Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Game
Game2011
Serious Sam 3: BFE
Developer Croteam
Serious Sam 3: BFE is a 2011 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 First Encounter. 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,… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
210 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
70
Fresh
131 positive · 55 negative
95% range 64–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 131 | 55 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 2 | 17 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
7,355 of 8,545 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
72% recommend · 137 yes, 53 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 190 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (25,368 of 28,771 positive).
Many players praise the game as a return to the series' roots with chaotic horde combat and satisfying gunplay. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize the early levels for being slow, linear, and visually bland with a military-shooter feel. [4][5][6] A few players note that the game includes mechanics like reloading and aiming down sights that feel out of place. [4][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
As much as it pains me to say, as a Serious Sam fan, the third game... is just ain't it. For those who don't know - Serious Sam 3 is a combination of a cancelled vanilla military shooter set in the Middle East (as seen by the level design and most weapons) and a DOOM 4 prototype (a design for the Scrapjack enemy can be a proof of that) and of course, Serious Sam. Some mechanics from the scrapped military shooter …
- [1]
Serious Sam 3: BFE feels like a proper return to form after Serious Sam II. The developers clearly understood what made the first two games so much fun and brought the series back to its roots: huge enemy hordes, ridiculous weapons, and chaotic fights where you're constantly running, dodging, and blowing ♥♥♥♥ up. The more grounded art style also fits the series much better than SS2's cartoonish look, and the …
- [4]
When Serious Sam 3: BFE launched, a lot of people criticized it for being too slow, and many felt that aiming down sights and reloading had no place in a Serious Sam game. Personally, I think Serious Sam 3 strikes a great balance between modern FPS mechanics and the classic Serious Sam formula. That said, the game isn’t without its flaws. The biggest issue is the long stretch of interior levels, especially at the …
- [2]
One of the best ways to experience Serious Sam with friends Serious Sam 3: BFE feels like a proper return to form after [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/204340/Serious_Sam_II/]Serious Sam 2. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/developer/croteam]Croteam went back to what made the original games so much fun: huge enemy hordes, ridiculous weapons, explosive combat and constant chaos. The gunplay is simple but …
- [3]
Least subtle game ever. Enemies flood the screen, guns are loud, thinking is not even an option. Old-school chaos in its purest form. buy if you want to shoot 200 things at once
Summarised from 34 of the 213 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Serious Sam 3: BFE sits at 70% positive across 186 opinionated reactions from 2 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Serious Sam 3: BFE received "mixed or average" reviews. Eurogamer gave the game a 7 out of 10, praising it for what Duke Nukem Forever failed to deliver, however criticizing the redundancy of the title's gameplay compared to its previous iterations in the series. Game Informer rewarded the game a score of 7.75 and praised the game for its graphics and the heavy metal score while being true to its original concept. Destructoid gave it an 8.5, saying "It's a lot of fun indeed. A lot of backbreaking, grueling, soul-destroying fun." Review aggregation website Metacritic gave the game a score of 72 out of 100 based on 53 reviews.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 210 · most liked firstMister Blue Sky, I made this render in honor of a favorite game of mine, Serious Sam 3: BFE! There are times where you're going through crazy alien defeating action segments, and it can be a real blast! But sometimes, you gotta just take a moment and rest! Our little hero here is enjoying a break!
positive · AI labelView post →I did say I'd like to do something for you all when I get my channel access back. Thinking of perhaps a live stream, but what game should it be? I know people often request a repeat playthrough of the janky Serious Sam 3 port for PS3, lol.
neutral · AI labelView post →87. Serious Sam 3 Jewel of the Nile: Solid little expansion. The secret weapons from the main game became normal pick-ups and the hammer is now a sick axe. The first couple levels are oddly stingy on health though which got annoying. I liked it, but I'm taking break before I play Serious Sam 4!
