Saints Row Review: Did It Deserve the Hate? …Possibly…
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
“Disappointment”, “unplayable”, “disgrace”, and “bad” — are all words recently used to describe the beloved franchise’s latest reboot.
On launch, Saints Row was seemingly littered with bugs, lacked material, and felt lifeless. As we have seen in the past few years, many big-budget games have been failing at launch leading to widespread criticism. Saints Row has been receiving a similar treatment. The criticism is harsh, but is it warranted?
Luckily for me, I pre-ordered the Infamous Edition from my local GameStop and gave it a try.
I transferred my character from the “Boss Factory” that was released before the game. Dad hat, baseball shirt, sweat shorts, prosthetic leg to represent my bum knee, a fantastic goatee, tattoos, and some sneakers. All color coordinated of course.
My Saints Row counterpart was complete.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Nostalgia immediately kicked in with the first mission. The movement and other mechanics of the game are recognizable from the start. However, something was off. As I continued with the missions and drove around Santo Ileso, it became more apparent. Saints Row felt dated.
The physics, animations, driving, and other mechanics did not feel groundbreaking or new. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind when thinking of what the developers’ approach may have been.
Despite the game not feeling new, the story is where the game regains its footing. Saints Row’s story always revolved around building up a gang or empire and the reboot is no different. The goal is to build up your motley crew to compete with rivals and run the city of Santo Ileso. But, the motive behind building the gang is different in this iteration.
The main character has roommates who left their old gangs due to personal reasons and now have to try to make ends meet. Struggling to pay off student loans and afford rent, the friends decide to start a gang called the Saints. Using the Saints to start up business ventures, they create multiple avenues of income while fighting off rivals.
The interactions between the characters almost always delivered. The comedy sometimes felt forced but not as often as other reviewers made it seem.
Without a doubt, my favorite missions were the ones that revolved around a city-wide LARP (Live-Action Role Playing). Literally, the entire city is playing along and lethal weapons are turned off. It is HILARIOUS.
At its core, the Saints Row reboot has a slightly different story compared to the earlier titles. Opening businesses is a fun way to unlock side jobs such as the fan-favorite Insurance Fraud missions.
Bigger isn’t always better.
Saints Row does have redeeming qualities including a very interesting map design. Santo Ileso is heavily inspired by Las Vegas containing two vast deserts with small towns in between and two city-like areas with shopping centers, a football stadium, and other urban landmarks.
The most densely populated parts of the map are the two city areas but they only make up a small portion of Santo Ileso. Quickly I learned that traversing Santo Ileso feels barren and boring at times. Most of the map does not contain a lot of NPCs or active events to engage in – taking away from an already lifeless setting.
Sometimes bigger is not always better when it comes to map design and this becomes apparent after the first couple of hours. The previous maps in Saints Row were not as unique but their smaller designs made the city feel alive.
Feeling lonely at this point, I decided to try out the Co-op Story mode. After about 45 minutes of matchmaking, players either declined my request to join or no one joined my lobby. I hoped to find someone to accompany me and my silly antics and create a semblance of chaos but I ultimately gave up.
This was especially disappointing. In previous titles, the community was far more active for Saints Row Co-op mode and I could always find someone to play with.
Saints Row is a challenging game to criticize. It has a solid foundation with unique designs, a funny story, and excellent customization. There are just a few too many areas where the game falls flat.
So, was the hate and criticism warranted? Yes and no.
I did enjoy playing through Saints Row and unlocking new cars and weapons while building up the Saints empire. The nostalgia factor was there, just poorly executed in multiple aspects of the game. The reboot is unique but boring, new but old, funny but stale.
Brutally criticizing games is a trend that is not new but has gained traction in recent years. Some games get review bombed within hours of release. Others are shot down immediately if a popular gamer or reviewer dislikes it. I encourage readers to eliminate the outside noise if they find a game that they’re interested in. You just might have fun with it.
Saints Row has flaws, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have fun and enjoy myself. It is a decent game worth playing through once. There will be laughs and possibly some cringe but it is in no way a bad game. If you’re a fan of the series and can tune out the negative loudmouths, consider picking it up.
SAINTS ROW (PS5)
FINAL SCORE: 6.9/10
Thank you so much for making it to the end!
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