New Saints Row in the Eyes of Industry Media
Saints Row will not lack the usual absurdity of the series, despite the complaints of fans. Ironically, new gameplay footage indicates that the game will be too similar to its predecessors rather than too „normal”.
After having delayed the release of Saints Row Volition has finally shared a new gameplay footage from the game. Journalists had a chance to watch the lengthy material and shared their impressions.
Same old Saints Row, only rebooted
When the first trailer of the new Saints Row appeared some fans expressed concerns about the project. "Saints" became famous mainly for its absurd atmosphere, especially in the latest installments of the series. Meanwhile, the trailer from last year showed a game closer to typical TPP shooters than to the crazy adventure of a gangster-president with aliens, demons from hell and a virtual world like in Matrix. Hence the rather cold reception of the trailer.
Fortunately, it seems that the fears were not entirely justified. Yes, Saints Row is a game with a bit more "down-to-earth" absurdity than the third and fourth installment - but there's no shortage of it here as well. The whole thing is closer to the first installment, more "logical" and "serious" in the sense that the individual events have some meaning, and are not just an excuse to indulge in less or (more often) more crazy activities.
If anyone doubts the lack of craziness in the new game, enough to mention one of the main attractions - flying in a special costume. For some journalists, this mechanic alone may be enough incentive to traverse Santo Ileso. Especially since you can help yourself stay in the air by... jumping on the heads of passers-by.
Besides, in Saints Row we will see a rope that can be attached to any object. Who played the latest Just Cause knows how much fun this gadget can provide (at the expense of the innocent inhabitants of the virtual world).
Peerless customization
Speaking of highlights, Volition has repeatedly emphasized that they want to offer players the richest customization system in the history of the series (or video games in general). And they've kept their word: Saints Row will offer a gigantic number of options to change the appearance of the characters, vehicles, main base and weapons. In the case of characters, modifications will be available at any time, which will probably take hours out of the lives of every bigger customization enthusiast.
Of course, looks are not everything. During the course of the game we will also gain useful upgrades, both for equipment and for the hero. The latter will enable us to, for example, gift the enemy with an armed grenade and send them both to his colleagues. Explosive results ensue.
Saints Row: reboot without major changes
One of the supposedly good effects of the more "mundane" absurdity of Saints Row are the story missions. The quests will be much more expansive than those in previous games, and structurally more interesting.
However, it is with the story that some reviewers' concerns begin. Mainly because almost nothing is known about it yet, but, as mentioned earlier, the plot has never been the series' strong point. Changing the characters to be more, let me repeat, "down-to-earth" does not necessarily translate into a more interesting narrative. Especially when the developers themselves say that the plot will be more linear than in older Saints Row.
Paradoxically, the most common criticism leveled against Saints Row is... being too similar to the previous installments. Yes, the new game introduces some novelties, but - according to some journalists - it does not actually introduce any major innovations.
Let us remember that the latest, fourth part of Saints Row was released in 2013, still on 7th-gen consoles. Yes, graphically the new game is much nicer than its predecessors. Nevertheless, after nine years, the series should surprise the veterans with something - and it seems like it doesn't, judging by some opinions on the recent presentation.
Of course, it can't be ruled out that Volition still has some surprises in store, which we'll discover in the later stages of the game. Besides, after the complaints about the first trailer, it seems that the fans themselves do not particularly care about drastic changes.
Saints Row will debut on August 23 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. Until then, it's best to hold off on evaluating the new Saints.
