When in Rome

This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

"When in Rome" is the seventh level of Serious Sam 4.

Plot

Sam and Rodriguez succeed in rescuing Carter and Father Mikhail from the catacombs. The priest informs Sam that they are not actually looking for the Ark of the Covenant, but a sacred text that, according to his research, contains the Holy Grail. He hopes that this text will reveeal the location of said artifacts. However, in order to find it, they must first get to the Vatican Library.

Father Mikhail explains to Sam that once he is inside the library, he has to find the statue of Saint George and activate the statue's hidden mechanism, then the secret document will be revealed. With this crucial information on hand, Sam must now make his way towards the Vatican.

Side objectives

Gabriella's Knight

After making it across the bridge, an elderly Italian man, Garibaldi, will ask Sam for assistance to see his daughter, Gabriella. He is concerned for her safety and wants Sam to go to the laboratory where she works to check up on her. Completing the side objective awards the player with a Rage Serum.

Worm's Armageddon

Progress through the level as normal. A cutscene will automatically play, with an Italian man, Dr. Vermetti, requesting Sam for his assistance on dealing with 'worms'. He goes on to explain that he is lacking an important ingredient for his research, "hypermebendazole". The player needs to go to his pharmacy, retrieve the ingredient, and return it back to him. Completing the side objective awards the player with three Psychotropic Grenades.

S.A.M. locations

1. At the Earth Defense Force outpost after the big fight in the park.

Secrets

1. When you exit the tunnel, turn left and go under the bridge to find a L.I.F.E. gadget.
2. Further down the river, when you get to the second bridge, go around the ledge to find another L.I.F.E. gadget.
3. Go past the staircase and head to the third bridge. At the barricades you'll see a pill bottle. Pick it up to register the secret. Picking up the pill bottle will spawn a lot of Kamikazes, which can be killed by using a portable black hole gadget or by jumping in the water; which will make all of them stand still.
4. Go up the steps and head straight forwards and you see a lantern next to a wall and a small building ajacent to it. Jump on top of the building to get some ammo.
5. In the same area as #4, jump up onto the truck, then go to the end of the truck and onto the ledge opposite. Sprint-jump across to find a L.I.F.E. gadget.
6. If you chose to follow the optional side quest, follow the path where it will take you to a warehouse. Go around the warehouse on the right and turn left when you get to a small area with ventilation and piping to find a rage serum. (The area can be noticed by looking for a sign with a "T" against a redish-orange background.)
7. Back on the streets, you'll eventually end up in a large open area where a big fight begins. Clear the enemies out and go for the sliding door on the right. Past there, go through the archway, turn left and you'll see a glowing lantern. Shoot it to spawn a companion orb.
8. In the same open area, go to the upper left corner until you get to a pile of cars. Go behind the cars to get a L.I.F.E. gadget.
9. When you get onto the bridge where you encounter the Technopolyp, turn left at the end of the bridge and go behind the sandbags to find a L.I.F.E. gadget.
10. When you get to the ruins, you'll come across the remains of a building with a tree in it. Jump over the wall there to find an ammo depot.
11. In the final area, there is a ruined building with a tree growing on it. On the building next to it on the left is a L.I.F.E. pickup.

Related achievements

	La Nonna é Mobile 10
	Meet a powerful granny.

	Where's That Girl 15
	Make sure Gabriella is OK.

	You Have Been Wormed 15
	Assist Dr. Vermetti in his war on worms.

Trivia

• The name of this level is a shortened variant of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", a proverb attributed to Saint Ambrose.
• The achievement "La Nonna é Mobile" is inspired by the canzone (short, lyrical operatic song) from "La donna è mobile" from Verdi's much-loved opera Rigoletto - a gruesome tale of love and revenge. Literally "Woman is fickle" in English, the Italian "La donna è mobile" is based on a phrase 16th-century French king Francis I supposedly engraved on a windowpane after being betrayed be one of his many mistresses.
• The side objective "Worm's Armageddon" is a reference to the 1999 turn-based strategy video game.
• After the player crosses the bridge where they encounter a Technopolyp, if they go down the steps towards the riverbank and go all the way to end where the concrete barriers are, they can find a Large Armor. Prepare for a fight after picking up the armor, as it will spawn a lot of Kleer Skeletons.