Serious Sam's Bogus Detour

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Serious Sam's Bogus Detour
Serious Sam's Bogus Detour.jpg
Cover art featuring the protagonist, Sam "Serious" Stone
Developer(s) Crackshell
Publisher(s) Devolver Digital
Designer(s) Jochum Skoglund
Programmer(s) Niklas Myrberg
Artist(s)
  • Victor Ankarberg
  • Christian Nordgren
Composer(s) Damjan Mravunac
Series Serious Sam
Platform(s) Linux, Windows
Release20 June 2017
Genre(s) Twin-stick shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour is a 2017 twin-stick shooter game developed by Crackshell and published by Devolver Digital. One to four players traverse levels set in Egypt, Greece, and on the Moon, collecting weapons to be used against waves of enemies placed throughout the open areas. Character upgrades can be purchased using stars, which can be found within levels or obtained through experience points gained by killing enemies. Deathmatch and survival modes can be played with up to twelve players.

Contents

Revealed in December 2014, Bogus Detour was developed by Crackshell after designer Jochum Skoglund added an Easter egg of an enemy from Serious Sam to the studio's previous game, Hammerwatch . Through communication with Roman Ribarić of Serious Sam franchise owner Croteam, Crackshell was allowed the use of Serious Sam assets and later the rights to develop a full game in Serious Sam series. Crackshell initially intended to self-publish Bogus Detour but later partnered with Devolver Digital. The game was formally announced in April 2017 and released in June for Linux and Windows.

Bogus Detour received positive reviews, with critics praising 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. Crackshell, in conjunction with the cracker Voksi, subsequently created a free version of the game in March 2018 to be pirated to entice those players to purchase the original.

Gameplay

Sam (centre) fighting off a wave of marines and Kleer skeletons Serious Sam's Bogus Detour screenshot.jpg
Sam (centre) fighting off a wave of marines and Kleer skeletons

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour is a twin-stick shooter. [1] [2] The player controls Sam "Serious" Stone through ten open levels, distributed among three thematic places: Egypt, Greece, and the Moon. [1] [2] [3] Enemies of various types are placed around each level and mostly attack in waves, sometimes alongside bosses. [2] [4] The player character can use weapons, by default brandishing two pistols with unlimited ammunition. [1] [3] Further weapons and their required ammunition are scattered throughout each level. [1] There are a total of eight weapon types, each with multiple variations, that can be selected from a weapon wheel. [2]

The player can obtain stars by gathering experience points through killing enemies. [1] [5] These stars can be used to purchase character upgrades, such as an improvement movement speed or increased rate of fire. [1] [3] Stars are also hidden within levels, alongside other secrets. [1] Some areas can only be accessed by obtaining keycards or breaking destructible walls. [1] [2] [3] Enemies and hazards, such as toxic waste, inflict damage on the character. Depleting the character's health causes them to lose a life, of which they initially have three. After losing all lives, gameplay stops and the player's progress within the active level is reset. [1] [4]

Bogus Detour has multiple difficulty settings, as well as "switches" that allow altering specific gameplay elements, such as granting the character unlimited ammunition or disabling the heads-up display. [1] [2] The game can be played cooperatively with up to four players, either online or locally in split-screen. [1] [2] [5] Up to twelve online players can compete in head-to-head deathmatch gameplay or a cooperative survival mode. [1] [2] [3] [5] Additional levels can be created using the built-in level editor and shared via the Steam Workshop. [1] [2]

Development and release

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour was developed by Crackshell, a Swedish indie game studio founded by former Overkill Software developers. It was the studio's second game, after Hammerwatch . [6] [7] Crackshell's designer, Jochum "Hipshot" Skoglund, enjoyed referencing old media he liked in his games. The team added the Beheaded Kamikaze, an enemy from the Serious Sam series, as an Easter egg to Temple of the Sun, a 2014 expansion for Hammerwatch. [7] [8] Considering to turn the Easter egg official, Skoglund got in contact with Roman Ribarić, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Serious Sam franchise owner Croteam, through friends at the studios Skoglund had previously worked for. Ribarić had played and enjoyed Hammerwatch, and gave Crackshell free rein to use Serious Sam multimedia assets for their endeavour. He was also fond of the resulting crossover, and while talking about it, Skoglund asked whether he could pitch a game idea to Croteam. Subsequently, he and an artist at Crackshell created a tech demo titled "2D, Seriously?", featuring Sam seen from a top-down view with rough environment details. Other working titles included "Serious Top-Down" and "Serious Sam 2D". Skoglund sent a screenshot of the in-development demo to Ribarić, who was fond of it and provided Crackshell with a contract to develop a full game based on it. [7]

