The Saints Row franchise began with an admirable open-world game that set itself apart from Grand Theft Auto by allowing gamers to create their own playable character. As the series progressed, it continually embraced wackier elements to avoid the GTA clone label. By the time Saints Row 4 rolled around, gamers were playing as the US president in virtual reality using their superpowers to take down aliens. While some gamers enjoyed the zany humor, others felt like the series had strayed too far from its roots.
With 2022's Saints Row, Volition is rebooting the franchise, and it promises to bring a more balanced experience that is grounded while offering chaotic fun. In the lead-up to the game's release, a free demo has been released in the form of Saints Row Boss Factory, which allows gamers to design the playable character they will use in the base game. Already, gamers have been going wild with the character creator, and the creations shared online beautifully illustrate the creativity present in the gaming community.
What Is Saints Row Boss Factory?
Like prior Saints Row games, 2022's Saints Row will feature a character creator. However, this time around there are more options than ever, so Volition has let gamers get a head-start on things with Saints Row Boss Factory, which players can download for free on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Creations can be uploaded and shared online, which is a good thing for the developer, as gamers sharing their Bosses has served as great exposure for the upcoming game.
The customization options on offer are seemingly endless, and players pick and swap clothing items, and also change the color and material of the clothing. It is also possible to, like a sculptor, perfectly mold the body and face of the character, and players can add fine details such as scars, stitches, tattoos, or even bite marks. The only limit is the player's time and imagination.
The Saints Row Boss Factory Creations
Gamers have wasted no time taking to Twitter, Reddit, and other social media sites to share their Bosses. Some impressive creations have been shared, and they have been made possible through the in-depth customization options present. There have been shockingly accurate recreations of classic video game characters such as Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077, Jack Baker from Resident Evil 7, and, in a meta twist, Tanya from the first Saints Row game, which /u/MootDaBoot posted in the Saints Row subreddit.
However, the creativity does not stop there, and players have also shared their recreations of cartoon, movie, and comic book characters, including Shaggy, Wonder Woman, and Jim Hopper from Stranger Things. More skilled gamers have even managed to make their Bosses look just like celebrities. The celebrities that have found themselves as Saints Row Bosses include Will Smith, Michael Jackson, and John Cena, who @Alex_Vega created and shared on Twitter.
Of course, not all creations have been recreations. Some players have just had fun going crazy with the customization options to see what kind of bizarre Bosses they can produce. The result is hairy folks with blue skin, bug-eyed men with handlebar mustaches, and other horrors too absurd to describe, including this animal-cyborg hybrid posted to Reddit by /u/Usnis.
With Saints Row's release around the corner, gamers will soon get to explore Santo Ileso and form the Saints Row gang from scratch. There are still many questions surrounding the game, including whether the developers will be able to strike a balance that pleases fans who want a grounded experience and fans who want wacky fun. Regardless, with Saints Row Boss Factory, Volition has proved that, at the very least, gamers can expect the most robust character creator the series has ever seen.
Saints Row is scheduled to release on 23 August 2022 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
