Saints Row Reviews
It’s been nine years since Saints Row 4, and this new entry feels like a back-to-basics reboot. But technical issues, bugs, and many more little frustrations conspire to make this a middling experience at launch. It’s unfortunate because when Saints Row fires on all cylinders, it’s an absolute blast with some truly lofty high points.
The Saints Row reboot wants to tell a new, modern story, but the gameplay framework surrounding it is starting to show a bit of rust.
While there are definitely elements of Saints Row that really annoyed me, I still generally had a good time with the game. If you consider yourself a Saints Row fan you’ll probably find plenty to enjoy in the newest entry, even if some of its elements are weaker than others. If you were hoping for a major new take on the series or what it could be, however, you’ll be left sorely wanting.
Where for years one superlative followed the next, where exaggeration had to serve as a leitmotif instead of a stylistic device, where blunt self-indulgence justified an entire franchise, developer Volition now courageously trades its unique selling proposition for... well, for what, actually? Apparently against an unjustified shitstorm, an angry crowd of fans and yes, a successful new beginning. Saints Row shows itself to be much more grounded, more tangible and just in this way can make use of a modern interpretation of "exaggeration". According to the motto: back to accessibility, back to the mass market. A return that the franchise unmistakably needed more than badly. Admittedly, Volition has definitely put the game in reverse gear a bit too ambitiously. Where the tone of the game is clearly more modern, entire gameplay elements as well as the visual design seem completely out of time. A trivial skill system, a lifeless game world, flippant gunplay all seem out of place in 2022, but also undeniably bring those glorious oldschool vibes. Saints Row is still full of absurdities that are unparalleled, but is discrepantly wonderfully unexciting in terms of gameplay. If Volition could now bring the technical shortcomings into the modern age, I would completely agree with the US studio when they say: As soon as a franchise can't take any more superlatives, you just have to go back to the beginning.
Review in German | Read full review
I have a lot of love for this new reboot of Saints Row, and I have high hopes they will put it right with bug fixes. When they do, I hope to come back and amend this review and make it a glowing one. Until then, I have to caution you to hold off on spending your money, but hopefully not for too long.
It's the Saints Row game with best driving mechanics, but it's not the best Saints Row game in general. I wish it was the other way around.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Volition's name has always been tied with destructible environments, and Saints Row's reboot is no different. Unfortunately, that's not the only familiar thing as the level design, combat and gameplay mechanics are all mostly the same as almost 15 years ago.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Technical issues notwithstanding, Saints Row is not without its shortcomings, but it succeeds more often than it doesn't.
Saints Row got rebooted in a way that should appeal to anyone meaning it’s very safe. And as such, it doesn’t interest me in any way. It is a perfect example of a mediocre title – play & forget.
Review in Polish | Read full review
As a new start for the eponymous gang, Saints Row ticks most of the boxes, but falls short in offering up anything fresh. A litany of technical and visual bugs also conspire to spoil the party, making for a solid enough, enjoyable, but ultimately uninspired, return for the series.
Saints Row now feels like a mediocre open-world action game, becoming just like all of the games at which the series used to poke fun. Mission objectives are bland and repetitive, while the story is boring and lacks cohesion. Worst of all, the slapstick jokes rarely land and are arguably more cringeworthy than they are funny.
Saints Row is a perfectly fine open-world game. Just don't expect any surprises, as the reboot lacks much character.
Saints Row is ready and willing to leap back into the mainstream, though it's unfortunately weighed down by a few odd design decisions and a handful of technical issues.
After nine years of hibernation, the Saints Row series is making a comeback. A comeback that is an outdated turkey and sanctimonious entertainment of high class at the same time. Although we too often growl in frustration, we also find it difficult to put down the controller – it's so much fun! Most of the time anyway.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
Saints Row had chance to be something much more, if only the team behind the game tried to take a more bold and careful approach.
Review in Russian | Read full review
With its wonky sets, dodgy cameras and bizarre plotlines, this reboot of the gangster adventure series is haphazard but joyful.
Like a little train going up a mountain: At least it's fun. at least it's fun, at least it's fun. The further I got through the game, the less I felt that was true.
The new Saints Row features enjoyable open-world gameplay but bland characters and an overall timid story make it the weakest entry in the series.
You could consider Saints Row a love letter to a time when games worried less over quality and more about fun, but that doesn't excuse its faults.
With fast-paced clashes, thunderous explosions, customization options, and a satiric tone that dominates its setting, Saints Row puts a great impression at the start but soon after that you'll yourself stuck in a massive world that discourages exploration due to crude repetition, shallow side activities, and an overall design that makes Santo Eliso lifeless. On the other hand, the game offers a group of characters who try to look charismatic but don't have the background or the traits to get attached to, and a story that quickly loses its way and ends in a frustrating way.
Review in Arabic | Read full review