The Saints Row franchised carved itself a unique niche in the market. Originally a Grand Theft Auto clone, Volition reinvented Saints Row with its second entry to be more of a comedy series parodying other open-world titles. Saints Row 2 was a massive success, with Volition notching up the comedy for the following two entries,Saints Row: The ThirdandSaints Row IV. However, after IV reached ludicrous heights with its space-faring story, Volition is toning things down. Saints Row is a reboot of the franchise tasking players to create a new Boss, meet new allies and build a new Saints empire. It still aims to parody open-world games, but a lot has changed in the gaming landscape since Saints Row IV’s 2013 release. We had the chance to play the opening hours of Saints Row to see if the franchise still has that magical, comedic spark.
Saints Row isn’t just a reboot, it’s an origin story for the new Boss and their fledgling empire. In our four hour playthrough, we witnessed the beginnings of the Saints and how the Boss became its leader. Even though it’s a reboot, however, the game still honors many Saints Row traditions. Like previous entries, the game opens up with the Boss in a helmet and partaking in an action-packed setpiece filled with explosions and gunfights, ending with the Boss attempting a wild stunt.
It’s a fun opening that segues into additional boss customization and the open world. As previously discussed, theimpressive character editorfrom previous games is back with even more options. There are several pre-built character options for those that just want to jump into the game, but those that want to customize every aspect of their Boss will be happy with the options available. Of course, most clothes, shoes and other cosmetic options will have to be unlocked by completing story missions, side activities and interacting with the many clothing stores throughout Saint Illeso.
After the opening, the next few hours revolved around forming the Saints and establishing connections with your friends Kevin, Neenah and Eli. All four work for opposing factions but still manage to maintain a friendship. Of the three, Neenah is the most entertaining, channeling a lot of Shaundi. Likewise, Kevin’s absurdity and aversion to wearing shirts is charming. Eli, however, didn’t have much personality during the opening hours. As the businessman, hopefully he gets more time to shine as the Saints' empire grows. Eventually, all four characters grow disillusioned with their factions and band together to create their own. How does each grow disillusioned? We won’t spoil that here.
The story missions are a highlight, often taking well-worn tropes found in today’s games and giving them a comedic touch. For example, an escort mission is all the more entertaining when characters point out how slow it is and how ridiculously close you have to stay to the payload to get it to move. It’s also more entertaining convincing someone to give up an item you require by drifting, driving into oncoming traffic and getting airtime while driving at high speeds. The absurdity isn’t as high as Saints Row IV or even Saints Row: The Third, but it appears to find a happy medium between the second and third games. Each of the main missions are a complete joy to play through and it’ll be exciting to see what happens after the Saints form.
Less exciting are the side activities. While the main missions may use familiar tropes in their designs, Volition’s ability to make them comedic and absurd makes them unique. Unfortunately, while returning modes like Insurance Fraud remain standouts, the newer activities lack charm and creative chaos. One involves using a magnet attached to a helicopter to steal objects and drop them off at a location. Another sees you juggling between riding in a car or lying on the roof as you escort it from point a to point b. They’re enjoyable enough the first time, but none of them had that X factor that made doing the same activity multiple times worthwhile.
Whether you partake in story missions or side activities, the good news is that Saints Row is fun. Once again, though this is a reboot, much of the original series' DNA remains. Saints Row is a third-person shooter with additional driving mechanics. The best way to describe gameplay is that of a polished Saints Row: The Third, minus some of the crazy weaponry. Gunplay is highly fluid, with various armaments to choose from across different gun types. With fast-paced dodging, modern techniques like quick-scoping and abilities like Pineapple Express (stuffing a grenade in an enemy’s mouth and tossing them at nearby enemies), Saints Row might be the fastest, most explosive entry in the series yet. Driving is also a joy thanks to tight controls and various vehicles to commandeer.
Santo Illeso (a fictional take on Las Vegas) is an expansive world with many places to see and secrets to find. You’ll race in the desert, take in the sites at El Dorado, explore a run-down rural town and kick it back in the suburbs. Adding to the diversity are three enemy factions you’ll attempt to overthrow in your quest for power. Los Panteros is the stereotypical car enthusiast faction that felt too much like the Luchadores from The Third. The Idols are a group of anarchists that love to club and party wildly. Finally, Marshall Defense Industries is your typical gruff military faction utilizing advanced weaponry. They’re all a joy and add variety to combat as each prefers a different combat style. For example, Los Panteros love to rush and corner you, but the Idols like to battle more ranged with some variants capable of deflecting bullets.
The four hours spent with Saints Row were fun, but the state of the game left much to be desired. Less-annoying issues like texture and asset pop-in alongside other visual glitches were plentiful, but a handful of game-breaking issues required game resets. Audio de-syncs, the Boss getting stuck in geometry and checkpoints not properly updating were surprisingly common during our playthrough. This was a preview build and usually wouldn’t be a cause for concern, but Saints Row launches in about a month and just recently went Gold. Based on the playtime, Volition has a lot of work to do to get the game up to snuff for release.
Though a reboot, Saints Row shares plenty of DNA with its predecessors. So far, it’s a fun, absurdist take on modern gaming tropes with an entertaining cast of characters, smooth and refined gameplay, a fantastic character editor, a beautiful open world with plenty to experience and fantastically-built early opening missions. The side activities aren’t as inventive as the earlier games, though that might change as they evolve as the game progresses. The only major worry is the lack of polish so close to release. Volition can fix this, but it’ll be a race against time. Nevertheless, Saints Row is shaping up to be another fun entry in the franchise, albeit an unpolished at the moment.
Saints Row launches August 23 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, Xbox One and Google Stadia.
