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The Saints Row series is making its grand return after seven years. The Saints Row universe fully reset at the end of the Saints Row IV<\/em> DLC Gat Out of Hell<\/em>, so Volition\u2019s next game is a full-on reboot of the series. After the underwhelming Agents of Mayhem<\/em>, this reboot allowed the developer to redefine what a Saints Row game could be without the constraints of classic characters or settings. Unfortunately, that new vision is much more plain than I\u2019d hoped despite the series\u2019 expected madcap tone.<\/p>\n

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While the results of this reimagining have the enjoyable and wacky Saints Row flair that one would expect, I was left quite underwhelmed by a recent hands-off preview of several missions, combat, and the open world in Saints Row<\/em>. This upcoming game is set in a new Southwestern city of Santo Ileso and features a new cast of Saints characters, so Volition has an opportunity to go big and bold here. Ultimately, it\u2019s looking formulaic for a series that\u2019s known for being off-kilter and wildly creative.<\/p>\n

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Grounded absurdism\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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During my hands-off preview, I got to see the new team of Saints in a variety of missions. These include a loan agency robbery gone wrong that results in a big car chase, a raid of a car-loving Panteros gang\u2019s headquarters in a helicopter, and a rescue mission for one of the player-character\u2019s friends after he\u2019s kidnapped by a bunch of Deadmau5-looking crooks from a gang called the Idols.<\/p>\n

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The new cast of Saints seems likable enough, but the \u201cangry but endearingly funny millennial\u201d tone of each character\u2019s writing has yet to be nearly as endearing as classic Saints Row characters like Johnny Gat or Kinzie Kensington. The \u201ctry-hard lulz\u201d writing that the series was known for isn\u2019t as funny now as it was in 2015 when the last Saints Row game was released. It\u2019s hard to tell from this early look if Volition\u2019s writers will succumb to the same unfunny writing problems that plagued 2019\u2019s Borderlands 3<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Also, because it\u2019s an entirely new cast of characters that have yet to prove themselves to fans, there isn\u2019t any nostalgia factor that can help make up for subpar jokes. Currently, Volition\u2019s strategy is to give the narrative a sense of \u201cgroundedness\u201d despite its kooky aspects to make players care about this character and that narrative.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAbsurdism for the sake of absurdism, that\u2019s where everything feels fluffy, and it doesn\u2019t feel like anything really means anything,\u201d lead writer Jeremy Bernstein said at the preview event. \u201cWe worked very hard to avoid that, so there\u2019s a groundedness, even to the most absurd things that you do in the game.\u201d It remains to be seen if this new, more grounded approach successfully introduces a new cast and setting for Saints Row<\/em> or just leaves me yearning for the classic Saints and city of Steelport.<\/p>\n

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Absurdly generic\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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While each mission that I described earlier does have the Saints Row series\u2019 trademark quirk, they aren\u2019t exactly pushing the boundaries of what to expect from a third-person, open-world game so far. While I only saw a few side missions, like one where players had to ride shotgun and fend off cops for a jewelry thief, our look at the map and missions suggest that Saints Row<\/em>\u00a0may be a fairly boilerplate open-world game.<\/p>\n

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In a worst-case scenario, I\u2019m afraid Saints Row<\/em> will feel more like I\u2019m working my way through a checklist of objectives rather than discovering the seedy nooks and crannies of a vast Santo Ileso. Despite the new setting, cast of characters, and zany tone, I\u2019ve yet to see this new Saints Row<\/em> offer much that Saints Row: The Third<\/em> and Saints Row IV<\/em> didn\u2019t almost a decade ago. That plainness of design feels at odds with how offbeat the series advertises itself as.<\/p>\n

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Some features are new to the series, like buying and selling businesses that open up new missions or opportunities. Still, it\u2019s nothing we haven\u2019t seen before in previous Saints Row games, Grand Theft Auto games, or countless open-world games from the past decade. Even if it often leans into absurdity, Saints Row<\/em> looks like it will be another checklist-driven open-world adventure, which is a harder sell in the wake of games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild <\/em>or\u00a0Elden Ring<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Traditionally absurd<\/h2>\n

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Where Saints Row<\/em> does manage to stand out is with those absurdist flourishes. Its immensely detailed character, cars, and weapon customization systems look like they\u2019ll allow players to tweak and customize almost every aspect of everything they\u2019ll control in-game. Players can even customize certain perks and fighting skills that enable some over-the-top attacks and finishers.<\/p>\n

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