Serious Sam: Tormental

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 244 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

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 interesting.
The art style is colorful and charming, providing a unique visual identity that fits well within the Serious Sam universe.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and have shown dedication to improving the game, which enhances the overall experience.

The game suffers from balance issues, with some enemies dealing excessive damage and a lack of variety in enemy types and boss encounters, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Technical issues such as poor optimization and bugs can detract from the experience, making it frustrating at times.
The lack of a save feature during runs and the need to restart after dying can be discouraging, especially given the game's challenging nature.

gameplay
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
74%
5%
The gameplay of "Serious Sam: Tormental" is a mixed bag, featuring fast-paced, engaging mechanics that offer depth and variety, particularly in its roguelite structure and weapon diversity. While some players appreciate the unique interactions and solid mechanics, others criticize the game for feeling bare-bones and having frustrating controls that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many find the gameplay enjoyable and challenging, 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.”
- “Seems to break a big part of the intended mechanics and feels like a very badly rushed and ill-conceived 'feature'.”
graphics
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The graphics of "Serious Sam: Tormental" receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the vibrant, cartoonish art style and low-poly aesthetics that contribute to its unique identity. However, others criticize the visuals as monotonous and lacking polish, feeling they fall short of modern gaming standards. Overall, while the game features charming visuals and a fun aesthetic, it is marred by technical issues and a perceived lack of depth in design.
- “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.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
50%
8%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it monotonous and unremarkable, particularly during combat, while others praise it as invigorating and well-composed, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Composed by Damjan Mravunac, the soundtrack is described as catchy and fitting, contributing to a charming atmosphere alongside the visuals. Overall, while some players express a desire for more variety and a purchasable soundtrack, many appreciate the music's role in complementing the game's mechanics and style.
- “The soundtrack, just like the rest of the game, is delightfully unhinged.”
- “The music is invigorating and appropriate for what you're doing.”
- “Shooting feels fantastic, the music is amazing and the writing made me laugh several times.”
- “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.”
- “But really this game feels extremely bare-bones in all ways (graphics, sounds, music, mechanics, controls).”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 charming visual style, engaging music, and nostalgic references, creating a comedic experience that is both fun and motivating. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with gameplay, making it a memorable and enjoyable adventure.
- “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.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The game's story has seen a significant overhaul, offering a more engaging narrative where players can confront the main villain, Mental, for the first time. While there are hundreds of unlocks and unique character dialogues, some players find the quest system lacking, with difficult challenges and unclear quest-giver indicators. Overall, the story is more developed than in previous versions, culminating in an intense final boss fight.
- “The story has had a major overhaul and for the first time, Sam can properly confront and talk to the 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.”
- “🔲 no story”
- “Lastly but not least, the quests are somewhat appalling at the same time as some of them being extremely hard in comparison to the normal game difficulty.”
- “No icon in hub to know which NPC is a quest giver or has a reward.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while early access has significantly improved performance issues noted during the alpha phase, some players still experience stuttering during intense moments with many on-screen elements. The visual effects, while appealing, may also mask underlying optimization problems.
- “All this fun loop stuff is accompanied with catchy music, cute graphics, and improved optimization that enhances the gameplay experience.”
- “All this fun loop stuff is accompanied with catchy music, cute graphics, and kind of stuttery optimization where there's a lot of things 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.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game boasts strong replayability thanks to procedurally generated maps and diverse weapon and upgrade combinations, offering players numerous hours of enjoyment. Reviewers emphasize that the content justifies the price, making it a worthwhile investment for those seeking a game with high replay value.
- “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.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features appealing graphics and aesthetics, but it suffers from notable bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. Additionally, players have reported persistent balance issues that have not been addressed over the years, indicating a lack of stability.
- “Game's pretty buggy aside from this as well, and there are seemingly the same balance issues I had 3 years ago.”
- “The game offers some nice graphics and a nice aesthetic, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that grinding in the game is so demanding that it feels like it requires an additional life to manage effectively. This suggests that the grinding aspect may be overly time-consuming or tedious for many users.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”

Buy Serious Sam: Tormental

Videos

60%288reviews

Rogue Stormers

2015

Shooter

80%285reviews

Juicy Realm

2018

Casual Role Playing Shooter

+11

89%503reviews

Doomsday Hunters

2023

Arcade Shooter

85%728reviews

Colt Canyon

2020

Casual Role Playing Shooter

92%3kreviews

Relic Hunters Zero

2015

Tactical Shooter

74%1.6kreviews

Dungeon Souls

2016

Hack and Slash

90%8.8kreviews

Nuclear Throne

2015

Arcade Role Playing Shooter

84%6.3kreviews

Neon Abyss

2020

Role Playing Shooter

+12

93%6kreviews

Ember Knights

2022

Hack and Slash

88%3kreviews

30XX

2021

Arcade Platformer

Serious Sam: Tormental Tweets

Serious Sam: Tormental

Platforms

About

Buy Serious Sam: Tormental