Saints Row
With meaty gunplay and excellent vehicular combat, this zany reboot wants to fill a Gta-shaped hole. But has it really grown up… and who’s it really for?
Whether you love it, hate it, or love to hate it, Saints Row is a series that leaves a lasting impression. This is one of eleventy-gazillion GTA clones that sprung up on the back of Rockstar’s obscenely successful open-world shooter; and now developer Volition has taken the game’s offbeat approach, larger-than-life characters and outrageous storylines, and rebooted it for 2022.
You play as the leader of a small-time criminal quartet looking to become the city of Santo Ileso’s leading crime syndicate. Yes, that’s it. That’s the story. The cast is just as silly and two-dimensional as you probably expect them to be, but the script – even if it’s admittedly a tad cringy at times – can tease a giggle or two.
From crashing a pink-themed yacht party to winning several curious LARP battles, Saints Row doesn’t half send you on some weird and wacky missions. None outstay their welcome, though, so even if you find yourself on one that feels a tad too one-note for you, it won’t last long. It’s just a shame some of the lesser side missions must be completed before you can progress with the main story.
The combat is surprisingly good too, albeit sometimes a bit repetitive. The weapon pool is narrow, but fights with rival factions can be spiced up with unlockable perks and skills, such as a fiery claw that can one-punch people in the face, or a localised cyclone that throws your enemies into the air.
The trouble with Saints Row, though, is a palpable lack of polish. Though it’s far from unplayable, missions falter or don’t progress at all thanks to all kinds of bugs and glitches, and there’s a sense that Santo Ileso – loosely based on Las Vegas but nowhere near as exciting to explore – isn’t as densely populated as it seems. A generous checkpoint system helps ameliorate the frustration of frequent crashing, but squishing the bugs entirely would be better. Vikki Blake