Checking out Saint's Row - Preview

Koch Media and Volition have announced that Saint’s Row is back, this is not a sequel to Saint’s Row 4, because honestly, where could you go after the Earth is blown up. This next chapter of Saint’s Row is a reboot, taking place with all new characters, in an all-new setting and of course tell an all-new story, but the same chaos fans love will be back. Check out the reveal trailer below.

Both Koch Media and Volition were kind enough to show me the game a few weeks ago, which also meant I got to see much more of the game, including actual gameplay. The one thing that you need to understand is that once again, you are the boss and the boss you are, isn’t just about creating a character to fit into the world, or stand out within it, but you get to make real choices as to how your version of the Saints grow. But there are some addition changes to the game that will impact things in fun new ways.

As I said above, Saint’s Row is a reboot, meaning all the characters, chaos, and carnage that you loved from the first four games is gone, but that has allowed the developers to create a story that is more modern and contemporary, something that lines up with the world today. This new game tells the story of four friends who have been beaten down by the world, each in their own way and while they know they can achieve more in their life, life just won’t let them, so they break out and decide to form their out criminal empire, the Saints and that is where you come in, you are the leader.

City Slickers

A new game needs a new city and the team at Volition have that covered, as the game is set in the American South-West, in a new city called Santo Ileso, think Arizona and you are on the right track. The location has allowed the developers to bring in a lot more nature, meaning majestic mountain ranges, stone buttes and more, but while the surrounding lands might be orange, brown and similar colours, there is still a vibrant and immense city to explore as well. In terms of how much is in this world, there are 9 unique districts, with each area having their own theme, feel and folks that call it home.

One such location is Rancho Providencia and is an older area, that has been run down over time, with buildings that look more at home in a Fallout wasteland, but as it is a little industrial, the Panteros gang feel right at home here. But that is not the only place you will experience, the other gangs also have their home turfs, like the sin city inspired El Dorado district, where grime and glitz go hand in hand, along with plenty of neon to try and draw your attention. But if you fancy yourself ready for the highlife, pools surrounded by desert, parties that take place under the night sky, then Monta Vista is the place you want to visit, assuming that you can enter the gated communities that are all around.

But if you don’t care about the skyscrapers of the financial district, or the trendy restaurants of the Rodeo locale, you can always leave town and head out into the wilds. The devs are promising that there will be countless options for exploration, whether you stay on road, or get into a car designed for it and take to the dusty trails all around. With massive and bizarre roadside attractions, much like our own Big Banana, there will be things around this world that the devs are hoping you will impressed by and some of them, like two fighting dinosaurs – over a road, will certainly make that easy. The world looks like it will offer plenty to do, no matter your objective at the time, and as open worlds can live and die by their alternate methods of interaction, I really hope they have nailed this one.

St. Introduction, patron saint of character

A new Saint’s Row game, means new characters and rather than throw countless folks at you, the ones you will need to worry about first, are your own character and the three friends who come with you, on your attempt to become a powerhouse gang. The first character you will meet is Eli, he is the planner, the man with the smarts, which is perfect given he graduated with a MBA and while he came to Santo Ileso to make it big, but of course things didn’t go well for him. Eli is not one to let a little challenge get in the way of making money, so he opts to start to build his own business, that business just turned out to be a criminal empire. While a gang might be where folks start, Eli has more ambitious plans than that, he wants a legacy, an institution and he has the brains to help make it happen.

The second character you meet is Neenah and she is your driver, as someone who grew up around cars, she knows exactly how they operate and isn’t afraid to make use of that knowledge, to boost the Saints up. Don’t think she is your average gear head though, she loves the art of the car to be sure, but she also loves regular art, having gone to school for Art History and Anthropology and with those new skills, she came to town to get a job in a museum, but when that failed to happen, she went back to cars and found herself working for the Panteros. Nina knows her stuff, but she doesn’t want to be a background character, she wants to be a leader, which is what causes her to jump ship from the Panteros and join up with you in the Saints.

The final character that you get to meet is Kevin, DJ by night, people pleaser all the time and once you become a friend to Kevin, he will do whatever he can to assist you. Kevin is also a thrill seeker, so seeing him doing something crazy is not going to be all that surprising and he has that mindset, as he is someone that grew up in foster care, so he does things to get attention. He also wants a family and for a while he thought that maybe the Idols, another one of the core gangs in town, were what he was looking for, eventually he realises that the Saints is where he belongs.

Finally, there is you, the leader, the boss man or boss woman, whose entire persona from their looks to how they sound, is chosen by you. Your character is the one who brings the others together, your decisions will either help the Saints grow or die, so this is really your story. That means that if you piss off a rival gang, that is all on you and you will have to deal with whatever consequences may come, which leads us to talk about the gangs.

Gang by Numbers

There are three gangs that control Santo Ileso, something that long time fans of the series may recognise and while the three gangs might have the same goal, they have their own unique ways of getting there, including just their general vibe. Panteros, the gang that was shown as being robbed by the Saints in the reveal trailer above, is all about muscle and physical power, which seems apropos as they love to use melee attacks and heavy weaponry to take down any who would oppose them. They are also the original gang of Santo Ileso, but over the years have lost ground to the other gangs, including Marshall.

The name Marshall doesn’t scream evil gang, but that is because they are not your average gang, instead they are actually a private military conglomerate, and make use of advanced weapons and gear, to take what they want. While the Panteros own – see have control over, the old Scorpion Motor Factory, Marshall owns almost all of the entire Commercial sector, and by that I mean they own the buildings, look up at the skyline and there is a chance you are looking at something they own.

Now we come to the last gang in town, the Idols, they love to do things in order to build up their notoriety, including wearing bike helmets with emjoi faces on them, they see themselves as icons of a new world. While the others are more about muscle and power, the Idols are more about numbers and they will be easy to see coming, as they are really bright, so if you see neon coming your way, best get ready for a fight. While they are all about anarchy, they also like to party, though maybe not the kind you would want an invitation too, they have control over the Mansion Hills.

Pay Day: The Expenditures

Saint’s Row isn’t just about killing everyone else, in your rise to become the best gang in Santo Ileso, as you start to gain ground in the city, you will begin to earn cash and as this is a modern-day gang, you will need to invest that cash. With each portion of the land you control, you might find a vacant lot and then you can choose what to build there, with each choice, helping or hindering your burgeoning criminal empire.

This isn’t just about putting down business to generate more cash for you though, because each thing you build will also expand what gameplay offerings you have access to. Build a car reposition business and that means you can head around town, towing cars to your hearts content, though if you opt for a waste disposal place, a tried-and-true gang business, you can then start shipping waste around the city. There are more to choose from, from arms dealership to racketeering, drug running and beyond, the choice is yours and again, what you chose will change the game for you.

Get your mates in a Saint’s Row

That is just the beginning, the game will offer full co-op for you and your friends to partake in, from the start to the end and to ensure that you don’t get mixed up, you can choose to dress up, or down, in a number of outfits and styles, ready to suit you.

The game is also going to becoming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 and the co-op mentioned before, that will work across generations, so if you have upgraded and your friends have not, the chaos won’t stop.

Saint’s Row is coming out on February 25, for all the platforms listed above.