Saints Row Review – Captivating Chaos

The Saints Row reboot features a new cast of characters and a different location to explore, but its heart and soul haven’t changed: Players can once again expect an exciting crime fest, giggle-worthy humor, purple splattered everywhere, and an open-world chock full of things to do and secrets to unearth. It also excels at blowing up everything. It is fun to play in the traditional Saints Row style and it’s even more enjoyable when played with friends.

Saints Row is a game that has an intense pulse right from its inception. However, there are times when the graphics glitches can cause a halt to progress or make it feel flat. These minor issues are not major problems in an excellent game. Saints Row has never been better, but I wouldn’t call it the next evolution in the series – it feels like an alternate sequel to Saints Row 3. This is both a compliment as well as a minor problem. The mission designs and co-op play creatively build off that formula, while the gunplay and animations haven’t shown much improvement and are well behind what we expect in games today.

Within minutes of playing, this entry was filled with laughter. The lead character is known for delivering the most ridiculous string of fbombs you will ever see. This moment cements the game’s silly (and low brow) vibe, which hits more than it misses, and shows the protagonist can be a bit of a wild card. You design your character. This includes their voice, facial features, size and sex. The lead character is well written and seamlessly blends with an amazing supporting cast, giving the game both a storyline and a real team dynamic. Eli, who is the heart of the operation and loves LARPing, rubs off on everyone. Neenah’s obsession with cars and art is contagious and represented in play. And then there’s Kev, who is always shirtless, loves tacos, and is one of the fathers to a fantastic cat (that actually plays a significant role in the plot).

Santa Ileso, the fictional Santa Ileso world, is equally colorful. The imaginative architecture of Santa Ileso catches your eye with its creative designs. Deep Silver Volition, the developer of Deep Silver Volition is a great example. He encourages players to take photos and stop to appreciate the architecture. When photographed, some of these wonders transform into decorations for the Saints’ base. I don’t know how many hours I sunk trying to track these collectibles down. These collectibles reward the effort of exploring.

Santa Ileso’s journey is not difficult, even though it does have some flat sections. There are many options for vehicles, from battery-powered tanks and hoverbikes to powerful batteries. An old car can double as a weapon to knock off other cars and defy the laws of physics. These rides are capable of transforming their looks with the help of countless body parts, tires and paint. Hidden collectibles provide another reason to look.

Each mission I played was enjoyable. The critical path and side hustles are handled with care, delivering interesting or goofy objectives in locations that collectively give you a good look at most of the map’s significant landscapes and interiors. It wouldn’t be fair of me to spoil these setups, but I was particularly impressed by a prison mission that turns into a music video for Onyx’s “Slam.” These missions scale nicely for cooperative play, as do the mostly optional criminal ventures. Insurance Fraud sadly hasn’t evolved (yet is still dumb fun), but there’s a nice variety to them collectively. They are brief and simple and can reward players with valuable new skills, money, weapons crafting materials and even new cars or outfits.

New ventures unlock at a nice pace since they are tied to critical beats in the story, delivering something different to dive into even at the game’s end. The story moves at an average pace until the third act where the feeling is that the entire game’s chapter has been lost. In a flash, the Saints transform from poverty to wealth in a matter of seconds. The final act begins. It’s a jarring plot skip that delivers the sensation that I missed a big chunk of the Saints’ growth.

Combat is the most important part of the game. It never finds its way. My problem was that most of my opponent felt terrible. Either they charge in haphazardly, getting cut with every step or do an awkward dive roll that leaves them exposed as they think about what next. Both in terms of feel and range, the selection of firearms is disappointing. The oddly named Thrustbuster is Saints Row’s greatest weapon to date (as it sends enemies into the stratosphere), but most machineguns and pistols feel unremarkable. Lock-on targeting is a system that takes the excitement out of firefights. It was abandoned by most video games many generations ago. All that said, blowing stuff up – which you do all the time – is incredibly rewarding given just how extensive most damage is. Combat system gets a pulse thanks to rockets and bombs.

In my 30 hours of play, I experienced several glitches, the most severe being my weapons no longer firing, but most were of the visual variety, like my character’s head disappearing. It can be difficult to master the game and you may need to reset a checkpoint. Thankfully, the game is liberal with them, so too much time isn’t lost, but it still stinks to have to repeat steps. Here’s hoping the game receives additional polish post-launch.

Although it may not be the most powerful and robust, the new Saints Row delivers a great comedy experience that is rich in depth. While a little irritating, I was never bored and wanted to see where my team’s goofy antics would take them next. Sometimes the payoffs can be worth the effort. Even if you don’t want to follow the crowd, it pays off. I’m glad the Saints are back, hopefully for another long haul.