Serious Sam 3: BFE

Serious Sam 3: BFE is a first-person shooter that came out in 2011, made by the Croatian indie studio Croteam and put out by Devolver Digital. It's a prequel to the 2001 game *Serious Sam: The First Encounter* and belongs to the same series. The action is set in 22nd-century Egypt, during the invasion of Earth by the villain Mental—an event that was hinted at in the earlier game. Players can tackle the campaign with up to 16 people online or with four players in split-screen co-op.

The game first hit Microsoft Windows on November 22, 2011. A version for OS X followed on April 23, 2012. After many requests, work began on a Linux version, starting with a port of the dedicated server. The full Linux release arrived on November 6, 2012, the same day Valve opened the beta branch for Steam on Linux.

In terms of gameplay, *Serious Sam 3* sticks to the series' formula of throwing huge waves of enemies at the player in open spaces, but its early levels are more enclosed than before. More foes can also attack from a distance. There are 13 weapons total, five of which require manual reloading. The knife and chainsaw from the first game are gone, replaced by a sledgehammer with three attack modes. Health and armor don't regenerate; instead, players must find pick-ups scattered around the levels. Secret areas are plentiful, hiding health, armor, ammo, and sometimes weapons from later stages. The Lasergun and Sniper Rifle, along with their ammo, only appear in these secrets. There are no puzzles, but players need to find keys, pull levers, and spot environmental oddities to move forward.

Classic enemies like the Beheaded Kamikaze, Beheaded Rocketeer, and Kleer Skeleton return. New foes include the Khnum and Scrapjack (which resemble the Hell Knight and Mancubus from *Doom*), plus cloned soldiers similar to the Strogg from *Quake*. The Kamikaze goes back to its original design, not the one from *Serious Sam 2*. The Gnaar has been heavily redesigned: it's now bigger, differently shaped, and walks on all fours instead of two legs. New mechanics include unlimited sprinting (though you can't attack while sprinting) and iron sights for the pistol and assault rifle, which slightly boost accuracy but slow you down. Players can also perform hand kills or kick enemies to save ammo—for instance, ripping out a Gnaar's eyeball or breaking an Antaresian Spider's shell.