Another full entry in the Saints Row series has been a long time coming. It’s been almost a decade since the last game, and in the meantime, all we’ve had is the atrocious Gat Out of Hell and Agents of Mayhem, which I’ll acknowledge when I’m dead (no, YOU get over it).
It’s no surprise it’s taken this long though – Saints Row 4 was the very definition of “jumping the shark”. Where do you go next when you’ve canonically destroyed the Earth and given the Saints access to time travel? While I’m sure an R-rated Doctor Who-esque adventure would be right up some people’s street, it’s hardly Saints Row at that point.
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A soft reboot was quite simply the only option, and this game massively benefits from this grounded setting. That doesn’t mean the Saints don’t have their fair share of wild antics, but returning to the idea of building a criminal empire from the ground up makes everything far easier to get behind. It also taps into the more basic rules of comedy that other Saints Row games forgot. When the world is much more serious, the whacky attitudes of everyone in it seem way funnier by contrast.
Speaking humor, that’s one of the things Saints Row gets right. It does a good job of tapping into social issues like extreme anti-capitalism without ever feeling like it’s punching down. It’s not the cleverest or most biting satire – the odd joke about student loans will make you want to roll your eyes – but its sense of fun carries in almost every mission, and makes hanging out with these characters enjoyable.
The world design is more mixed. As far as vibes go, it’s spot-on. From the poorer towns on the border of the desert to the expensive high-rise city, everything feels like it belongs and has a purpose for being. The world feels alive, and you can get an understanding of the social and political landscape just by driving around.
On the flip side, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to mess around in the world just for the sake of it. There are no fun playground areas like Saints Row 2’s underground mall where you can let loose with silly toys and cause mayhem just for the fun of it. The desert and badlands on the edge of the map have some fun discoveries, but once you’ve seen them and picked up the collectibles, there’s no reason to return or play around with them. It means that as alive as the world feels, it only becomes a fun sandbox during missions, which defeats the point of it even being a sandbox in the first place.
There can be a big disconnect between the story and the world at times too. For example, pretty early on you get told that Marshall forces have orders to shoot you on sight, but they just don’t. You can wander right up to them on patrol and they won’t care as long as you’re not being aggressive. Then there’s Boot Hill, which is a small island in the centre of the map that you’re told is just one big murder-party 24/7. You go there for a mission and enjoy the endless mayhem, but return there outside of a mission and it’s completely barren.
The world feels completely static and refuses to change even when the story clearly wants it to. Take Saints Row 3 for example, when you drop loads of toxic barrels on an island, everyone there permanently becomes zombified. The idea might be a bit stupid, but it turns that area of the map into a uniquely dangerous zone, which is great to mess around with.
Still, the missions can carry the experience at times. The story missions are full of awesome set pieces and unique ideas that make them easily the best part of the game. The side missions? Not so much. The truth is, almost every type of side mission is a lot of fun the first couple of times you do it. However, when you realise the game wants you to do it eight more times it quickly stops being interesting.
I hope you like driving, by the way, because you’re going to be doing loads of it. You’ll be driving cars from point A to point B. You’ll be driving a truck filled with toxic waste while trying to maintain speed. You’ll be driving a food truck while beating off pursuers. You’ll be driving a tow truck while beating off pursuers, which might not be so bad if the driving mechanics were just a bit better. They’re far from the worst (Watch_Dogs and Just Cause say hello), but the weight on some vehicles feels completely wrong, and the side-swiping vehicle-to-vehicle combat is such a pain and almost always backfires. You’re better off just shooting out the window.
The thing is, if you’re a long-time Saints Row fan, then you probably don’t care about that. These have always been problems in the series, and that’s not stopped them from being beloved games. If you’re looking for a phenomenal open-world experience then go play GTA 5 – this is a Saints Row game for Saints Row fans and absolutely no one else. It should be judged in comparison to its predecessors. It’s a hell of a lot better than the worst games, but not quite as good as the best.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
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