https://youtu.be/bxHZhsO6808

John has been playing the game all while recording some badass new lines for us during the past few weeks: so we decided to ask him what he thinks about the game and how he feels about the Serious Sam indie games in general!


- What do you think about the game so far?
It’s a blast. I die in it. A lot. But just enough to where I feel challenged to push myself forward. I love that they are bringing back the old school hippie blood mode settings as an option, too. That kind of silliness was one of the things that always made me smile about the old school Sam games. The more non-Serious side of the franchise, with things such as that, seems to be the heart and soul of Tormental. I mean, the intense action defines the series. But the tongue in cheek attitude is really ramped up here too. And that’s a good thing.

- What's your favorite weapon to use in the game, and why?
Right now? The minigun has been treating me well. But my attitude on favorite weapons changes regularly. A lot of it depends on how the level randomly generates and what enemies I’m facing. The minigun just spits out ammo at such a rapid rate that I’m finding it a good go to weapon for a variety of situations. Also, it’s good for eating walls quickly to give you some space to dodge enemies in tight corridors.

- In the game, what's your favorite weapon combo to play with?
Ricochet bullets. Always bet on ricochet bullets. Man, I love those things. They even have a right trigger weapon called the bouncer that spews out ricochet bullets in every direction. You only get a few of those on a pickup. But, blessed hell, are they fun!

- Which bossfight in the game was the most enjoyable for you?
They really nailed it on the first boss fight. Werebull are the bane of my existence, so that Rodeo bossfight was perfect. Set the tone for the entire game. I still haven’t finished the game, though. And they still haven’t finished development. So I may change my mind later. Just saying that they set the bar high early on.

- We've heard your voice in other smaller projects such as "I Hate Running Backwards", "Serious Sam's Bogus Detour", "Serious Sam Double D" and we'll also be listening to your voice in "Tormental" once it comes out.
How do you feel about Serious Sam being part of these smaller indie titles, and the support that Croteam gives towards these game developers?
Croteam is probably the best developer in the world to work for. They never forget where they came from or how they started off as a tiny little indie studio themselves. And the support they give to other small developers is beyond what anyone could expect. I think it’s great how they lend out their core franchise so readily to take a chance on helping the next generation of talent get a leg up. Also, we get a huge variety of quirky new games to play out of it. So it’s a win / win.

- Do you think we'll ever see an end to Sam's fight against Mental?
Yes and no. At some point, I think we will have Mental as an end boss. But Mental is more of an abstract concept at this point. It’s like asking if we will ever see an end to the darkness. Well… yeah. When morning comes. But the clock always turns. Darkness always returns. And when a game messes around with time travel and flippant lunacy as much as the Serious Sam series does, there are always going to be some loose ends to tie up regarding Mental.

- As a last thing, is there any message that you would like to give to the Serious Sam community?
Yeah. Don’t be afraid to take chances. Nobody lies on their deathbed wishing they had taken less risks. Daredevils die more often, sure… but they die with less regrets. Go out there and do the thing. Whatever that thing is. Stop second guessing yourself. The only true failure in life is to never have tried. Also, buy Tormental. And Serious Sam Planet Badass, of course.

He was also kind enough to answer some less specific questions sent by the Serious Sam community. You can read those right here!

All walls are destructible now! In the previous update, wall destruction was only possible in specific levels - but now it’s possible to destroy any wall using explosions or serious weapons.
By destroying walls, it’s also possible to find pickups and the good ol’ secrets, but finding them depends on chance - so use your ammo wisely!




Ever since we first started development on Tormental, we have constantly been changing how the shop works. In this update, we finally have a version we’re satisfied with! Killed enemies drop FIGs (FIGments of Mental’s imagination), which can be traded for powers and items with the moody shopkeeper. Hey, why does Sam need to have all the fun, anyway?




We’ve made a great deal of progress on the Nightmare Caves area, where you can find Mental’s nightmares lurking around. Nightmare enemies (the ones that look like green ghosts) cannot be killed with normal bullets - they only die from explosions, or when all other enemies in the are are killed. So Sam will need to keep running from them and focus on other enemies!




All the while, we are working on many other things for the game, so stay tuned. We cannot wait to give you a chance to play and improve it based on your feedback! Let’s make this game great - together.

Please check out our Twitter for up-to-date news on the current development and features being added. We are also available for chat on Discord!

Hey everyone, here are some updates on what we have been doing lately!


First, we have made some improvements in the combat system, like there being more places to take cover in. And we’ve made the enemies more aggressive, so this will definitely come in handy. Altogether, it’s a more exciting combat experience!






Destructibility is definitely a fun part of any game, so we also added destructible walls. Wreck even more havoc with your weapons!






Brutal kills, where you can kill the dying (flashing) enemy by rolling into it, has become more important than ever. Every enemy is different, and successful brutal kills will require some training. The rewards are health pickups and a huge thrilling satisfaction!





Also, we got some new members in the team, Verena and Jonas (Talos Principle & Serious Sam writers) are helping us with the narrative. Damjan Mravunac and Sanja Doric are working on the soundtrack, and we also have one more track made by Jukio Kallio (Nuclear Throne, Luftrausers).

This is just small selection of the things we did. Tormental is our huge passion and we will keep adding and improving stuff ‘til we think it's ready for you guys. More info about quests and the Vault (deepest, darkest area of Mental’s mind, where he keeps all his secrets), will be coming soon!


