Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass is the fourth major installment in Serious Sam franchise of first-person shooters. Like its predecessors, Planet Badass puts an emphasis on over-the-top action, black humor and grotesque monster design.

Plot and setting

The events of Planet Badass are set before that of Serious Sam 3: BFE, making this game a prequel's prequel. As usual, Planet Badass follows the series' titular protagonist, the larger-than-life monster slayer named Sam, as he fights the hordes of alien monsters that invaded Earth. The game features locations set mostly in European countries, such as France an Italy. The story of Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass is written by Jonas Kyratzes of The Talos Principle fame. It is said to be somewhat more serious and mature than the stories in the previous Serious Sam installments.

Gameplay

The player controls Sam from the first person view and leads him through the levels while slaughtering monsters. The game does not feature an open world and instead consists of distinct levels, although they are much larger than in the previous installments of Serious Sam. Planet Badass introduces several features that are new to the series. Most notably, the game allows the player to drive various vehicles, such as bikes, cars, and harvesters, and to use them in combat. The game also introduces several new monsters and weapon types, although most of the classic monsters and weapons from the previous games also return.