Saints Row IV Review (Majordomo)
"Couldn't they program in more strippers?"
- Playa
💻 Description:
Turning from a DLC expansion to a fully rendered game, Saints Row IV became Volition’s most controversial yet successful title, to the point that even Australia decided to ban it from entering its premise. The fourth instalment of the renowned series manages to break the stereotype of a knockoff Grand Theft Auto by taking the franchise to a whole new level through clever satire and refreshing gameplay that, despite running on crack, offers plenty of fun and pleasure.
📖 Setting:
Summary
Many years after Saints Row III, MI-6 agents enlist the notorious gang's assistance in protecting America from a nuclear missile attack. By successfully completing the mission, some years later, Playa becomes the president of the United States, thus turning the Saints into a more powerful and legitimate organisation. Unfortunately for them, an alien empire known as the Zin invades Earth, destroying the White House and imprisoning the Cabinet in a simulation inside the city of Steelport.
Story
After turning away from its gangster roots, the well-known action-adventure adopts a new strategy by finally settling on its identity, which, unsurprisingly, primarily centres around guns and hookers. When you consider the extraordinary number of fourth wall breaks and dubious parody game references, it becomes clear that the fourth instalment of the franchise is not meant to be taken seriously. Like in every Saints Row title, the narrative revolves around the player, who miraculously gets tangled in all kinds of weird situations; this time, however, every instance is mixed with drug-fueled action and, of course, purple sparkling colours. Last but not least, the hilarious gameplay elements frequently overshadow the interesting personalities and backgrounds of the supporting cast, while the comedic approach strikes a good balance between serious and silly humour that flows naturally.
🕹️ Gameplay:
Gameplay-wise, Saints Row IV is superb, as it offers a fully fleshed-out package filled with challenging missions and entertaining activities that encourage repetition. Combat and traversing are incredibly fun, to the point where you could argue that Volition lost their sanity during the development process. There are of course a couple of missteps, mainly revolving around variety, but personally, I much prefer the quality over quantity approach.
Personalized experience
Whether you are into dark-hooded characters with flaming swords in their hands or furries with weaponized dildos, Saints Row IV gives you the opportunity to customise your Boss according to your deepest desires and fantasies. There is a plethora of options, from tattoos and outfits to weapons and vehicles, that can make your character special. But it is neither the fancy clothes nor the cool weapon designs that will make your enemies dread being in your presence; on the contrary, they are your upgrades. As you progress further in the story, you will unlock new passive and active abilities with many powerup varieties. Each ability can be upgraded to its fullest extent by spending money on the upgrade menu tab. More potent upgrades will be available to you as your level rises; the same applies for your weapons and vehicles, so make sure to use your hard-earned cash wisely. Unfortunately, you are unable to disable individual power upgrades, which causes a number of annoying problems that could make certain quests more difficult. I am looking at you, Tornado!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2942684502&fileuploadsuccess=1
Unexpected events
As was previously mentioned, the main story missions are the foundation of the entire experience because they parody other games by introducing novel twists and mechanics to the standard formula. You might, for example, start a text adventure where you have to navigate a variety of dialogue options and quick-time events, while in another you might have to use Metal Gear Solid techniques to evade hostile NPCs. Those occurrences are so unexpected yet so delightful that aside from bringing life to the overall mix, they keep you on your toes. Beside the main story, Saints Row IV is also filled with challenges, optional side quests, and collectibles that award you with money and XP. Those side activities can be divided into many categories, with the most prominent ones being a series of special kill manoeuvres or a list of timed tasks that require the use of a specific ability. Co-Op operations are also a thing in this game, where you can take part in story missions and other multiplayer-specific shenanigans with friends or random players.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2942682982&fileuploadsuccess=1
Countless possibilities
The primary criticism levelled against this game was the fact that many features have been reused in a slightly different format, with some side quests and minigames following the same “go-fetch” pattern. Although I can somewhat understand their complaints, Saints Row IV cleverly recycles old settings with bizarre powerups that open a new path towards more opportunities and, of course, hilarious interactions. Throughout the entire experience, you can use new abilities like telekinesis, super jumps, and levitation to either move quickly through the already familiar landscapes or wreak havoc on the infamous alien invaders. Additionally, the vast array of weapons—from baseball bats to automatic rifles and alien RPGs—make things even more interesting because they transform the aforementioned tasks from tedious chores into fun playgrounds where you can combine the absurd arsenal with a variety of moves. The limited ammo and the constrained ability bar, which encourage the use of different combat techniques rather than constant action spamming, further support this type of experimentation.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2942681718&fileuploadsuccess=1
👁🗨 Visuals:
There is not much to say about the graphics other than that they have not aged well. Grim, dark colours, and lifeless environments are massively downgrading the experience, especially when you consider that explosions and colourful, unique purple guns are the core and soul of Saints Row's bizarre recipe. The recently remastered version has fixed a lot of the visual problems, including the character models and, of course, the much-needed lighting changes, so I highly recommend checking it out.
🎧 Audio:
While driving or walking around Steelport, you will encounter various famous soundtracks, such as Walk the Moon by Tightrope or Swimming Pools by Kendrick Lamar. These songs are also used as background noise during significant story missions, which has a very positive impact on setting the right mood for the circumstance. The game’s soundtrack really hits the mark, but the voice talent is just as incredible. All the voice actors are amazing, with the likes of Kinzie, Zinyak, Pierce, and my personal favourite, Johnny Gat, stealing the show both through their charm and hilarious performances.
📋 Verdict:
Saints Row IV represents a significant departure from Volition's original vision, a risk-taking passion project that helped to define the time of the first open-world games. By all means, it is not a perfect game, but I find it to be among the most entertaining and funny experiences in the market, packed with absurd moments that to this day live rent-free in my mind. Nevertheless, despite its success, it is undeniable that the fourth instalment of the series was the reason that the fanbase has been alienated from the franchise.
Follow our Curator page, Summit Reviews , to see more high quality reviews regularly.