The Saints Row reboot's launch was not the overwhelming success that fans of the franchise had hoped it would be. Plagued by bugs and mediocre reviews from critics, it did not represent the triumphant return to form that developer Volition would've surely been planning for. While these issues have undoubtedly marred the game somewhat, it isn't all bad. Beneath the bugs, forgettable characters, and largely clichéd humor, there are flashes of brilliance that perfectly recapture what made the Saints so popular in the first place. Some missions really harken back to Saints Row's glory days, even if many disappoint.
One of the best examples of this is found in the prison mission, titled The Frontier, which sees the player breaking out the powerful and elusive Nahualli from jail, with the entire prison rioting all around as they make their escape. It's chaotic, adrenaline-fueled, and exactly what fans have come to expect from the series over the years. Unfortunately, it's also what the Saints Row reboot is really missing for the most part.
The Prison Mission is Saints Row At its Best
Over the years, in both movies and video games, there have been some tremendous action set-pieces that take place in prisons, from the excellent opening scene of the movie Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol to Nate and Sam Drake's frantic escape in Uncharted 4. The Frontier mission is Saints Row's attempt to add to this list, and mostly it succeeds, providing one of the game's high points.
The mission starts with the Saints deciding that they need to break the Nahualli out of prison so that he can assist them with a robbery they're planning. After using the wingsuit to glide onto the prison roof, the player, who is dressed in the same uniform as the guards, is tasked with entering through a vent and using some very basic stealth mechanics to avoid being detected by them. Saints Row is hardly known for its stealth mechanics though, and sure enough, it doesn't take long for the plan to go spiraling off the rails.
After being discovered, and releasing the Nahualli from his cell, the player and their new friend must proceed to escape from The Frontier, which is now in the midst of a fully-fledged prison riot. With prison guards and prisoners battling all around them, the duo initially head for the roof to make their escape in a chopper. However, the plan quickly changes due to the police presence now on the roof, so instead they must make their way to the basement car park in order to steal a police car and break out.
The player can choose to try and ignore the chaos all around them and just make a beeline for the basement, but at certain points, they will run into locked doors. The only way to get these locked doors open is to put some of Saints Row's best weapons to good use and massacre everyone in the room. When they eventually reach a car, the player and the Nahualli speed out of the police car park only to find the gates locked, forcing them to seek an alternative exit. After finally escaping the prison and finding themselves in a canyon, the player makes a left turn, inadvertently (but hilariously) landing them right back within the prison grounds again. Eventually, they drive across the rooftops of the prison, making their escape by driving over a ramp and hitting the desert floor below.
The mission blends stealth, action, and humor perfectly, and is likely to remind gamers of some classic Saints Row missions from years gone by. It is definitely not the only mission to get things right, with a huge train robbery being another notable high point, but The Frontier is one of the standout moments and is arguably one of the best things about the Saints Row reboot.
Saints Row is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
