With the exception of the Saints Row: The Third Remastered, it’s been nearly ten years since the last Saints Row game was released. This made the announcement of the reboot even bigger back at Gamescom 2021, but it also means that expectations are high. Rebooting a beloved franchise is never easy, and there have certainly been a few bumps since the initial Saints Row reveal.
The real test, of course, will be its release. Saints Row is currently set to release on August 23, but ahead of this release date, Game ZXC was recently able to go hands-on with the game for roughly 4 hours. During this time, we completed 10 story missions, checked out a handful of side hustles and Criminal Venture activities, and more.
Saints Row’s Story and Tone Go In Unexpected Directions
Without delving into spoiler territory, it’s worth mentioning that a little more than just building the gang is going on here, adding a little more punch to the story than perhaps anticipated. Yes, the new Boss and their roommates (Neenah, Kevin, and Eli) form a new version of the Saints, but there are other elements at play. It's not a simple new gang story, and it pays proper respect to its past. There are plenty of Easter eggs scattered throughout that fans will recognize from the original games, so all in all, it feels very much like a Saints Row game. Moreover, anyone missing the bombastic scenarios and explosive gameplay elements will likely be satisfied.
Fans looking for Volition to do something innovative, however, may be disappointed. It has been nearly a decade without a Saints Row game, and this title feels iterative of that classic formula. The debate may rage over which Saints game is the best, whether it's the more grounded gangster stories or the over-the-top later entries, but this game is going to fit right into that debate. It doesn't break the mold, but it doesn't need to.
It feels more grounded than Saints Row 3 or SR4, while having more absurdity than the first two. Where Saints Row 4 was absurd and it spiraled out of control from there, the absurdity in this reboot takes place more at the moment. There are times when this tone is hit or miss, as Saints Row tries to walk a line about the formation of the new Saints while keeping things less serious. It's going to be a matter of personal taste here, and not something that is objectively better or worse than past games.
Indeed, Saints Row does not take itself seriously whatsoever, and neither should players. One in-game explanation about how a certain mechanic works boiled down to “it just works” when explained to the new Saints Row Boss. That’s basically the overall feel of the game: it just works.
Saints Row’s Gameplay is Nostalgic
More than anything, perhaps Saints Row is known for its bombastic gameplay and that rings true here. The fun factor is immediately clear. Whether it’s with a gun in hand, behind the wheel, or while soaring through the sky with the wingsuit, Saints Row's gameplay is fun. There’s also a nice variety in the side hustles and Criminal Ventures, so players don’t end up doing things on repeat unless they just want to.
For example, we played Insurance Fraud (our first Criminal Venture in Saints Row) a couple of times just because it’s a classic. Every explosion was satisfying, the adrenaline mechanic made it even more so, and rag-dolling around to defraud the government has never been so well done. Our Side Hustles saw us fleeing the police, stealing a helicopter, and more. There are also discoveries scattered about, some of which are easy to find in dumpsters, while others are well-hidden for creative players.
The gameplay is packed with classic and new elements, whether that’s new Criminal Ventures (which we didn’t play), the wingsuit, the vehicular combat options, the environmental attacks, and so on, but all of it feels nostalgic. It’s an impressive balancing act that Volition has performed to introduce tons of new core elements to the game, expanding and iterating upon past entries, and yet retaining that classic feel.
Saints Row’s Open World Feels More Intimate Than Expected
Saints Row’s open world is an interesting proposition, too. Moreso than most open-world games, it feels like it’s trying to create a sense of belonging, intimacy, and familiarity instead of a mysterious sense of exploration. The map, while complete with several districts in Santo Illeso, feels small, as players can zoom around the city in a number of ways and cross a considerable distance in no time at all.
As a whole, it feels smaller and more intimate than past games, though it may also depend on how players engage with it. The streets are not bustling with NPCs, but there’s plenty enough to do and see that it’s never a distraction. In terms of this layout for activities and whatnot, it’s perhaps easiest to describe it as a progressive open-world Ubisoft title. There’s the full map for players to explore, and activities will crop up across it, but players will unlock more side hustles and Criminal Ventures as they play. In other words, it's manageable thanks to this facet, as well as its relatively small size, and no one should feel overwhelmed by the city. Santo Ileso will quickly feel like home.
Saints Row First Impressions
As a whole, it was pretty easy to walk away from this preview and be excited about the upcoming launch. It’s a Saints Row game, plain and simple, and anyone who enjoyed Saints Row 3 is likely to enjoy the reboot's world, gameplay, and so on. While it’s sometimes easy to pick apart a game, Saints Row came across as a whole package with the story and gameplay tightly bound together.
The only real concern we had walking away was with the story pacing. A lot seems to happen in a short time, while feeling like nothing much happens at all. There’s also something to be said about emotional attachments in the game that we, during this preview, just did not form. In a home setting, it’s possible that this would not be the case, but overall, it seems safe to say that the Saints are back.
Saints Row is scheduled to release on August 23, 2022, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