positive · AI labelView post →Plan to postpone artwork with I-NO again, start artwork with Barry Stickfries, who will refer to the cover of the game Serious Sam 3: BFE and at the same time finalize the summer SparkTEJ illustration
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is so bland and disgusting and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sand there is so much sand and everything is janky, ship this back to base and burn it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🔰SHREDVIEW🔰 - From someone who actually plays and finishes the games before reviewing. 🔷 ABOUT THE GAME & LORE 🔷 From the starving deserts of ancient Egypt, we power on the Delorean for a trip to the Pharaoh’s kitchen storage, where we will open up a can of sandworms and make some people happy today. Seriously, what the f**k is this s**t? Serious Sam 3: BFE is straightforward Oldschool First Person Shooter which is the product of a failed experiment. I’ve stole Fisher’s Splinter Cell…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Big PSA if any game bros follow me. Please please please add these options so that motion sick people like me don't vomit playing ur game Far Cry 2, The non remaster of Serious Sam 3, Battlefield Bad Company 2, and Tomb Raider: Legend are all games that have made me blow chunks in the past
neutral · AI labelView post →Serious Sam 3: BFE feels like a proper return to form after Serious Sam II. The developers clearly understood what made the first two games so much fun and brought the series back to its roots: huge enemy hordes, ridiculous weapons, and chaotic fights where you're constantly running, dodging, and blowing ♥♥♥♥ up. The more grounded art style also fits the series much better than SS2's cartoonish look, and the environments have a great sense of scale. I'd still say SS3 suffers a bit from…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hate to give it a thumbs down, but it just isn't as good as the older Serious Sam games. The level design in particular is really bad. I've played though the entire game previously and never wanted to come back to it. If there was a neutral rating, I'd give it that.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When Serious Sam 3: BFE launched, a lot of people criticized it for being too slow, and many felt that aiming down sights and reloading had no place in a Serious Sam game. Personally, I think Serious Sam 3 strikes a great balance between modern FPS mechanics and the classic Serious Sam formula. That said, the game isn’t without its flaws. The biggest issue is the long stretch of interior levels, especially at the beginning of the campaign. These sections are slow, Sam’s movement feels sluggish,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →>I come from serious sam 2, when I used to play LAN in a cyber cafe(gameshop) after school days >SS2 was not only about shooting but it was a comedy, you could ride a hover bike or a freaking DINOSAUR!!! >but in SS3 it's really boring there only one thing and it's just plain and simple shooting monster over and over aging >first mission take place in "cairo" and let me tell you how many time me and my friend got lost because how every alley and corner looked the same. It was a hideous first…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →80/100 A pleasing return to the series' roots after the huge departure that was Serious Sam 2, especially in its art direction. Despite this, the game is characterized by some changes to its core gameplay that could spark a bit of a mixed reception in some fans, with these being the reloading mechanic, aiming down sights and the grittier tone of the game which heavily contrasts the more vibrant colors of its predecessors. Personally I never found these changes to be unpleasing to say the least…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love when a kamikaze bomber get stuck somewhere in the map walls and proceeds to scream for twenty minutes... Music to my ears..
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Man, playing Serious Sam 3 is like a total time machine! The second I heard those screaming kamikazes, I was immediately 20 years old again, glued to my wooden PC. It’s that same chaotic, mindless, "run-and-gun" energy that I loved growing up. It’s not complicated—just pure, old-school nostalgia and a ton of aliens to blast. If you played the originals as a kid, this is such a fun trip down memory lane! Yup, grab myself a Sting drink, and an instant noodle bowl, i will last a day with the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →wait what the fuck I own Serious Sam 3 somehow. it's just in my Steam library. that's funny as shit. won't be my first game but I'll probably try it at some point
neutral · AI labelView post →As much as it pains me to say, as a Serious Sam fan, the third game... is just ain't it. For those who don't know - Serious Sam 3 is a combination of a cancelled vanilla military shooter set in the Middle East (as seen by the level design and most weapons) and a DOOM 4 prototype (a design for the Scrapjack enemy can be a proof of that) and of course, Serious Sam. Some mechanics from the scrapped military shooter made their way to the gameplay loop, for instance: - ADS with weapons - Sprinting -…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had a terrible headache after finishing the game LMAO
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very boring. No skill or strategy involved. Shooting the same cannon fodder enemies over and over again in barren, sickly brown environments is not fun or interesting.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very fun. Playing local co-op with a friend in 2026.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yep. Fun shooter. Don't take the secrets too seriously.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Feels like a free to play random unity store asset mash-up... for $40. This game clearly struggles with identity. Sam as a US marine running around modern Middle-East. What is this a COD4 rip off?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is fun when it gets fun, but I will have to join the bandwagon and say this is the least enjoyable sam game in the series. There's too many levels that are a pain in the ass to traverse in or are just multiple dark rooms that look the same. The game also has some enemies that re-occur that are just flat out not fun to fight against, one being the witch, which you have to wait and shoot at while she's grabbing you and locking your controls. For every 2 or 3 segments in a level that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an older game, still good fun if you just want to shoot a ridiculous number of enemies. Big hordes, plenty of weapons, and a lot of running around trying not to get flattened. Pretty straightforward stuff, but i liked it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sam 3 BFE is fun as hell. In serious sam 3 BFE you play as serious sam 3 on the quest to collect skeleton-related war trauma and fuel his drug problem by consuming pill bottles whole, en masse. In this journey you get at least a couple of guns, and a lot more than 12 enemies to fight across beautiful Egyptian landscapes covered in all 49 shades of grey and crap-brown with a tinge of rustic yellow, if you're lucky. The main campaign is a lot of fun, not too long and not too short. Co-op is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's still a cool, meaty shooter, but in my opinion, it's better than the first games. The first and perhaps most important reason is the good gameplay and a compelling storyline. It's also worth noting the pretty decent arsenal, but I especially enjoyed executing enemies in close combat; it was quite impressive when you tore your foes apart. It's also great that you can still play this game with friends, which is a huge plus. My rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love chain letters!!!! Anyway, my very first paid steam game was Serious Sam 3, after playing it pirated for years. With that damn immortal Arachnoid. I didn't have a means to pay online at the time, so I'd go out and buy gift cards for myself with my pocket money to buy games on steam...
