TheSaints Rowreboot hasn’t been the grand return that many fans hoped it would be. It opened to middling review scores, with bugs not doing the game any favors. It’s clear thatSaints Rowhas many issues which have detracted from the overall experience, but this misstep can still be corrected with a sequel that works on the complaints that players have.
Saints Rowhouses some of the greatest open-world games ever, according to many fans. The first title in the series felt extremely similar toGrand Theft Auto, but Volition formed an identity of its own for the second game onwards by ramping up the craziness and prioritized fun over everything else. However, theSaints Rowreboot’s more reigned-in approach has obviously not settled well with audiences.
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Saints Row’s Trademark Writing Needs To Come Back
One near-universal complaint that people have with theSaints Rowreboot is its writing. Over-the-top humor and crazy antics formed a big part ofwhat made earlierSaints Rowgames so fun to play, with many players fondly remembering the most hilarious moments in the series. The reboot instead decides to settle for a more grounded tone, which ends up making the game more forgettable.
The series' more unique writing style is something that a sequel to this reboot needs to bring back. A new game in the franchise that harkens back to the zany nature of the original games could have a better chance of rekindling what made it popular in the first place. While it’s admirable totry and go back to the roots ofSaints Row, the fact that it came at the cost of the series' stand-out elements is a compromise that many feel should not have been made.
Saints Row Characters Should Embrace Their Craziness
There’s a certain charm to the characters of the first fewSaints Rowgames.Johnny Gat, Shaundi, and the player characterare all fondly remembered by the fanbase not only because they were likable, but also because they didn’t clash with the actions taking place in the game. The Saints weren’t good people, but they didn’t need to be - they just needed to be fun partners that players could spend time with.
Meanwhile, theSaints Rowreboot tries to make its characters more relatable with serious issues caused by external forces, and forming a gang is just their way of taking matters into their own hands. There’s no denying that this approach could have worked for this title, but the characters themselves aren’t really upstanding citizens either. Players are tasked with shooting up banks and murdering countless innocent people inthe missions ofSaints Row, so to try and paint this gang as relatable people who just want to fight life’s injustices led to a noticeable narrative dissonance.
It feels liketheSaints Rowreboot forces players to root for characters they have no emotional attachment to. The writing doesn’t help, with the dialogue of the Saints being mildly amusing at best. All of these factors combine to form a cast of forgettable characters, and the next game in this series should try and write characters who are more aware of their violent actions without becoming too psychotic to root for.
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What the Saints Row Reboot Did Right
Despite this criticism, Volition shouldn’t lose sight ofwhat it did well with theSaints Rowreboot. Its open world is varied and interesting to explore, even if landscapes can feel empty at times. The issues with the open-world environment stem from the technical side, so a strong focus that went into the development of a lived-in landscape should be kept when the sequel is developed.
The activities available throughout this open world are also pretty diverse and engaging, withthe fan-favorite Insurance Fraud minigamebeing more entertaining than ever for many. The sequel could ramp up the difficulty in these activities while also adding more diverse ones that experiment with unique gameplay concepts.
Saints Row’s Reception Highlights The Importance of Stable Releases
The first impression a game makes is important, especially when said game is rebooting a franchise that many people are passionate about. Trailers forSaints Rowweren’t all well received by fans, and it was clear that Volition needed to make a bold statement with this reboot from the get-go. Unfortunately, on top of all the problems that already plagued the game upon release,Saints Rowalso suffered from a myriad of technical issues.
The chances of convincing fans about this new direction were hampered because of this buggy release. Even with a Day 1 patch,Saints Rowhas a ton of issues that impact everythingfrom the gameplay to the story. The bugs affecting a character’s aim are particularly bad, since it makes one of the core gameplay pillars feel wildly inconsistent and unsatisfying.
It’s clear that Volition has a ton of work ahead when it comes to fixingSaints Row’s technical issues and deciding the future of the series. The game might not have hit the ground running, but it serves as a template for things that the studio should either improve or avoid in order to make a sequel that will hopefully help fans love the series once again.
Saints Rowis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
