Serious Sam: Shatterverse: PS5 Review

Developed by Behaviour Interactive
Published by Devolver Digital
Platform: PS5

The multiverse concept has a lot to answer for.

It's provided homecomings for Spider-Man, and chaos for the Avengers - but it's also proved to be fertile ground for the gaming world too.

The latest to make use of the concept is rogue-like Serious Sam: Shatterverse, which brings the mayhem of the Serious Sam franchise and dials it up a notch with the chance to take on other Sams from previous games.

This time as series villain Mental breaks the walls between universes, he unleashes shifting universes in his desire for power - and only one person can stop him. That person - or in the multiverse case - is Sams, the heroes from the original shooters.

Essentially a FPS which forces you to play through a series of levels before fighting off a boss and then making you do it all again to fight an even bigger boss, Serious Sam: Shatterverse's commitment to gun-soaked anarchy is admirable, even if the end result is occasionally irritating and tougher than expected.

Built for one to five players, the game's better as a multiplayer proposition, rather than a single player which ends far too quickly as you're offed by the hordes of bad guys and lack of cumulative fire power.

Instead of being a campaign over levels, Serious Sam: Shatterverse is more about runs, sending you into collision with enemies and worlds from Sam's past, present and future. Along for the ride are alternate Sams and their endless quips - but Serious Sam: Shatterverse is more concerned with a run'n'gun approach to the game which does play off, but as mentioned, if you're solo, requires an element of skill that may prove too difficult to master at times.

Fortunately, the game's not too bothered about taking itself seriously and the Dead by Daylight developers know a thing or two about hordes and dealing with endless creatures. It makes this part of the game stronger than you'd expect and while Serious Sam: Shatterverse is a solid FPS at a very reasonable price, it's also one which proves to be more disposable fun than you'd expect.