Crackshell's Niklas "Myran" Myrberg created a proprietary game engine (later named A000FF) [9] and level editor using C++ and AngelScript, improving on issues the team had faced with the C#-based engine he had developed for Hammerwatch. [10] [11] They collaborated with artists Victor Ankarberg and Christian Nordgren. [12] Nordgren created rotating weapon sprites with 3D models made in Autodesk Maya that were rendered in 2D at sixteen angles. [13] Skoglund devised the plot after reading through the synopses of previous Serious Sam games, settling on a diversion during the story of Serious Sam: The First Encounter . He chose to also include characters from other Serious Sam games, such as the alien marines featured in Serious Sam 2 . [10] He noted that the Serious Sam series had a lot of hardcore fans, especially "older gamers" in Eastern Europe, which made it pleasant to fill Bogus Detour with references to previous games. [7] Skoglund thought it was fun to work on a third-party intellectual property (IP) and to have access to all Serious Sam and The Talos Principle assets, including audio, visuals and the Serious Engine. He liked how material and ideas from The Talos Principle, which originated as an experiment during the development of Serious Sam 4 , could be used in a Serious Sam project. [7] Skoglund wanted to show Croteam that Crackshell had taken the project seriously and sought to deliver a good take on the series that felt substantial. He hoped to be able to use the game to get to work on other IPs he had been a fan of, such as Syndicate . [7]

Skoglund revealed Bogus Detour through TIGSource's forums in December 2014, saying that the studio intended to self-publish the game in 2016. [10] [13] The Crackshell team, which spanned five members in May 2016, [7] shared development updates on TIGSource and later through Twitter and YouTube. [14] [15] In April 2017, Devolver Digital, which had since become the game's publisher, released a first trailer for the game. [16] [17] Bogus Detour was exhibited at the E3 game conference in early June 2017. [18] It was released on 20 June 2017 for Linux and Windows, [19] [20] delivered via the Steam and GOG.com storefronts. [21] The game is considered part of the Serious Sam Indie Series, which also included Serious Sam Double D and Serious Sam: The Random Encounter . [22] Multiple patches released until August 2017 fixed bugs and added features like split-screen functionality. [23] The game's soundtrack, composed by Damjan Mravunac, was released to YouTube in July 2017. [24]

Reception

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour received "generally favorable reviews", according to the review aggregator website Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average rating of 76/100 based on twelve critic reviews. [25] James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer opined that the game was a "perfect" translation of the Serious Sam franchise to the twin-stick shooter genre. [1] Clotaire Jacquier of Jeuxvideo.com felt that the top-down view complemented the series's core elements and that the game was a "successful mix" between the series and the genre. [2] This was echoed by Enrique Garcia of Vandal , who stated that, although Bogus Detour was neither perfect nor innovative within its genre and mechanics, the game respected all common elements of a Serious Sam game. [5] In a 2020 retrospective on the Serious Sam series, Jonathan Kaharl of Hardcore Gaming 101 said that Bogus Detour was "easily the best of the Serious Sam spin-offs". [26]

Cunningham lauded the game's "gorgeous" pixel art as "well detailed and animated". [1] Similarly, Jose A. Rodríguez, writing for IGN 's Spanish outlet, called it a "work of art" and cited satisfaction in gradually distributing enemies' remains on the levels' floors. [3] Garcia also liked the "retro-style" visuals, while Jacquier labelled the graphical and musical presentation as solid. [2] [5] According to Rodríguez, the music and sound underlined the gameplay well. [3] Also noted positively were the difficulty, exploration rewards, and multiplayer, although Jacquier was disappointed by the scarcity of online players at the time of his review. [2] [3] [5] Rodríguez considered the progression system the best part of the game, while Jacquier criticised it as unclear and laborious. [2] [3]

