Behaviour Interactive Announces Serious Sam

Behaviour Interactive is developing Serious Sam: Shatterverse, a new FPS roguelike built in Unreal Engine. The game is designed to be accessible to newcomers while honoring the classic series' high-octane action and boss fights, and will feature peer-to-peer multiplayer and offline solo play.

Behaviour Interactive is developing Serious Sam: Shatterverse, a new first-person shooter roguelike for Devolver Digital. The team, which includes longtime fans of the original games, aims to build on the franchise's legacy while creating a standalone experience that is easy for new players to pick up.

Many developers at Behaviour Interactive have fond memories of playing Serious Sam: The First Encounter from the early 2000s. They describe that era as one where games were unapologetically fun and pushed technological limits. As big fans of original developer Croteam's work, the studio jumped at the opportunity when Devolver Digital sought a developer for a new entry.

Recreating the Classic Feel

The first major task was to recreate the core Serious Sam experience in Unreal Engine. This involved capturing the signature backpedaling, gunplay, and classic enemies from the early games. The team specifically drew inspiration from The First Encounter and The Second Encounter, which they still replay today.

With the franchise's 25th anniversary approaching, the goal was to create a celebration of its origins. This meant preserving the high-octane action, massive enemy waves, and iconic boss battles. The developers state that every boss in Shatterverse is designed to be a major set piece and a true test of player skill, much like the memorable encounters in the original fixtures.

Finding a New Identity

After establishing the classic feel, the team sought a distinct identity for the new game. They focused on recapturing two specific feelings from the original titles. The first was the urge to replay missions to hunt for secrets and chase higher scores. The second was the sensation that anything could happen, partly due to what they call Croteam's cheeky encounter design.

These design goals led them to the roguelike FPS genre. They believed this structure was a perfect fit for evoking those classic sensations without simply copying what had been done before.

Designed for Accessibility and Longevity

The developers acknowledge that roguelike FPS games can feel niche. They designed Shatterverse to be easy to pick up and share, even for players unfamiliar with Serious Sam, FPS games, or roguelikes. Every game system aims to be easy to grasp while offering depth for mastery, encouraging players to track their progress and stats.

This focus on accessibility also shaped the multiplayer approach. The team wanted a game people could play together for years. To ensure long-term viability, they implemented peer-to-peer multiplayer instead of relying on dedicated servers. An offline solo mode is also included, intended to allow play 5, 10, or even 15 years from now.

The game is planned as a complete, appropriately priced standalone title. Behaviour Interactive states it will be worth players' money from the get-go and won't require live-service updates to be fun. However, the game is built to support expansions, DLC, and new content to grow the experience if fans want more.

Community Feedback and Goals

Behaviour Interactive reports being excited by the reception during multiple beta playtests. The team has listened closely to feedback from the dedicated Serious Sam community, using it to tweak and polish the experience. Their proudest achievement is that the core audience seemed to immediately understand the goal: creating a Serious Sam game they could easily share to spread love for the franchise.

Behaviour Interactive ultimately hopes Shatterverse not only welcomes newcomers but also inspires them to try the earlier games and become fans themselves. The announcement concludes by inviting players to assemble a squad to take on Mental's hordes and save the Samverse.

Source: news.xbox.com