positive · AI labelView post →One of the best ways to experience Serious Sam with friends Serious Sam 3: BFE feels like a proper return to form after [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/204340/Serious_Sam_II/]Serious Sam 2. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/developer/croteam]Croteam went back to what made the original games so much fun: huge enemy hordes, ridiculous weapons, explosive combat and constant chaos. The gunplay is simple but incredibly satisfying. Running around while dodging projectiles, switching…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This one takes a bit to get going in a way where it actually feels like a Serious Sam game because don't know if you knew this but its actually pieced together from a bunch of ♥♥♥♥ that Croteam made for a proof of concept that they pitched to ID software for Doom 4. Yeah insert meme image of guy trying to shoot a hoop from the moon. (To be fair at the time ID was actually looking for partners but Croteam is pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ small of a team for them still and that's not even bringing up the time…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fantastic, timeless game! I highly recommend it to all fans of arena FPS games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The ugliest Serious Sam game ever! Ugliest graphics, ugliest gameplay, most unintuitive garbage secrets, this game should have been never developed! That's an insult to all the Serious Sam fans! I have played and replayed the first two encounters for literally thousands and thousands of hours, never getting bored, enjoying every moment of it; but for this one even completing it just for once was more than enough of a chore!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played SS:FE, SS:2ndE, and SS4 before this. This doesn't feel like a Serious Sam game at all. Feels like a 2010's Call of Duty type of game. I love these games, but skip this one. Couldn't bring myself to finish it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its times like this were Steam would benefit from a mixed or average review option, because its really not a bad game, its just rather mediocre. The game in some ways feels like a devolution of the classic games. The game stills throws load of enemies for you to fight, but in classic, you have plenty of room within the levels to move around and take out the bad guys. Here, the levels are feel really closed off, even the wider maps and areas, and you have little space to shoot down the enemies,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After doing a full co-op playthrough twice or thrice, going for all secrets on Tourist difficulty and doing a Serious difficulty playthrough (in Fusion), I can say that Serious Sam 3: BFE holds up quite well. This is an excellent entry point for those new to the series, as graphically it's a bit more modern looking than the First and Second Encounter. Once again, go read the reviews for the previous two games if you want the full picture. The third entry in the series takes a bit more of a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Least subtle game ever. Enemies flood the screen, guns are loud, thinking is not even an option. Old-school chaos in its purest form. buy if you want to shoot 200 things at once
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SS3 is a great title, Croteam did a great job with this one. The gameplay is fun, it does not feel repetative. The game always face you with a new challenge right after you beat the first one. Storywise it's before the original First Encounter (the timelock jump), hence the name BFE (Before First Encounter). Nicely tells the story how our hero made it back in time to the events of the very first Serious Sam game. The graphics is outstanding. Some might say outdated in 2025 and it's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed Serious Sam 3 BFE! Not the usual game I play, but I found exciting the exaggerated violence within its singleplayer adventure. SS3 feels like a rudimental Doom, one that has the gameplay structure of an arena but a level design like an old school FPS. There is great satisfaction when taking down hordes of enemies, a loop that can become repetitive but not for that reason boring. Plot wise... It's Serious Sam, does it truly matter? Overall a very good experience; it has been quite a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another kick-ass serious sam game. Delivers on all the expectations a seasoned serious sam player might have. Also love the middle eastern aesthetic that breaks away from the typical ancient egyptian style. New unique and fun to use weapons, new interesting and original enemy types. Great soundtrack. Classic serious sam silly humor. Only thing was that I kinda hated the last level (pre-boss). Crazy long (like 1.5h), boring as ♥♥♥♥ filler level. The final boss is also a bit clunky, you have to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Serious Sam 3 - where you stand all alone as the last human alive on the face of planet Earth that has not been slaughtered by the monsters, and you must go back in time to stop it from happening and save humanity and the world and the entire Universe from the monsters, all the while the greatest soundtrack ever composed in the history of the world encourages and motivates you onward and upward to glorious victory . . . easily my second favorite video game of all time!!!! -Monster Slayer
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unplayable cause It's so laggy and oversaturated with enemies. The second case wouldn't be much of a problem if the frames were all right. Edit: Okay, I change my mind. Found a guide to fix the FPS problems so I change my review to positive. If you struggle with PFS too, just use this guide: https://steamcommunity.com/app/41070/discussions/0/592893569946106949/
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →best and badass game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can be somewhat annoying and formulaic, losing some of the luster of the og games, swapping it for military shooter assets but, IMO actually has the best written plot and most compelling character development for Sam, its where he is at his most interesting and where the stakes feel most real. Graphics for the time are quite beautiful too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's A Lot Of Bloody Fun ! I Like So Much All Of This Game And The Sound Makes It More Great .
