Serious Sam's Bogus Detour

Lore & Background

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour was developed by Crackshell, a Swedish indie game studio founded by former Overkill Software developers. The game originated when designer Jochum Skoglund added a Beheaded Kamikaze enemy from Serious Sam as an Easter egg to Temple of the Sun, a 2014 expansion for Crackshell's previous game, Hammerwatch. Skoglund contacted Roman Ribarić, CEO of Serious Sam franchise owner Croteam, who gave Crackshell permission to use Serious Sam assets and later a contract to develop a full game. Crackshell initially intended to self-publish but later partnered with Devolver Digital. The game was revealed in December 2014 through TIGSource forums, with development updates shared on TIGSource, Twitter, and YouTube. It was exhibited at E3 in early June 2017 and released on 20 June 2017 via Steam and GOG.com. The game's soundtrack was composed by Damjan Mravunac and released to YouTube in July 2017. Multiple patches through August 2017 added features like split-screen functionality. The game is considered part of the Serious Sam Indie Series, alongside Serious Sam Double D and Serious Sam: The Random Encounter.

Reader's Guide

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour received generally favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score of 76/100 based on twelve critic reviews. Critics praised the translation of the Serious Sam series to the twin-stick shooter genre, the graphics, and the music. The progression system received mixed responses, while criticism was given to some minor design elements. The game sold poorly and failed to recoup its development costs by December 2017. In March 2018, Crackshell, in conjunction with the cracker Voksi, created a free version of the game to be pirated to entice players to purchase the original. In a 2020 retrospective, Jonathan Kaharl of Hardcore Gaming 101 called Bogus Detour 'easily the best of the Serious Sam spin-offs.' The game features a level editor and Steam Workshop support, allowing players to create and share additional levels.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed by Crackshell, a Swedish indie studio founded by former Overkill Software developers.
• Crackshell, in conjunction with the cracker Voksi, subsequently created a free version of the game in March 2018 to be pirated to entice players to purchase the original.
• The game is part of the Serious Sam Indie Series, which also includes Serious Sam Double D and Serious Sam: The Random Encounter.