The Saints Row reboot features a new cast of characters and another location to explore, but its heart and soul remains unchanged: Players can once again look forward to an exciting crime carnival, laughable humour, purple splatters everywhere and a- a world full of things to do and secrets to uncover. The game also has a knack for blowing things up. In other words, it’s fun to follow that traditional Saints Row way, and even better to experience it with a friend.
Saints Row sets an interesting rhythm from the very beginning of the game. Rough edges are noticeable but are minor annoyances in an otherwise outstanding game. Saints Row has never been better, but I wouldn’t call it the next evolution in the series – it’s like an alternative sequel to Saints Row 3. Take that as a compliment and a complaint. small. The mission designs and co-op gameplay are creatively built around that formula, while the gunplay and animations don’t show much improvement and are less effective than we’ve seen. expect in today’s games.
This entry is enthralling within minutes of play, with the protagonist delivering what may be the longest f-bomb sequence in all of entertainment. This moment reinforces the goofy (and low-key) vibe of the game, which achieves more than it misses, and shows the protagonist can be a bit of a wild card. Players design this character, determining their gender, voice, facial features, and even the size of their genitals. This lead role is nicely written and paired with a great supporting cast that gives the game the legitimacy of a team dynamic, both in the storyline and in the quest line. Eli is the brains of the operation, and his love for LARPing will pour into you. Neenah’s obsession with cars and art is contagious and is shown in the play. And then there’s Kev, who’s always topless, loves banh tet, and is one of the coolest cat dads (actually plays a big part in the plot).
The fictional world of Santa Ileso is just as colorful as this cast, drawing viewers in with creative architectural designs like dinosaur statues and modern skyscrapers backed by deserts. and beautiful mountains. I love how Deep Silver Volition developer encourages players to stop to admire architectural engineering with photo opportunities. When photographed, some of these wonders transform into decorations for the Saints’ premises. I don’t know how many hours I spent searching for these collections. They reward you well for taking the time to explore.
Getting around Santa Ileso is rarely difficult, even if its sections are very flat. From gliders to battery-powered tanks, the variety of vehicles is surprisingly tall and powerful. A rusted car basically acts as a weapon that can knock other vehicles on the road and break the laws of physics to steer a bit. Most of these rides offer extensive tuner customization, allowing their looks to transform through the deep details of body mod parts, tires, paint, and more. Additional customizations are tucked aside as hidden collections, creating another reason to explore.
I enjoyed every mission in the game. Important roads and side hustles are handled with care, providing interesting or goofy targets in positions that give you a complete overview of most important landscapes and interiors of map. It’s not fair for me to mess with these settings, but I was particularly impressed by a prison mission that was turned into the music video for Onyx’s “Slam.” These missions scale well for cooperative play, as are the mostly optional criminal ventures. It’s sad that insurance fraud is still under development (it’s still stupid fun), but there’s a lot of fun to them. Most are short and engaging, and reward players with much-needed new skills, cash, weapon materials, and maybe even a new car or outfit.
New projects unlock at a good pace as they tie into key story beats, offering something different to dive into even at the end of the game. The story progresses at a decent clip until about the third act, where it feels like an entire chapter of the game is missing. The Saints go from rags to riches in the blink of an eye, and the final act takes place. It’s a jarring plot skip that gives the feeling that I’ve missed out on a big chunk of the development of the Saints.
Combat is one of the biggest parts of the game, and it never really found its way. Part of the problem is that I feel bad for most of my opponents. They either jump indiscriminately during most battles, become puzzling with each step, or perform a messy somersault, leaving them vulnerable as they consider what to do next. The gun selection is also disappointing in both feel and variety. The oddly named Thrustbuster is Saints Row’s biggest weapon to date (because it sends enemies into the stratosphere), but most machine guns and pistols feel unremarkable. The default locking targeting system removes the excitement from gunfights and is something most games abandoned generations ago. All that said, blowing things up – which you usually do – is incredibly amazing when dealing the most damage. Missiles and grenades help to clock the combat system.
During my 30 hours of playtime, I ran into a few hiccups, the most serious being that my weapons no longer fired, but mostly in terms of visual variety, like my character’s head disappearing. The game can be difficult and may force you to reload a checkpoint. Thankfully, the game is free to them, so too much time isn’t lost, but it’s still stinky having to repeat the steps. Here’s hoping the game gets more polish after launch.
It may not push your new hardware to the limit and be a bit rough around the edges, but the latest Saints Row is all it takes, delivering a great comedic experience with lots of depth. While a bit frustrating, I never get bored and want to see where my team’s goofy antics take them next. Paybacks are often worth the time investment, and just going down the beaten path pays dividends. I’m glad the Saints are back, hopefully there’s a long way to go.
