Following criticism from the masses for the unoriginality of the first game, Saints Row has always been renowned for its blatant disregard of conventional gameplay. Gradually getting more and more bizarre, the franchise concluded with the player controlling the President of the United States in a battle against invading alien forces. Furthermore, the president in question is a far cry from the current leader and a lot closer to Duke Nukem – I suppose this makes for a far more interesting gaming experience.
It seems that, Deep Silver Volition – the studio responsible – has sobered up, apologized to its fellow party-goes and composed itself. Realizing the Grand-Theft-Auto-on-Hallucinogens approach was dividing their fan base, the studio have announced a complete back-to-origins reboot of the popular franchise. Simply called ‘Saints Row’, the new title will go further back in time than even the first Saints Row title and will see you stepping into the shoes as ‘The Boss’ as he’s starting his empire with just a few friends in tow. The means in which the Saints make it to the top is entirely down to you, the player. From arms smuggling to drug dealing – the world is your lobster.
Better Late than Never
Deep Silver Volition first announced the long-awaited title alongside a release date in February of this year (2022). However, they later announced the game will be hitting our shelves on the 26th of August this year.
In all fairness to the team, the reasons behind this are honorable. They wish to use the technologies available to them that came with the release of current generation to create the best experience possible.
“However, due to the size and scope of our new Saints Row, it’s become apparent that to create the best game possible, we need to give our team longer to perfect their craft.”
Jim Boone, Chief Creative Office, Deep Silver Volition
How will the Saints Row Reboot Play?
Deep Silver Volition‘s reveal trailer (shown below), leaves a lot to the imagination. It does however show us that, despite their eagerness to tone the franchise back a notch or two on the crazy scale, the Saints Row studio haven’t lost their sense of humor.
Furthermore, it doesn’t look as though the weaponry has been toned down much since Volition’s crazy bender that was Saints Row IV. The arms we see in the trailer are stupidly large and the definition of the word ‘overkill’, and we love it.
The Gangs and Territories of the Saints Row Reboot
The aforementioned friends of Saints Rows’ protagonist, ‘The Boss’ are all leaders of gangs of their own. The factions are represented by gearhead gym bugs, Los Panteros; the party-loving mayhem-mongers, The Idols and, of course, the private military corporation, Marshall Defense Industries. With the help of these three factions, you will set out to take over the sprawling, open-world area of Santo Ileso, a fictional town supposedly set in Southwest America. The desert map will lay host to fifteen different districts. From affluent cityscapes, to deserted towns. We can’t wait to explore.
Summary
As one of the majority that thought Deep Silver Volition had gone a little too far from the beaten track in Saints Row IV, I’m really looking forward to what the final game is promising to be. The back-to-roots approach is more than certain enough to bring fans of the earlier games out of the woodwork and back into a more realistic environment.
The idea of making the Saints Row reboot a prequel brings up a certain sense of intrigue. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how this translates to the series.
Release Date and Platforms
The Saints Row reboot is set to release on the 26th of August 2022, should there be no further delays. The good news is that it will be available across all major platforms including: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.