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This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: Next Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Greek Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope. 

 
"Look ma, I'm a lumberjack!"
Sam Stone[src]
 

The P-LAH Chainsaw, nicknamed the 'Bonecracker', is a melee weapon that appears in the Serious Sam series. It first appears in Serious Sam: The Second Encounter, and then later in Serious Sam: Xbox, Serious Sam: Next Encounter, Serious Sam HD, Serious Sam VR and Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope.

Overview[]

The P-LAH Chainsaw is a tool that has been modified for combat. It seems that only its design and purpose were taken from the concept of the familiar chainsaw design. Inside the titanium alloy casing is a self-contained micro fusion synthesizer that is capable of producing enough fuel for 10,000 years of non-stop operation.[1] However, there is only a 6 month guarantee for all the moving parts and they tend to break very soon after that period.[1]

In Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, the chainsaw has limited fuel, and has be refilled from the in-game shop. Unlike other weapons, the chainsaw needs to have the fire key pressed down to use it. In Serious Sam: Next Encounter, the chainsaw is powered by a 5000HP, cold fusion engine and has incorporated diamond-matrix ceramic teeth. The chainsaw is powerful enough to cut through the hull of a battleship.[2]

Pressing the fire key will have Sam hold the chainsaw down and powers up the motor. Holding down the fire key allows the chainsaw to continue operating as long as the fire key is pressed down. Being a melee weapon, the chainsaw does not have to be reloaded. In Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, however, the chainsaw has limited fuel, and has to be refilled from the in-game shop.

Beheaded Firecrackers and Cucurbito the Pumpkin use a variant of the chainsaw, which looks similar to the original design, but come in different sizes.

Appearances[]

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter[]

The chainsaw is acquired in the first level of each era. In Serious Sam: Xbox, the chainsaw first appears in the Temple of Hatshepsut, but appears much earlier in The Second Encounter.

Legend of the Beast[]

It only appears once, in the level Holy Spirits.

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope[]

In The Last Hope, the chainsaw can be bought from the weapons menu if the player has the required amount of points.

Tactics[]

Serious Sam 1[]

  • This weapon is extremely useful against most varieties of smaller foes, being more effective than the Military Knife against multiple targets.
  • The chainsaw works very well against Gnaars, as they will simply charge towards the player and have no ranged attacks. When they get into range, they will be unable to strike back due to the damage input of the saw.
  • It also works well against Scythian Witch-Harpies, especially against those that have been downed from the sky. The player should allow the Harpy to perform a melee attack (whilst evading the latter), and then chop her to pieces while she recovers. For groups of Harpies, the player should let them line up in front of them and unleash the chainsaw against them.
  • This weapon is extremely effective against Marsh Hoppers, especially when they're in large groups. This is notably the best option for combat in the classic version of The Second Encounter. When circle-strafing or retreating to a corner and crouching, almost none manage to land an attack.
  • If the player is feeling gutsy and has a large area to work with, the weapon can be used to eliminate large hordes of Kleers without expending any ammo by circle-strafing around them while using the weapon.
  • For obvious reasons, this weapon must never be used against explosive enemies, such as Beheaded Bombers and Beheaded Kamikazes.
  • Unless the player has Invulnerability active, the chainsaw should not be used against long-ranged fire enemies such as Fiendian Reptiloid Demons (with its powerful melee attack) or Major Bio-mechanoids; their weapons can harm the player if they use the chainsaw to attack them at close range.
  • It is also not recommended to use the chainsaw to engage other enemies with powerful melee attacks like Highlander Aludran Reptiloids or medium Lava Golems, as their melee attack can severely harm or even outright kill the player in a matter of seconds.
  • In Revolution, the chainsaw is a risky but ammo-efficient weapon to use against a Dominant Bio-mechanoid - the player must get close to it while avoiding its cannonballs, switch to the chainsaw, and then continuously circle around it while revving the chainsaw. The Dominant's cannonballs usually cannot directly hit the player at point-blank range, and the chainsaw can rip through the Dominant's health quickly. The player still risks minor splash damage from the cannonballs though.
  • Like the knife, the chainsaw has a deceptively large range for a melee weapon. Take advantage of this.

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope[]

  • The chainsaw is very effective against hordes of weak enemies like Gnaars, Hatchling Antaresian Spiders, and Skeletons.
  • When dual-wielded, the chainsaw is an even more effective weapon for taking out groups of enemies at a time, especially when the player is being swarmed by them.

Behind the scenes[]

  • During early development of The Second Encounter, the chainsaw had a different sound and viewmodel. The chainsaw sounded more like a buzzsaw and its blades were much longer than that of the final model.

Related achievements[]

Serious Sam Classics: Revolution[]

Achievement Stop jumping!
Stop jumping!
Kill 5000 marsh-hoppers with the chainsaw.

Serious Sam VR: The Second Encounter[]

Achievement Look Ma, I'm a Lumberjack SSVRTSE
Look Ma, I'm a Lumberjack!
Cut down some trees.
Achievement Rrrrrrrrr SSVRTSE
Rrrrrrrrr
Kill 10 enemies with the Chainsaw without releasing the trigger.

Serious Sam Fusion[]

Achievement Look Ma, I'm a Lumberjack! SSF
Look Ma, I'm a Lumberjack!
Cut down some trees.
Achievement Rrrrrrrrrr SSF
Rrrrrrrrrr
Kill 10 enemies with the Chainsaw without releasing the trigger.

Trivia[]

  • In Croatian "Pila" (pronounced "peelah") means saw, hence the name.
  • Sam's quote when he picks up the chainsaw at the beginning of The Citadel is a reference to the Monty Python sketch, The Lumberjack Song.
  • Despite being used for combat, the chainsaw can be used to cut down trees, just like any ordinary chainsaw.
  • The weapon has a much longer range than what should be possible for a chainsaw.
  • In real life, chainsaws have to be revved before they are used. This isn't the case with this weapon, likely due to the unique engine it possesses.

Gallery[]

Serious Sam 1[]

Serious Sam: Next Encounter[]

List of appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Serious Sam: The Second Encounter NETRICSA description
  2. Serious Sam: Next Encounter NETRICSA description
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