Avoid this game, avoid it like the plauge. Serious Sam Advance is one of the worst games for GBA and it shows
There was potential in this game, even in it's decision to be programmed as a 2.5D shooter. However Climax lacked knowledge on how to simply program for the GBA and so, as a result, we have a disappointing game that really could have been something special.
Although a little history first. Serious Sam is a arcade shoot em' up on PC. Today, it has seen numerous sequels, including console ports. This conveniently titled "Serious Sam Advance" was released along side it's Gamecube brother Serious Sam: The Next Encounter, which was under-rated to say the least.
But forget that game. What we have on display here is a pile of dog poo. Serious Sam Advance really does suck. The visuals are awful, throughout the game, you'll come across both textured and detailed textures from ancient Egyptian and Rome designs. And guess what? Both of them look awful! Pixelated and messy sprites combined with truly slow gameplay mechanics just made a mess even uglier.
Worst of all, the game runs choppy, completely choppy. There isn't one moment in the game you'll witness a decent frame-rate. It's a shame, because if the programming was right, this wouldn't be here. So because of this, the game is basically unplayable. But that doesn't matter anyway, the game is cheap. You'll be so busy screaming at your Gameboy Advance because of how ridiculous the game actually is.
The game expects you to remember patterns of enemy teleports, they come in groups but always in an order. It may sound easy, but trust me, it is not. The primary reason for this is because of the poor control that gamers also have to deal with during the game. Turning is never an easy thing, neither is side-stepping, and walking forward feels slow and sluggish, so simply trying to move in any direction is going to b a problem.
The game also relies on kamikaze bombers (Similar to the console and PC equivalents) quite frequently. However, once again, they don't provide the same feeling on the GBA. On the other systems, they were the comical characters and added humour to the game. However on GBA they provide the annoyance. It is a miracle that their voice is actually on.
What I'm trying to say is, there are no Serious Sam quotes in the game at all. Non at all, not even snippets from other systems. So the humour that made the series famous is completely dead. However, on a more positive note, the arcade system is still featured in Serious Sam for GBA. There are lives and the point system is still here which is perhaps one of the few good things about this game.
So anyway returning to the sound, the Sam quotes may be gone, but a surprise to the game is that the music is actually quite good. Not comical, once again unlike it's brothers on PS2, Xbox, Gamecube or PS2 but memorable in my opinion. At times, I've been distracted by the music, but alas, it doesn't save the game. The final straw for me was simply how short the game is. It won't feel short at all though. This game is so tough' you won't see the last level.
But returning to the point, the game isn't lengthy at all and lacks replay value. In the end, I can say Serious Sam Advance is one of the worst games I have ever played. There are obviously worse games, but I dread the thought simply because of how bad this game actually is. So avoid this game, avoid it like the plague. Serious Sam Advance is one of the worst games for GBA and it shows.