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Serious Sam was fun up until the last 5 levels. the first half of the game progressively introduced bigger enemies, bigger guns, and new mechanics. The classic enjoyable gameplay crowned by this genre of game! however, once you've gotten every gun and seen every enemy, they'll throw you into a a big room for an hour and spawn 1,000 enemies. you slowly pace around, firing endlessly at a horde of the same two enemies until you run out of ammo, die and reload, then backtrack and repeat. then you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Personality wise, I like this Sam better than the 4, the game is great but it is definitely a product of its time they should've kept this Sam rather than what we got on the SS4. Anyways great game (definitely not biased) also ♥♥♥♥ WITCH BRIDES.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →super boring and uninteresting the game felt more like a chore than a video game and that last level was nothing but pure hell.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SS3 is just... tiring. The last 3-4 levels are horrible and the last one is the most boring ♥♥♥♥ I have ever played. The game just keeps throwing unending waves at you. I know that that is the idea of this series but enough is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ enough. I found myself praying that the next corner leads me to the end of the level. And then the next. And then the next. Absolute horrible gameplay in the last 2-3 hours of the game and overall quite a boring experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →doom cant compare to this masterpiece
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey! Guy! This game - it's serious! It's true!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I very much enjoyed this game. played it on ''easy'', i get why only 8.8% Finished the campaign lmao. so do you want to get into Serious sam? but where to start? in chronological order of the main storyline. Serious Sam 4: The first war Serious Sam 3: BFE Serious Sam 1 First encounter Serious Sam 1 2nd: Second encounter Serious Sam 2: Finished 2025-12-29
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I used to play this game when I was little, and back then it was cool and scary at the same time. I give it a rating of 10/1000000000000000.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey, i kinda bored so, there's little gameplay from Serious Sam 3 BFE (Fusion). I took the time to edit be not longer than 1 minute and compressed file so it wouldn't weigh 50MB. #game
neutral · AI labelView post →I was fresh on the mind with Serious Sam 3 being announced And now this Actually the two extremes of gaming news today, sequel of a game from 25 years ago and now a studio that is seen as one of the big ones being axe'd, wild
neutral · AI labelView post →They weren't Serious enough when they made this game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →serious sam 2 better
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →an absolute blast for anyone who loves old-school first-person shooters. The game throws huge waves of enemies at you, keeps you constantly moving, and rewards quick reflexes, good aim, and smart weapon choices. The weapon variety is great, the combat feels satisfying, and the chaotic battles against massive groups of enemies are incredibly fun. I especially enjoyed the feeling of being completely surrounded and having to fight my way out. The graphics may feel a little dated by modern…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →made serious sam 2 then fumbled expeditiously
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, it looks like Croteam wanted to take the franchise in a more "serious" direction, no pun intended. This game is way less goofy than SS2, which I hear wasn't even canon. This reminds me of TFE and TSE in terms of gameplay. I feel like it was too much of a tactical shooter during the first few levels. Eventually, however, it turned into its usual arena shooter. There are a few new weapons, but most of the game's weapons are ones that have been seen in previous titles, but function a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i cant drag myself to play this ♥♥♥♥ game anymore, ive played ss first and second encounter ss4 sssm and even ss2 i can say 100% all those are better games, this feels like cod with aliens. also who's dumbass thought it was a good idea to make the helicopters not take damage from some of your guns, makes me feel like just sam they took my serious. i truly will never understand how this game is seen as a "proper return" i know no one liked ss2 but at least it had more personality then this dog…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was powering thrgough this game, it is not BAD but there are just so many things that are frustrating and not Serious Sam. (NOTE: coming after finishing TFE, TSE and 2) - Obvious one, reloading, it is not nearly bad as other problems but it is just not Serious Sam - Dust particles, everything leaves dust particles which create chaos which might look cool on trailer but playing with it just creates frustration - Ammo, all the time it leaves me out of ammo, TFE and TSE together left me maybe…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It feels like an attempt at a parody of call of duty or something but instead its mostly just an even worse version of those where you can't see ♥♥♥♥, have no ammo and everything melts you from afar. So many attempts to change the gameplay with varied level design but really all of it is frustratingly undercooked and combined with overly accurate enemies it slows things down to a crawl in a series best known for lighthearted arcadey running and gunning in huge open areas. The game is worst at…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.