Jacquier faced some irritation when tracking long distances over empty areas, especially due to Sam's initially slow pace. [2] Rodríguez found that the small size of the player character could cause disorientation with numerous elements on-screen, which was amplified when there were multiple players. [3]

Sales

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour sold poorly and had not recouped its development costs by December 2017. Bulgarian cracker Voksi, who was friendly with Crackshell and had tested the beta version of the game, approached the studio in March 2018 with the idea of creating a sanctioned build that could be pirated. This version was distributed through Voksi's forum, Revolt, and prepared with a note asking the player to buy the game to support the developers, though otherwise not obstructing the gameplay. [27]

Related Research Articles

<i>Serious Sam: The First Encounter</i> 2001 video game

Serious Sam: The First Encounter is a 2001 first-person shooter game developed by Croteam and published by Gathering of Developers. It is the first in the Serious Sam series. The game follows the soldier Sam "Serious" Stone, who is sent back in time to ancient Egypt in 1378 BCE to uncover information about the technologically advanced civilisation of the Sirians that could help humanity survive the attacks of extraterrestrial forces in the 22nd century. As Sam, the player traverses linear levels, either enclosed or set on open plains, and battles increasingly large waves of enemies with an expanding arsenal. During gameplay, the player can pick up new weapons and replenishment for ammunition and health, as well as review strategic information. In multiplayer, the game has two deathmatch modes and cooperative play for the single-player campaign.

<i>Serious Sam: The Second Encounter</i> 2002 video game

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter is a 2002 first-person shooter game developed by Croteam and published by Gathering of Developers. It is the successor to Serious Sam: The First Encounter and the second game in the Serious Sam series. Taking place immediately after The First Encounter, it follows the soldier Sam "Serious" Stone, whose spaceship crashes back to Earth on his way from ancient Egypt to Sirius, requiring him to seek the Holy Grail to continue his journey. As Sam, the player traverses linear levels, either enclosed or set on open plains, and battles increasingly large waves of enemies with an expanding arsenal. The gameplay builds on that of The First Encounter while adding additional weapons, more enemy types, and platforming elements, and additionally contains the Seriously Warped Deathmatch mod by A Few Screws Loose.

Croteam is a Croatian video game developer based in Zagreb. The company was established by Davor Hunski, Damir Perović, Roman Ribarić and Dean Sekulić, four former classmates, in late August 1992. Croteam is best known for Serious Sam, a series of first-person shooters introduced with Serious Sam: The First Encounter in 2001. The company also developed the 2014 puzzle game The Talos Principle. Croteam employed approximately 40 people in 2020 and was acquired by its long-time publishing partner Devolver Digital in October that year.

<i>Serious Sam 2</i> 2005 video game

Serious Sam 2 is a first-person shooter video game released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox and the sequel to the 2001 video game Serious Sam. It was developed by Croteam and was released on 11 October 2005. The game was initially published by 2K Games, a Take-Two Interactive subsidiary. The game was later made available on Steam on 31 January 2012. While the game was originally released only for Microsoft Windows and Xbox, an unofficial Linux version of the game was created and is being handled by Linux Installers for Linux Gamers.

<i>Serious Sam Advance</i> 2004 video game

Serious Sam Advance is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Climax London and published by Global Star Software for the Game Boy Advance. A spin-off in the Serious Sam series, the game has the player control Sam "Serious" Stone through confined levels—first in ancient Egypt, then in ancient Rome—defeating varying enemies using an assortment of weapons. Serious Sam Advance was developed by Climax London, a studio of former Crawfish Interactive developers, using ray casting technology. Global Star Software announced the game in January 2004 and released it in April. Serious Sam Advance received mixed reviews, with praise for its weapons, enemies, level design and sound effects, conflicting opinions about its graphics, and criticism for its controls and frame rate issues.

