The Compatibility Test showcases a bright and sunny Egyptian theme level. Wide-open spaces, well-rendered water and gorgeous blue skies abound here. This makes Serious Sam distinctive as it strays away from the typical dark, moody, and cramped FPS model. But the full version will offer a great deal of variety. "You will travel from Egypt to the solar system of Sirius", said Roman Ribaric, Croteam CEO. There players will find an ice planet level, a water level, a lava level and a level that looks like it belongs in a futuristic Disco film, all of which feature bright colors and smooth architecture. Which is a distinct counter-point to the usual dark, gothic and moody environs FPS is known for.
The Test showcases several kinds of monsters and a whole arsenal of cool weapons to choose from, surely the rest of the game will feature more? Roman Ribaric wasn't forthcoming on the new monsters but he revealed that the full version will add a grenade launcher, a flame thrower and a sniper rifle to the already present pistol, shotgun, double shotgun, rocket launcher and mini-gun assortment.
Players are particularly excited about the new monsters, especially since the Test contains so many instant classics, ranging from the giant bulls who charge mercilessly to the bolo-flinging and leaping skeletal horse-creatures. Flying harpies and headless goons round things out. By far the most stunning creature is a headless guy carrying two bombs (one in each hand) who runs at you full tilt screaming at the top of his lungs. Imagine five of them teleporting in from different directions and having to deal with each of them in turn. Exhilarating!
That leads to one of the strengths of the game, something that otherwise would be considered a cop-out. The monsters appear in their environment, out of thin air. A design decision that seems lazy at first but results in terror when it happens. Hearing that distinctive teleport sound and then a cry from a Werebull proves that the audio engineers at Croteam are as adept at their craft as the graphic artists.
Serious Sam the Compatibility Test was supposed to be just that, a way to test their engine for hardware compatibility problems. They added a game engine showcase section to it, which doubtless makes licensing the engine an attractive proposition, and they added several levels of intense gameplay to the demo as well. What they reaped was well beyond their humble expectations.
But this Test isn't all we can expect. Croteam is feverishly working on a multiplayer Test which will be available for download in September of this year. They're even working on a four player split screen hotseat mode, like the shooter Goldeneye for the N64 featured so well.
By Andrew S. Bub
Contributing Editor