It takes courage to restart something, doesn’t it? Guts, no doubt, racked many people’s brains. It’s a silent acknowledgment that, at its core, something still has value — something worth holding on to — but it’s also a painful public acknowledgment that something else isn’t quite right. Whether it’s a TV show, a movie, or a video game, I don’t think it’s an easy conclusion…well, it’s not an easy conclusion in the eyes of the ardent fan base anyway.
No matter how you feel about the decision to reboot the Saint Street franchise, it’s hard not to respect the bold decision of developer Volition and publisher THQ. I’ll admit to you now that I didn’t have a good relationship with Saints Row before the series rebooted. I think it’s purple: purple and stupid. I know all of this is well thought out – the franchise tries to differentiate itself from the multitude of other GTA clones around it by putting on some purple paint and making each entry a little bigger than life – but both There are too many for my taste. It became too big, too bulky, and — like the purple silhouette of Violet Beauregarde — overshadowed everything it had. No, not every game needs to be serious, and no, not every story needs to be emotional…but not every game needs a giant dildo either.
So while I liked Saints Row and its sequel, I didn’t like my sojourn in The Third and avoided Saints Row IV entirely, which should let you know my fears are coming, reboot or not. I know Volition can make engaging games with great characters and enjoyable gunplay, just as I know Saints Row isn’t for me. Excellent. Anyway so far.
While the rebooted Saints Row has retained much of its core DNA – with tons of guns and explosions, vehicular combat, and an unhealthy curse word – its quirkiness has been toned down. While the protagonists and their acrobatics are still a bit unbelievable at times, the story or gameplay is no longer overwhelmed by cheap gimmicks and flashy visuals. I suspect it’s still too silly for some people, but I think when you realize that under the roar and the eff bomb, there’s a lot of fun shooters that give you a lot of things to do and have Great freedom to do it.
You – a nameless, your own creation, can have a southern stretch or a British accent; the choice is yours – is a quarter and would-be leader of the Saints, a burgeoning criminal network. For a series that spends a lot of time making sex jokes, the character creation options are oddly liberating. No matter which character model you choose, you can also choose from a range of voices – with no gender-based restrictions – and wear any outfit you like. You – yes, that’s your character’s name; you – are not binary at all and have no gender pronouns throughout the game.
Of course, that’s not to say everything is terribly serious right now. The conversation between the Four Saints co-founders is filled with the swearing and jeers you might expect, and while I can’t pretend it’s not jarring from time to time, there’s undeniably some laugh-out-loud hilarious interactions, too.
The plot, like it is, is to establish the Saints as the No. 1 criminal organization in the Las Vegas-style city of San Eliso and defeat your rival faction – the military power of the Pantheros, Idols and Marshals – to rule Supreme. No, it’s not an amazingly novel concept, but it’s not a bad one either, thanks in large part to the game’s admirably diverse quest types that keep combat fresh and exciting.
For the most part, you’ll breeze through the story and main quests at breakneck speed, building up your criminal adventures and recruits while using the profits from your illicit deeds to customize your HQ and your good self. I can’t say I care much about the latter – collecting things is always fun, but I don’t care too much about showing them – but the former punctures an otherwise bubbly rhythm. Being pulled off the main mission path and forced to drive back to the 11 toxic waste trucks scattered around the site doesn’t break the immersion, it breaks it.
Interestingly, a large portion of your early game will also be centered around LARPing, a strange and unexpected diversion that also artificially slows your progress. It’s also a dizzying juxtaposition to hear your character make a fake “pew pew pew” sound and watch enemies pretend to die after slaughtering 40 people on a street corner five minutes ago. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s also more than a lightly teased tribute to LARPing and those who love it.
That said, the shootout is undeniably brilliant. Each weapon feels and plays slightly differently, and the individual weapon challenges – which I’m happy to report, counter recent industry trends by making it quick and easy – encourages diversity in your fighting styles change. Granted, auto-targeting is a bit tricky (I’ve tried turning it on and off and definitely prefer the latter), but shooting stuff in Saints Row never goes out of style, and the more weapons you accumulate in your cache, the more fun you have Bigger battle sequences – of which there are many – will be.
You can also further spice up combat with unlockable skills and perks that also bring passive and active advantages to your battles. In true Saints Row fashion, this ranges from normal (e.g. extending your health bar) to ridiculous – how about a magical power that allows you to throw a bunch of enemies into the air and then knock them to the ground? – Yes, it’s as satisfying as it sounds.
It also feels good to drive, which means that even the vehicular missions – my least favorite chapter in a game of this type – are well designed, even if the route indicators (stylistically purple, of course) aren’t always In stark contrast to the busy streets of Santo Ileso. Dedicated to fantastic synth music, The Drop is my go-to station when cruising the streets, swiping and ramming as many innocents as possible to support my XP.
As for San Eliso itself? A vibrant world where its inhabitants go about their day-to-day affairs despite the city’s unapologetic embrace of the criminal underclass and the desert scrub rushing in from all sides. As you complete the tutorial missions, you’ll be free to explore the entire city at your leisure, with no apparent portals or difficulty spikes hindering your exploration. Inspired by Las Vegas, it has all the landmarks you’d expect and plenty to explore, from the sun-drenched Marina Drago waterfront to the glittering skyscrapers of the Financial District.
Having said that, sometimes it feels oddly lifeless – you can speed past parts of town without seeing another person walking or riding in a car, and it happens enough times that The façades of a living city are sunken — but for the most part, its unique area is a fitting backdrop for Saint’s dazzling adventure, even if it’s not the most memorable sandbox world I’ve explored.
That said, Saint’s Row isn’t without its problems. Unto the Breach, a quest where you and your friends LARP again and get rid of all murders by pretending to murder people, is currently unplayable – it crashes every time I try it on PS5 – and a lot of times, I have to restart Load a checkpoint because the task is not progressing. Sometimes it’s because the character doesn’t trigger the next cutscene; sometimes the enemies I have to kill are nowhere to be found. However, a generous checkpointing system means resetting to your last save is rarely frustrating.
Otherwise, though, I have to admit, I had a great time at Saints Row – literally. Yes, the story is cliché at times, and yes, most of the story is a little ridiculous to you, but to the team’s credit, it deftly sidesteps the problems of its predecessors and rarely feels gratuitous or malicious. . The Saints Row reboot is self-aware and self-deprecating, and if you can rise above its previous reputation, here’s a fast and furious shooter worth your time.