<i>Serious Sam: Next Encounter</i> 2004 video game

Serious Sam: Next Encounter is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Climax Solent and published by Global Star Software. As a spin-off in the Serious Sam series, it follows Sam "Serious" Stone, who tracks an unidentified enemy through ancient Rome, feudal China and Atlantis, and eliminates the forces the enemy controls to eventually uncover their identity. The player controls Sam through enclosed levels, fighting waves of enemies with an assortment of weapons and, occasionally, vehicles. Defeating enemies is a prerequisite to advance in a level and killing twenty in rapid succession temporarily grants a strength, speed and score boost in a "Super Combo". Two players can complete the campaign cooperatively and up to eight can engage in versus modes.

<i>Serious Sam 3: BFE</i> 2011 video game

Serious Sam 3: BFE is a first-person shooter video game developed by Croatia-based indie development studio Croteam and published by Devolver Digital. It is part of the Serious Sam series and the prequel to the 2001 video game, Serious Sam. The game takes place in 22nd-century Egypt, during Mental's invasion of Earth, as implied in The First Encounter. The game features a 16-player online, as well as a 4-player splitscreen co-op campaign mode. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows on 22 November 2011. The OS X support for the game followed shortly after and was released on 23 April 2012. The Linux version of the game started being worked on after a high number of requests, where the first Linux-related update was the porting of the game's dedicated server. The game itself, however, was released one day after Valve opened the beta branch for "Steam for Linux", namely on 20 December 2012.

<i>Serious Sam</i> Video game series

Serious Sam is a video game series created and primarily developed by Croteam. It consists predominantly of first-person shooters. The series follows the advances of mercenary Sam "Serious" Stone against Mental, an extraterrestrial overlord who attempts to destroy humanity at various points in time. The first game, Serious Sam: The First Encounter, was released for Microsoft Windows in March 2001. Several spin-offs were developed by other developers, such as a Palm OS conversion of The First Encounter by InterActive Vision, Serious Sam: Next Encounter by Climax Solent, and Serious Sam Advance by Climax London. All three were published by Global Star Software.

<i>Serious Sam: The Random Encounter</i> 2011 video game

Serious Sam: The Random Encounter is a 2011 role-playing and bullet hell game developed by Vlambeer and published by Devolver Digital. It follows Sam "Serious" Stone travelling to the future in search of his nemesis, Mental, teaming up with mercenaries on the way. The player controls Sam and his accomplices through confined levels, engaging in battles through random encounters. These pit the player characters against large waves of enemies, and the player controls the weapons and items each character uses against them in five-second turns.

<i>Serious Sam Double D</i> 2011 video game

Serious Sam Double D is a 2011 side-scrolling shooter game developed by Mommy's Best Games and published by Devolver Digital. The game follows Sam "Serious" Stone traveling through various historical settings to destroy the horde of his nemesis, Mental, and its teleportation beacons. As Sam, the player navigates 2D levels and can use the "gun stacker" to create vertical stacks of up to six weapons that are fired simultaneously. Enemies appear from all sides and their corpses can be used as platforms.

<i>Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack!</i> 2011 video game

Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack! is a 2011 auto-running game developed by Be-Rad Entertainment and published by Devolver Digital. The player controls a Headless Kamikaze that chases after Sam "Serious" Stone, attempting to defeat him. The character moves automatically and can dodge or deflect incoming hazards. Announced in March 2011 and developed over six months, Kamikaze Attack! was created as part of the Serious Sam Indie Series to promote the launch of Serious Sam 3: BFE. It debuted for Android and iOS in September 2011, followed by a release for Windows in January 2012. The game received a mixed reception, with praise for its controls, conflicting opinions about its visuals, and criticism for its repetitiveness and lack of appeal to non-fans of the Serious Sam series.

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<i>The Talos Principle</i> 2014 puzzle video game

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<i>Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope</i> 2017 video game

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<i>Serious Sam: Tormental</i> 2022 video game

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<i>Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem</i> 2022 video game

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem is a 2022 first-person shooter game developed by Timelock Studio and Croteam, and published by Devolver Digital. A standalone expansion to Serious Sam 4, the game was released on 25 January 2022 for Windows, and on 6 October 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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