Saints Row promises to turn chaos and customization up to 11

Over the years, Saints Row has become one of the games that have turned the sandbox genre into a true field of chaos. While its first two iterations were quite grounded, the last one had to deal with the simulation of an alien invasion. And in that middle ground, lies this new installment, and reboot of sorts, of Saints Row, one that promises a diverse but familiar open world with just enough craziness to have fun. We recently had the opportunity to see extended gameplay of what will be this new installment and how we will make chaos and destruction in Santo Ileso. These are our impressions.

Welcome to Santo Ileso, jewel of the Rio Salinas

A new Saints Row requires a new location. The Volition team has created Santo Ileso, a fictional city in the southwestern United States that is an amalgamation of several well-known cities in that region, seeking to convey a feeling that is "familiar, but different". This is one of the first bets presented by the development team, seeking to implement a large open world that becomes both a field of destruction and exploration through its 9 different districts.

Santo Ileso is a city full of opportunities and places to visit. During the gameplay we saw some of these sections, with desert areas that look impressive, small well-detailed towns, cities full of casinos that are very reminiscent of Las Vegas, an old downtown area, and even an industrial area, to name a few. Throughout this territory, we will be able to see NPCs bring the place to life, with our character being able to interact with them through various emotes.

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For now, the studio promises about 25 critical missions and about 10 side missions that will be part of the story. If that doesn't sound enough, Santo Ileso will also feature several opportunities to discover, one of these being armored trucks that are "like a six-ton piñata". In addition, we will also find Side Hustles, which are activities that you can repeat several times to get rewards and experience. These activities open the way to new game mechanics, such as climbing on the car's hood to be able to shoot beter, as well as learning more details about Santo Ileso's criminal world.

To this we must add the War Table, a map that will allow us to manage our empire, creating criminal enterprises, these “legitimate businesses” are actually fronts for our criminal activities. Whether it is drug trade, arms trade, or even unlocking the classic insurance fraud, to name a few.

The origin of the new Saints

The story of every criminal group has a beginning and our protagonists are no exception. At the beginning of the game, the Saints don't even exist, they're really just roomies from rival factions who are struggling to have money to pay the rent and turn to crime to survive. This is where the gameplay shown began, seeing these four characters team up to rob a loan shark. At first, the mission seems very simple, without the exaggeration that has become characteristic of the franchise. However, what the development team is looking for is to introduce us to these characters and for the player to see who they are and why they fit together.This first mission is pretty straightforward, but as one might expect, the plan goes wrong and the police start chasing our characters. Being an early part, there weren't as many explosions, weapons or fancy methods of escape, so expertise was an important part.

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Gunfire and explosions during combat

Within the combat, we can expect mechanics that we have seen in third-person action titles, and others with the classic touch of Saints Row. Within the gameplay, we saw at the beginning a confrontation against Los Panteros, one of the three enemy factions that we will encounter in the game. Our character uses all the resources known in this type of game, from weapons to make his way, to the bare fist. Movement is quite smooth, being able to run, crouch or even roll while you are aiming your weapon.

Along with this we can use skills that give the game flavor and make sense in the world of Saints Row. Before each mission, you can use your in-game cell phone to activate up to four skills that you gain as you level up. Along with the skills, there are the perks that are passive abilities, such as being resistant to fire, or tasing an enemy. Among the skills shown there were from throwing proximity mines, grenades or smoke screens, to more crazy moves, such as fire punches or the Pineapple Express, a move where you attach a grenade to an enemy and then throw it and watch them explode. We can also find "finisher moves" a move to eliminate the last of the enemies in a flashy way.

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As you might expect, Saints Row will offer us various kinds of enemies. From wimpy characters, real muscle walls, or even mini-bosses. It's worth mentioning that each faction has multiple enemy types and combat styles; for example, Los Panteros rely on strength, while the Idols rely on their sheer numbers.

Within the weapons, we saw a wide variety, from classic pistols, sniper rifles, and machine guns, to those crazy and exaggerated weapons that have characterized Saints Row for years like "El Lanzador" which is a real heavy weapon, a rifle that shoots through walls or a giant foam hand that launches missiles. All weapons have special features that can be unlocked by completing challenges that give them greater power.

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A (quirky) way to get around

It can't be Saints Row without a great collection of vehicles and ways to get around. With over 80 vehicles, there are plenty of opportunities to move around the map, from off-road motorcycles, to sports cars, to more ridiculous things, like a taco food truck.

Later on, we were introduced to a car that in addition to having a rocket system to go faster, its ejector seat allows us to take altitude and use the new wingsuit to transport us in a more extreme way (and fun, considering that we can fall on top of people to regain altitude).

A promising cooperative mode

If there was one thing that really caught the eye, it was Saints Row's co-op system. From what was shown, it's a “drop-in, drop-out untethered co-op across the game”, in which players can enter their friends' sessions to help them, or just generate mayhem. While there aren't many details about it, the fact that it's deceptively simple makes it a very appealing promise.

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The infinite customization

If in the first preview we saw details about customization, this time we could see more details that promise that we can be whatever we want in Saints Row. Through our cell phone we will change our appearance at any time, being able to modify from small aspects, up to switch our entire character. As for clothes, and to provide variety, each of the districts has different thematic stores where we can buy clothes and accessories for our character.

The vehicles also have a high degree of customization, where in addition to colors, we will be able to add some extras, such as ejector seats. Weapons, too, will have a wide variety of colors and possible combinations that open up the possibilities. Our base of operations, an abandoned church in the middle of the city, also has a large number of cosmetic objects to place everywhere.

Saints Row will be available on August 23 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.