam game.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is hindered by a lack of achievements and incentives, which diminishes the motivation for players to revisit it. While the randomness of encounters and a solid combat system offer some replay value, the repetitive nature of battles and the game's short length leave many feeling that replayability is not as robust as it could be.
“The battles are repetitive, sure, but that's the whole point of the experience. The randomness of the encounters is supported by a well-made combat system, which gives the game a certain value of replayability, although the game is quite short for the price.”
“Another thing I'd like to point out is the obvious lack of achievements for this game since there are none at all, which really hinders and takes away from all of the replayability that this game could have had.”
“Another thing I'd like to point out (even though I'm sure it's more of a personal thing) is the obvious lack of achievements for this game since there are none at all, and that really hinders and takes away from all of the replayability that this game could have had.”
“This also has a big impact on its replay value, because without featuring any kind of achievements or incentives (like extra content), a typical user will not want to have another go at it just for sheer fun.”
“The battles are repetitive, sure, but that's the whole point of the experience, I guess, the randomness of the encounters, which are supported by a well-made combat system. However, even the replayability isn't as great as it sounds for this game.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in the game to be frustrating and tedious, particularly due to unavoidable damage, underpowered weapons, and a poorly designed lives system that forces them to replay multiple encounters before facing bosses again. This leads to a sense that the effort required for grinding does not yield sufficient rewards, especially in later levels.
“Seriously, if unavoidable damage, underpowered weapons, and tedious battles are a turn-off, you’d best look elsewhere for your sam fix.”
“Memorizing paths through levels and bosses is extra tedious thanks to the bizarrely misplaced lives system, kicking you back to the start of the room (read: behind 5+ pointless fights) before you can slump back to the boss to keep learning their patterns.”
“And in later levels, the grinding is not worth it.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The optimization in this game is notably poor, contrasting sharply with the smooth performance typical of mainline Serious Sam titles, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
“The optimization in this game is top-notch, allowing for seamless gameplay even in the most intense moments.”
“I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, ensuring that the game runs flawlessly on a variety of systems.”
“It's the antithesis of mainline Serious Sam games, where performance is buttery smooth and Sam's enemies are the ones screaming.”
“The optimization is so poor that it feels like I'm playing a beta version of the game.”
“Frequent frame drops and stuttering make it hard to enjoy the gameplay experience.”
