Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter, developed by Croteam VR and published by Devolver Digital, is a high-octane reimagining of the classic first-person shooter built entirely for virtual reality. It takes the frantic energy and absurd chaos that defined the original Serious Sam and transposes it into a fully immersive environment where you’re no longer just playing as Sam—you are Sam, standing in the middle of a desert arena with waves of monsters charging directly at you. The result is an experience that is both exhilarating and physically demanding, a blend of old-school shooter design and modern VR interactivity that captures the raw, unfiltered fun of arcade-style combat while pushing the player’s reflexes and stamina to their limits.
From the moment you slip on your headset, Serious Sam VR wastes no time reminding you what the series is all about: relentless waves of enemies, ridiculous firepower, and over-the-top spectacle. There’s no preamble, no lengthy tutorials or cutscenes—just an arsenal of increasingly devastating weapons and endless hordes of aliens, demons, and screaming kamikazes. The transition to VR amplifies everything that made the original special. Firing dual pistols, wielding shotguns, or hefting a minigun in each hand feels tactile and empowering. Every weapon has a sense of weight and recoil that translates beautifully through motion controls. Turning to blast an enemy behind you or ducking under incoming fire gives the action a physicality that flat-screen shooters can’t replicate. It’s exhausting in the best way possible, a true test of both precision and endurance.
Croteam wisely gives players flexibility in how they want to move through the game’s large environments. You can choose between teleportation for comfort or smooth locomotion for those with stronger VR legs. Both systems work well, and the option to toggle between them helps mitigate one of VR’s biggest barriers—motion sickness. The arenas themselves are expansive, mirroring the open-sandbox feel of the original Serious Sam. Vast Egyptian temples, sun-bleached ruins, and sandy plains stretch out in all directions, giving players ample space to dodge, strafe, and unleash chaos. The sheer scale of some battles is staggering; waves of dozens of enemies swarm at once, forcing you to stay mobile and think strategically about weapon choice and positioning. In VR, the sense of being surrounded is palpable—you hear the guttural roars and manic screams coming from every direction, and turning physically to respond feels both instinctive and thrilling.
Visually, the game holds up remarkably well for a VR adaptation of a title rooted in early 2000s design. The environments retain their distinctive style, now enhanced by the depth and immersion of stereoscopic rendering. The lighting, particle effects, and explosions all pop in VR, making every encounter feel larger than life. Standing beneath towering alien monsters or watching rockets streak across the desert sky is an awe-inspiring sight. The sound design further sells the immersion, with the signature Serious Sam soundtrack pounding alongside the cacophony of gunfire and enemy cries. It’s chaotic, loud, and gloriously overwhelming—a sensory overload that defines the franchise’s identity.
The game’s structure remains true to its arcade roots: you move from one arena to the next, clearing waves of enemies to progress. There’s little downtime or narrative exposition, just pure, distilled action. This simplicity works in the game’s favor. Serious Sam VR doesn’t pretend to be anything more than an adrenaline rush—it’s about survival through firepower and reflex. That said, the repetition inherent in its design can occasionally wear thin, especially during longer play sessions. The relentless pace that makes the game thrilling in short bursts can become exhausting over time, particularly in VR, where physical fatigue sets in faster. Fortunately, the game includes co-op multiplayer, which transforms the experience into an absolute riot. Sharing the battlefield with another player adds a sense of camaraderie that heightens the absurdity and fun, turning chaotic battles into shared spectacles of destruction.
Croteam’s adaptation succeeds not just because it recreates a beloved classic but because it understands how to make that experience work in virtual reality. The developers have balanced nostalgia with innovation, adding layers of immersion without compromising the raw simplicity that defines the series. The inclusion of multiple locomotion options, refined motion tracking, and comfort settings shows a level of polish that’s often missing from early VR shooters. The performance is smooth, the controls responsive, and the sense of scale unmatched. Still, it’s a game that demands physical engagement—you’ll sweat, you’ll dodge, and by the end of a session, you might feel like you’ve just finished a workout. It’s as much a test of stamina as it is of shooting skill.
Ultimately, Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter is a thrilling testament to how well classic game design can adapt to modern technology when handled with care. It captures the essence of what made the original so beloved—its ridiculous energy, its unapologetic violence, and its humor—while using VR to make it more immediate and visceral than ever before. It’s not a game for those seeking subtlety or storytelling depth, but for anyone who craves pure, chaotic fun, it delivers in spades. Whether you’re fending off a swarm of headless kamikazes or unloading twin rocket launchers into a giant alien beast, every second feels explosive and satisfying. It’s loud, it’s fast, it’s absurd—and in virtual reality, that’s exactly what makes it brilliant.
Rating: 8/10
