Serious Sam: Tormental
- April 8, 2022
- Gungrounds (Macanga Games j.d.o.o.)
Get on Steam"Serious Sam: Tormental" takes you into the twisted mind of Mental, Sam's arch-enemy, for a brain-melting showdown. Battle through procedurally generated dungeons filled with reckless hordes of monsters, unique abilities, and powerful upgrades. Explore the Vault for secrets, challenging battles, and insight into Mental's identity for added depth.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game features engaging and fast-paced gameplay, reminiscent of classic twin-stick shooters, with a variety of weapons and upgrades that keep each run feeling fresh.
- The art style is charming and colorful, providing a unique visual identity that fits well within the Serious Sam universe, despite being a departure from traditional graphics.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and have shown dedication to improving the game, which bodes well for its future updates and content expansions.
- The game suffers from a lack of enemy and boss variety, leading to repetitive gameplay and diminishing excitement over time.
- Many players find the difficulty spikes to be frustrating, with some mechanics feeling unbalanced, such as the damage output of smaller enemies compared to larger ones.
- The absence of a save feature during runs can be frustrating, as players are forced to restart from the beginning upon death, which can lead to a feeling of wasted progress.
- gameplay39 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Serious Sam: Tormental" is a mixed bag, featuring a fast-paced, fluid experience with solid mechanics and a variety of weapons that keep players engaged. While some users appreciate the depth and unique features, others criticize the game for its bare-bones feel and poorly implemented mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many find the roguelike elements and chaotic action enjoyable, making it a worthwhile addition for fans of the genre.
“The gameplay in Tormental is refreshingly bonkers.”
“The variety and unpredictability of the gameplay keep you engaged and entertained throughout your adventure.”
“The gameplay is fast-paced, fluid, and responsive - exactly how you would expect it to be from a team that comes from the Croteam incubator.”
“But really, this game feels extremely bare-bones in all ways (graphics, sounds, music, mechanics, controls).”
“In the end, what turns me right off is the combination of gameplay mechanics and poor basic control.”
“The gameplay that 'Serious Sam: Tormental' has packed wasn't the kind of experience I was looking for.”
- graphics29 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of Serious Sam: Tormental receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the vibrant, cartoonish art style and its unique identity, while others criticize it for being simplistic and lacking polish. Many note that the visuals can feel monotonous or blocky, detracting from the overall experience, though some find charm in its low-poly aesthetic. Overall, the game presents a colorful and fun visual experience, albeit with some technical glitches and a lack of refinement.
“First things first, the visuals in Tormental are an absolute psychedelic feast for the eyes.”
“The art style is vivid and full of personality, though some enemies do look a bit too similar to each other.”
“Visuals are crisp and vibrantly colorful, with an almost last-gen 3D appearance that would make the game feel at home on a modern handheld console.”
“It's far below the state-of-the-art visuals gamers expect as a result of their decisions.”
“It's hard to criticize the graphics because I somewhat knew what I was getting into, but I didn't expect it to be quite as monotonous and lazy as it ended up.”
“Admittedly, there's some bugs, balance issues, and it seems like the game never really took off and so was never fully polished, which I credit to the rather lackluster visuals turning people off.”
- music19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it monotonous and unremarkable, while others praise it as invigorating and well-composed, enhancing the gameplay experience. Many appreciate the catchy and appropriate soundtrack, noting its ability to complement the game's visuals and mechanics effectively. Overall, while some feel the music lacks depth, others celebrate its charm and express a desire for a downloadable soundtrack.
“The soundtrack, just like the rest of the game, is delightfully unhinged.”
“The music is invigorating and appropriate for what you're doing.”
“The controls are tight, and the music is perfect for this type of game.”
“The music has you wanting to deafen yourself within seconds - thankfully it transitions between scenes, but in combat it is utterly monotonous beyond belief.”
“The music features inobtrusive sort of driving generic rock tracks.”
“While they don't make you yearn to purchase the soundtrack, they compliment the gameplay fairly well.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in this early access game is described as wildly entertaining and absurd, featuring clever quips and one-liners that elicit genuine laughter. Players appreciate the combination of a cute visual style, engaging music, and funny references that create a charming atmosphere, while the classic humor reminiscent of the Serious Sam series adds to its appeal. Overall, the game delivers a hilariously insane adventure that keeps players motivated to return for more.
“This early access gem takes you on a wildly entertaining journey through the quirky corners of the mind, and it's a hilarious ride that's as professional as it is deliriously fun.”
“His quips and one-liners take on a whole new level of absurdity, and you'll find yourself laughing out loud at his bewildering encounters.”
“It's a professionally crafted and brilliantly comedic experience that's as funny as it is fun.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story has seen significant improvements, featuring a more involved narrative that allows the protagonist, Sam, to confront the series' villain in a meaningful way, culminating in an intense final boss fight. While there are hundreds of lines of unique dialogue and character upgrades, some players find the quest system lacking clarity and the overall story still somewhat minimal. Overall, the narrative is more engaging than in previous versions, but it may not satisfy all players.
“The story has had a major overhaul and for the first time, Sam can properly confront and talk to series villain Mental himself, or at least part of him.”
“It is a lot more involved and interesting than what little plot there was in previous versions, ultimately culminating in a hectic and chaotic final boss fight.”
“It's all tied together with a story that you progress through as you play.”
“The quests are somewhat appalling, and some of them are extremely hard in comparison to the normal game difficulty.”
“There is no icon in the hub to indicate which NPC is a quest giver or has a reward.”
“The story has had a major overhaul, but it feels disjointed and lacks coherence.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report stuttering and performance issues during busy scenes, others note significant improvements since the early access phase, resolving many of the initial problems.
“All this fun loop stuff is accompanied with catchy music, cute graphics, and improved optimization, even when there's a lot happening on the screen at once.”
“All this fun loop stuff is accompanied with catchy music, cute graphics, and somewhat stuttery optimization where there's a lot happening on the screen at once.”
“Those matrix effects try to hide the poor optimization.”
“The alpha had performance issues, but going to early access has resolved all of the issues I had.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game boasts strong replayability thanks to procedurally generated maps and diverse weapon and upgrade combinations, offering players extensive content and hours of enjoyment. Reviewers highlight its massive replay value and polished graphics, making it a worthwhile investment.
“The replayability is strong due to the generated maps and unique combinations of weapons and upgrades.”
“No need for a sale on this one; for the asking price, you get a lot of content, replayability, and many hours of enjoyment.”
“Massively replayable with a graphics polish that fits perfectly.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features appealing graphics and aesthetics, but is marred by noticeable glitches and bugs, alongside persistent balance issues that have not been addressed over the years. Overall, while visually pleasant, the stability leaves much to be desired.
“The game offers some nice graphics and a nice aesthetic, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
“The game is pretty buggy overall, and there are seemingly the same balance issues I had 3 years ago.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time and effort, suggesting that it may feel like a second job or life to achieve desired progress.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
“I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
