The melee grab feature is initiated when an enemy is close enough and an on-screen prompt to press the USE key (E by default). This move will always kill the intended target and sometimes leaves Sam holding a 'trophy' which is usually some part of the enemy's body. The trophy can be dropped or thrown, although using it as a thrown projectile is fairly weak. The melee grab only works on certain types of enemies. Other enemies are either invulnerable to the move or too large (no prompt will appear to execute a melee grab).
In Serious Sam 3, during the month of December, the player can "decorate" the Christmas tree that appears on every level with each type of trophy, including a Gnaar's eye, a Kleer's skull, and a Rocketeer's heart. Collecting the gift boxes can cause these enemies to spawn even if they otherwise normally wouldn't in the level, which can cause the player to go above the level's maximum kill count. Other trophies like Scrapjack's head do not count towards this. When the tree has been decorated, its lights will turn on the Jingle Bells theme from Serious Sam: The Second Encounter will play. Decorating every Christmas tree in the game will award the player with the Reindeer Hunter achievement and unlocks the Rodolfo player model. The player can select this as their player model when playing in co-op or multiplayer.
In Serious Sam 4, the melee grab feature returns, but the mechanics are slightly different compared to Serious Sam 3. Most finishing moves are done with the Combat Knife. Depending on the enemy that the player choose to use the melee grab on, Sam will grab the enemy and stab it in the head or in the chest. If the player has acquired "The Bigger They Are" and "The Harder They Fall" Sirian Artefacts of Might skills, they can perform unique finishing moves on larger enemies such as Common Aludran Reptiloids and Khnums.
Effect[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
In Serious Sam 3, the following effects take place when using the melee grab:
Beheaded Rocketeer: depending on the weapon Sam has equipped, Sam will either kick the Rocketeer away, stunning him temporarily, or rip his heart out of his chest, leaving Sam with a held trophy.
Cloned Soldier: depending on the weapon Sam has equipped, Sam will either kick the Cloned Soldier away, stunning him temporarily or snap his neck.
Gnaar: this move will allow Sam to grab the Gnaar and rip out its eyeball, leaving Sam with a held trophy.
Hatchling Antaresian Spider: Sam will perform a stomp that kills the spider instantly. This move is very fast and can be repeated in quick succession.
Kleer Skeleton; Sam will sidestep and grab the Kleer in a headlock and promptly pull the Kleer's head off, leaving Sam with a held trophy.
Hatchling Arachnoid; Sam will break the Hatchling's neck, which instantly kills it. This move cannot be performed on the adult Arachnoid.
Scrapjack; this move can only be performed if the Scrapjack is stunned (he appears to be hunched over, but still standing), except in Serious Sam Fusion, where it can be performed on him regardless. Sam will rip off the Scrapjack's faceplate and kiss it, leaving Sam with a held trophy.
Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]
When using the melee grab, the following effects will take place:
Aurigan Haemovore: Sam will take out his knife and impale it in the Haemovore's heart, which instantly kills it.
Beheaded Bomber: depending on the weapon Sam is equipped with, he will either kick the enemy away or rip his heart out.
Space Mummy: Sam will grab his knife and stab it in the head.
Related achievements[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
Arachnophobia
Rip 10 Juvenile spiders apart.
Bug Hunt
Squash 10 Hatching Spiders.
Chiropractor
Break 10 soldier necks.
Kung-fu Fighter
Perform all possible finishing moves in the game.
Load of Scrap
Rip Scrapjack's head off.
Ophthalmologist
Remove 10 Gnaar eyes.
Scorpion Slayer
Break 5 Arachnoid necks.
Useful Trophy
Kill an enemy with a gib torn from another enemy.
Christmas in Cairo
Decorate the Christmas tree.
Useful Trophy
Decorate the Christmas tree on each level to unlock Rodolfo player model.
Serious Sam Fusion[]
Arachnophobia
Rip 10 Juvenile spiders apart.
Bug Hunt
Squash 10 Hatching Spiders.
Chiropractor
Break 10 soldier necks.
Kung fu Fighter
Perform all possible finishing moves in the game.
Load of Scrap
Rip Scrapjack's head off.
Ophthalmologist
Remove 10 Gnaar eyes.
Scorpion Slayer
Break 5 Arachnoid necks.
Useful Trophy
Kill an enemy with a gib torn from another enemy.
Trivia[]
When using the melee grab on a Beheaded Rocketeer in Serious Sam 3, the Rocketeer's heart will continue to beat for a few seconds after it's been ripped out.