Though the “Saints Row” reboot moves the series to a new town, introduces a new crew, and updates the general structure of the open-world crime game, the humor remains intact. That’s what sets it apart from the “Grand Theft Autos” and the “Far Crys” of the world.
Fans know they’re playing a “Saints Row” game when they say, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” It’s a chorus I heard myself say while hauling toxic waste through city streets or engaged in an intense live-action role-playing battle, sending my enemies non-lethally.
The campaign asks players to do a lot of strange things, but it never seems too absurd. That’s the knife the developers at Volition are constantly running with this reboot. With a blank canvas, the team was able to reset everything about the series after the absurdity escalated to the point where the heroes take on aliens.
NEW PLACE AND NEW FACES
“Saints Row” is more grounded as players explore a new city called Santo Ileso. Inspired by Texas, Las Vegas and a bit of Albuquerque, players create their own version of the Boss, who happens to be a grunt for Marshall, a private military company. The main character lives with three roommates: Kev and Neenah both have ties to the city’s respective gangs, the Idols and Panteros. Meanwhile, Eli, the mastermind of the operation, is constantly looking for ways to monetize his tech skills.
The smaller cast provides more room to create more defined characters as players learn about the down-and-out group. They want to lead a relatively straightforward life, but they are driven to build their own criminal organization because career opportunities are closed to them.
Since players start on the ground floor, they get the chance to build their burgeoning empire. Through intimidation, the Saints gain ownership of an abandoned church and various town properties. Players will have to post companies on each site and these companies generate money.
They also happen to unlock side missions scattered around the world, and by completing these jobs, players can help their company generate more capital. They can also take out rival gangs and the police presence to raise more money.
MONEY IS POWER
Cash is important in “Saints Row” because it rules everything around the protagonist. New topics cost money. Weapons and subsequent upgrades require more money. Even after stealing vehicles, players still have to pay modders to equip them with nitro boosts, a tow rope, and an off-road kit. Even the Boss’s perk slots, which give players various minor abilities like fire resistance or an ammo-gathering boost, require a pretty penny.
Money even plays a part in the progress of the campaign, as players will have to spend money to unlock more companies, and they will have to complete each company’s questline to meet the requirements to take the plot further. This “Saints Row” is different in that players don’t actually take over the map from rival gangs, but instead, businesses are used to establish dominance in a neighborhood.
It’s quite a change of pace for the franchise that ends up feeling a little grindy and reliant heavily on the quality of the company’s side missions. Some, like the laundromat, where players dispose of bodies by taking them to a designated location, are fun. Others, like KAKTS Radio Station, are a mess because it’s hard to know if players are making progress. That mission is harder than it’s worth.
BUGS AND GLITCHES
To make matters worse, glitches make for a frustrating experience and missions can sometimes become nearly impossible. Players will spend some time resetting the game when they encounter an annoying bug, such as the one that messes up helicopters’ perspective. They’re frustrating to deal with, but luckily I haven’t come across any that were groundbreaking.
Still, it’s a shame, because most of “Saints Row” is fun. Again, the grind of building money to get through the campaign is tedious, but that’s offset by the humor, which ultimately saved the experience. The campaign has an atmosphere that feels like it was written from popular posts on Reddit.
When I was on a driving mission, drivers tended to drive like people in the IdiotsInCars subreddit. Walking through Santo Ileso, I could have sworn I’d seen similar moments in PublicFreakout. For the fans of WallStreetBets, there’s even a mission where the Saints engage in a bit of stock manipulation.
That’s part of why the “Saints Row” reboot humor feels more layered, smarter, and more recognizable, even amid the wilder moments. On a repo mission to tow a tank, I said to myself “I can’t believe I’m doing this” after dragging the heavy armor across the map on an SUV with a flat tire. But throughout the fiasco, I was reminded of Ukrainian peasants essentially doing the exact same thing to Russian tanks and giggling at the thought of how art can often imitate life.
‘Saint’s Row’
3 stars out of 4
Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One
Rating: Grown up
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