Please check out our Twitter ( https://twitter.com/TormentalGame ) for up-to-date news on the current development and features being added.
We are also available for chat on Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/BABujdy

Hey all,

unfortunately, we have to postpone the game release for a bit. First of all we apologize for this. We had some team problems, we didn't plan well, we still have some testing and polishing to do on the existing features, as well as more ideas that are close to completion which we really want to finish implementing and thoroughly test before the release. It’s really important to us that we give you the best game possible for Early Access. The good news is we sorted some stuff out and we are picking up the pace. This delay won’t be a long one.

We are still planning on releasing the game in August, just a little delayed. We don’t have a specific date yet, but we will announce it a week earlier so stay tuned for updates on our Discord, our Twitter, Facebook and Steam forums.



But to end this post on a brighter note, we will post a contest on our Twitter tomorrow and you will get a chance to win Tormental pre-Early Access key and play the game even before release. So keep an eye on it! :)

If you still haven’t, please visit our Store page and wishlist the game if you’re interested in it.
You will see updates to store page as well as we will get closer to release. And also, expect a new gamedev blog from our programmer soon!

Cheers!

Game development is a long process that involves not only technical skills like programming, 3D modeling or art, but also sacrifice. Dropping something that doesn’t quite work and replacing it with something better is a part of that process.



And we just did that. We changed the camera view, added new rooms and reduced the number of enemies on the screen. What did we gain with that? With zoomed in camera, players now cannot see the whole room and their field of view is not as wide anymore, which means game is now played at even higher pace adding more action to the gameplay and making it more intense. We also reduced the number of enemies that can spawn at once on screen, due to limited room visibility. We also introduced new rooms but we’re not done yet.



After changes like these it’s good to stop, take a deep breath and ask people for feedback. We organized playtesting in Croteam office and collected valuable feedback. First of all, we have to say big thank you to the guys who jumped in and helped with testing. They were all experienced game testers which was very important to get relevant feedback. They tried Tormental with mouse and keyboard, controller, in single player and co-op mode.

To get the most data, we decided to show them new build of the game first, to get the general “feeling” if we’re going in the right direction with this. When they were done with the new build, we intentionally asked them to try the older version too. Then they got a form to fill which covered everything we wanted and needed to know.



What’s interesting is that literally all of them liked the new build better which gave us much needed confirmation that we are indeed going in the right direction. We also saw some potential problems in co-op which we are already working on. We are doing our best to deliver a unique and fun gameplay experience and we are looking forward to seeing more of you when Tormental hits Steam Early Access.

Don’t forget to join our Discord channel for all Tormental related questions! :)
https://discordapp.com/invite/BABujdy

As promised before, here is a little showcase of Netricsa's special ability - Chronosphere!

The sphere slows down the movement of any objects trapped inside of it - both enemies, player and bullets.

https://youtu.be/g-ZdX8zDW5U

It enables some tactical options, both for offensive and defensive play:

• Slow down the ongoing bullet hell to make it easier to avoid projectiles while running through the battlefield.
  
• Slow down enemies and run around them to shoot them in their back.
  
• Activate the bomb and see the enemies trying to run away, but failing to do so before the lethal explosion.

But it shines even more with super upgrades:

• Armaggeddon - Bullets charge up in the Chronosphere. Once the Chronosphere disappears, they all fly out at the same time - demolishing everything nearby.
  
• White Hole - Attracts nearby enemies, enabling you even more to manipulate enemy positioning.

There are many more synergies we could mention, especially with various Serious Weapons, but we will leave that out for you to discover - really soon!

We had some fun combining football and shooting!

Control the ball by kicking it, shooting it or send it flying by dodge-rolling into it!

And every time you score a goal your opponent will get assistance from out trigger-happy goalkeepers. The more you score, the more of them swarm in! They'll bounce the ball back if you kick it towards them or they'll be happy by just sending bullets your way.

This mini-game supports couch co-op, so you will be able to give it a spin with a friend!

https://youtu.be/sh91oTLJl1c

Good news, everyone!

After several years in development, we are proud to announce that Tormental will come to Early Access on Steam, August 2018. We are looking forward to all new players and all new suggestions and we sincerely hope you will love what we came up with so far.

https://youtu.be/UoMq-AgbUec

Players who will purchase Tormental in Early Access will have the chance to play the game and become an active part of the development by providing valuable feedback to our team and help us improve and finalize the game.

As with all Steam Early Access games, this won’t be the final version of Tormental but an ongoing development project. Players who will decide to join the Early Access version should understand that the game is still in test mode and many things will be missing or may change during this period. The game will receive frequent updates.

System requirements and a list of features will be updated as we progress through the development of the game.

For more details on the Tormental development, join our Discord server and hang out with our community.

For the latest news on the game, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/TormentalGame and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/TormentalGame.

We would also like to extend our thanks to all of our community and friends who helped us test the game so far and provided us with feedback and bug reports. :tlove:

We created an procedural animation system that saves us time and it’s fun to work with.

When creating new characters, we just define some basic parameters- subsequently, resting position and animations will automatically adapt to those parameters. We also use this system to animate, walking, jumping, aiming and holding weapons.

This is especially useful when designing new weapons, because it doesn't matter if the weapon is single handed, two handed, dual wielded, melee or any other special case out there - we just need to setup the hand grip position and the character arms and animations will adapt to it.



With over 30 unique weapons and counting, this approach lets us be creative while saving us so much time.

Here is one video from the tomb area!

The objective is to destroy all pillars before Mental's army overhelms the arena.

https://youtu.be/bTVyZQXYtqA

Sam can also jump over the bullets which makes it easier for him to move around the arena and avoid danger.

Netricsa can create zones that slow down bullets and other enemies. Each character has unique abilities that enable them to approach the challenges differently.