Saints Row Reviews
Rebooting the series, Saints Row tries to modernize its approach and themes but struggles at times to stick the landing.
Despite all its flaws (and there are more than a few), Saints Row is undoubtedly fun and explosive in its over-the-top presentation. While its punctuated with memorable moments, they are often diminished by the repetitive nature of its side content, which makes up a significant portion of what Saints Row has to offer. If you’ve been a longtime fan of the series’s previous entries, you will find plenty to enjoy with this latest installment – just don’t expect much in the way of innovation.
Saints Row (2022) succeeds at returning to the roots of its predecessors by paring back the outlandish absurdity without losing an ounce of chaos, but sometimes feels as if it's holding on too tightly to a past best left forgotten. Plus, it has a distinct lack of polish.
Saints Row is a largely successful reboot, even if it sometimes feels dangerously outdated in terms of open world design. Its story and characters can be hit and miss, but the experience is carried by fun gameplay and an endearingly dumb sense of humour. Despite the new faces, Saints Row is definitely still Saints Row - just bigger and probably better.
Saints Row doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't need to — it's a solid open-world adventure with loads going on, and one that is really only a good helping of polish away from sitting among the genre's better games.
Saints Row is everything you’d expect from a new entry into the franchise: It’s full of larger-than-life story beats, a LARPing subplot, oodles of customization, and outlandish Skills to take down your enemies with. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, your Boss and their three companions are where this reboot truly shines — and it’s a joy to experience Santo Ileso and all that it has to offer with them.
Sometimes repetitive, sometimes eye-rolling, and sometimes just plain busted, Saints Row 2022 is far from perfect, but that doesn't stop it from being a chaotic good time.
The new Saints Row doesn't break any new ground, however it's still a relatively fun time. If you're a fan of the series, there's no reason not to give this one a spin.
Saints Row successfully reboots the much-loved franchise, although things don't feel as wild or chaotic as I was expecting or hoping. The main campaign is a short but enjoyable romp with some decent creativity, but the open world template doesn't innovate beyond the trappings of the genre. Side missions and distractions are amusing yet repetitive, and the adventure is lacking in polish overall. Still, being able to play the entire experience with a mate by your side makes for a lot of laughs, and if you can forgive the cringe dialogue, there are some fun moments between all the meandering that still makes it worthwhile. I can't say that the Saints are "back and better than ever", but gearing up for a modest romp with a lot of explosions and strong personalisation will certainly set them up for a roaring sequel if given the chance.
Reinvention can just as easily be a prompt for a bold new swing, and while Saints Row feigns one or two, it could stand to commit more fully to them. This retooling/reboot/reenvisioning doubles down on the past in an intentional, if short-lived, nostalgia play, but there has to be more there, right? If we should see more of these Saints-and I earnestly do want to-I would hope it would be with something fresh to say or show. Until then, Saints Row still has some growing to do.
Saints Row is fun, but it feels like it forgot that we are in 2022 and not in 2013 anymore, 'cause it really has nothing new or fresh to offer.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Saints Row offers a decent reboot of the franchise, although the production costs don't go up to the level of GTA. The focus on fun, action and variety of activities is strong. The co-op helps the fun even more.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
For a game all about building a crime syndicate, the fact that engaging in such activities feels so optional on the main path is a crime itself. It also won’t come as much surprise to Saints Row fans that this is just as scrappy as ever before. Still, it’s ridiculously enjoyable nonetheless.
Saints Row is an experience with peculiar contrasts Volition truly tried to reinvent the franchise for a new generation, but not wanting to betray its roots it was unable to evolve in the way it needed to be truly relevant in the midst of 2022. It is an entertaining and fun experience that many will have a good time with, of that we have no doubt. However, it has clear flaws and antiquated systems, so it will probably be remembered without much shame or glory.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Saints Row is a return to form, and some of the most fun I’ve had in an open world in a while. It manages to strike a good balance between the wackiness of previous entries with grounded combat mechanics, and tone. The Boss is hilarious as ever, and a true murder machine completely loyal to their friends through thick and thin. It’s bogged down by a number of bugs that take you out of the experience and uneven presentation with dated elements and plenty of pop-in. Despite these issues, it manages to remain true to its roots with smart additions to the series’ open-world formula.
Compared to Saints Row IV and Saints Row The Third, this reboot feels more like a glorified retread than an evolution. But to people new to the sandbox crime game genre and who just want a lot of punchy fun & surprises out of their crime games for 25+ hours? It's a decent introduction and a case study on how to make the genre seem fun again, as well as keep the series grounded to its Grand Theft Auto-inspired roots.
The Saints have come marching in once again and while Santo Ileso offers a fun playground for these reborn renegades, it’s somewhat marred by a wealth of graphical issues, some underwhelming gunplay and a predictable narrative. Having said all that, you can customise your character into an orange, hurl yourself into traffic to make money and throw a self-propelled football at enemies to send them into space. It’s Saints Row as you remember, for better or worse, with a new coat of paint and refurbished for modern times.
If you've jumped at breakneck speed to this point to decide whether or not to buy Saints Row on the basis of the little number on the side, know that you've made a huge mistake. Volition's new production is a good restart for the series, both in terms of narrative and in terms of rethinking the gameplay. Saints Row's real flaws are all to be found in an endless series of bugs due to a failure to clean up the final code.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With a generic open world, an uninteresting cast, and an extensive list of bugs, Saints Row fails in its core mission to introduce the franchise with pageantry to a new generation. Here you can still find traces of the uncompromising creativity that once put the series on the industry and gamers map, but for the most part, Volition's work shows that renewing for the sake of renewing isn't always the best choice.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Saints Row reboot really brings the franchise back to when it was just a street gang trying to rise up the ranks. While the story does have its moments with a large variety of fun activities to do alone or with a friend, it’s unfortunately bogged down by outdated gameplay mechanics and technical issues.