Game ZXC recently attended a Saints Row presentation, hosted by Volition and Koch Media, about the game’s combat, missions, and more. A lot can be said about these elements of the new Saints Row reboot, and the presentation was absolutely filled to the brim with new and interesting content. However, a few features stood out the most.
Of course, missions and combat tie into gameplay, which is of extreme importance in any game. Because of this, we were also given a little deeper look at Saints Row gameplay and some of its smallest, but perhaps coolest, details.
Saints Row Wingsuits Let Players Bounce Off of NPCs
Saints Row fans have known about wingsuits since day one, and they’re pretty self-explanatory. Players are able to use wingsuits to jump off of tall places and fly downward, while some Saints Row vehicles have ejector seats to launch players for a quicker police getaway. That’s not all, however, as while some games have wingsuits end once players touch the ground, Saints Row will effectively let players fly with their wingsuits if everything is timed right.
As players descend near NPCs, they’ll see an action prompt pop up on the screen, which sees the player “bounce” off the NPC and take back to the sky. If lucky, this should essentially allow players to fly from one place to another. Players can also land on Saints Row vehicles in a similar manner, taking them from bewildered NPCs, but overall it seems there are plenty of options when traveling from Point A to Point B.
Criminal Ventures, Mayhem, and Insurance Fraud
Fans have known that activities like Mayhem and Insurance Fraud would return in Saints Row, but now we know a little more as to how. Saints Row’s Criminal Ventures feature lets players build “fronts” all over town, and these Criminal Ventures unlock a series of “quests” for players to complete them entirely. These manifests as those fan-favorite activities. For example, Saints Row players can build the Big One Criminal Venture, which is how the Saints smuggle guns, and it unlocks Mayhem mode. Essentially, players are showing off the destructive capabilities of their weapons to attract new clients, making the gameplay and story come together nicely here.
Saints Row Makes Riding Shotgun Fun
Most of the time, players will prefer to be in the driver’s seat than riding shotgun. Driving a getaway vehicle is fun, but simply shooting from the window (especially with limited weaponry) is not so much. However, Saints Row may have cracked the code to make riding shotgun fun. Past games featured vehicle surfing as a diversion stunt of sorts, where players aimed to stay on a recklessly driving vehicle, but that has been fully brought into Saints Row's vehicular combat. It had been previously teased in a trailer, but looking at this feature in its full glory is incredibly promising.
Players are able to get on top of the roof when riding shotgun, and shoot at vehicles that way. It’s a simple little change, but it makes combat when in a Saints Row vehicle all the more dynamic. Should players start taking too much damage, they can just duck back into the car, heal, and then return. Now, vehicle surfing may not be as fun as driving, but it makes riding shotgun a lot more fun.
Saints Row: Your Phone is Your Best Friend
This comes in as no surprise, but just as in real life, phones are super important in Saints Row. Player can change their Saints Row boss customization on the fly from their phone, but they can also access their skills and perks. Players will be able to change their skills and perks as they see fit, having a few active at one time. This lets players gear their kit to fit the mission, such as if they know they are assassinating someone or blowing some things up, and it adds a lot of dynamic variety to Saints Row’s gameplay.
You Can Disrupt Police Call-Ins in Saints Row
Alongside the various factions of Saints Row like the Los Panteros, Idols, and Marshall Defense Industries, players will spend a lot of time fighting and/or running away from the police force of Santo Illeso. When fighting them, the police will obviously call for back up, but Saints Row players will be able to interrupt this. An icon will appear over the NPC’s head whenever they are calling for backup, and should players attack them and interrupt this, it will prevent more police from swarming in.
Saints Row releases on August 23 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
