Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell Reviews
Gat Out of Hell is a comedic romp through myth, literature and video game tropes. The writing is smart, the gunplay is solid, and the city of Hell is a blast to fly though. Some may miss the more traditional mission design or lament its brevity, but Gat Out of Hell is a great way to cap off the story of the Third Street Saints
Gat Out of Hell offers all the open-world distractions of a Saints Row game, but precious little of what made the last two so remarkable.
Gat out of Hell is a fun way to kill time while we all eagerly await the release of a more-complete Saints Row 5. That's coming, right?
Short, funny, but lacking in gameplay complexity
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected is still an enjoyable, chaotic romp on PS4 and Xbox One, but its improvements are minimal.
There is no concept too ridiculous for Volition to exploit and for people with a love of the deranged and silly, Saints Row is one of the funniest games on the market.
Another ludicrous spectacle, but Volition's patchy action/comedy sandbox doesn't prove to be a gangster's paradise.
Despite the outrageous plot and bizarre weapons this is a disappointingly mundane expansion beneath all the silliness, and one that addresses none of the parent game's failings.
It's a comfortable game, lots to do, very silly, definitely fun to play. But it's also sitting still, putting its feet up, rather than surprising us with something delightfully new.
Gat Out of Hell is a hell of a lot of fun. The flight mechanics are fantastic, the new arsenal of weapons is as creative as any other Saints Row title's, and the game basically fixes all the problems I had with Saints Row IV as an open-world game. It's a bite-sized portion to hold you over until the inevitable (and larger) Saints Row V.
Saints Row 4 fans have been waiting for this expansion to finally touch down for quite some time now and by and large the wait was worth it. The reimagined Saints Row version of Hell built from the ground up is impressive and much of the personality we have come to love about the franchise is prominently on display. Granted the game can be offensive at times but it never takes itself too seriously and is all about entertaining.
In Gat Out of Hell, the joke feels like it's on us
It's Saints Row IV with too many cut corners. Some of the series' core fun remains, but it's sandwiched between disappointing filler.
Gat out of Hell applies a dose of air freshener to mask the musty smell emanating from the more traditional aspects of the Saints Row formula and delivers a fun, if overly familiar, slice of its chaos-riddled gameplay.
If I wanted to worry about all that, I'd just go to a college campus and listen to people complain for a few hours. As it is though, I hope that more developers take a cue from Saints Row and realize that it's still okay to tell jokes and implement cartoony violence that's still ridiculous and fun. I know gaming as an industry is maturing and people want to present new ideas and make statements using the media, but luckily, whenever I feel like I need a break, I will have Saints Row proudly on my shelf.
Make no mistake this isn't a full blown adventure but a 'just go with it' adrenaline rollercoaster ride; it has its ups and downs, with plenty of big drops for the rush, but it'll be over soon enough. Gat out of Hell is a great round off to the Saints Row adventure as it gets wackier and wackier, with it standing as a defiant parody of how the Saints ended up in this mess.
So, if Saints Row's meta humor can get you through collecting your hundredth orb or doing the same type of mission on repeat, you may want to check out GOH. But, if not, I'd recommend staying away from this one, as it burns itself out a bit too quick.
The thing about Gat Out Of Hell is that it feels like Saints Row IV but with things stripped away instead of expanded on. Sure you have the challenges to complete, though they aren't different to the other games in the series, and there are a lot of collectibles to hunt down to unlock everything. Outside of that though Hell as a location feels a bit bland, and without the other Saints to bounce off Kinzie and Gat aren't that interesting or funny. Combine that with the lack of in-game music and customisation options and this entry is a step backwards for the series. Don't get me wrong, this game can be fun when you're engaged in big battles against the demons, but outside of that it is lacking character.
Outside of the flying woes, Gat Out of Hell is content to let you be an all-powerful demigod or goddess. The game is just plain, hammy entertainment. It doesn't aspire to teach you a great moral lesson—outside of "don't fuck with Ouija boards," which is pretty sage advice—and it's not trying to wow you with 60 FPS photorealism. Gat out of Hell, like its predecessors, is that essential reminder we need from time to time that, yes, sometimes it's okay for videogames to be dumb fun and little else.
In the end, should you pick the latest Saints Row chapter? Why the Hell not? The Saints games have continued to walk their own path and if you've been enjoying the recent experiences they've been throwing at us, then there is simply no reason to not get this one. Tons of gameplay, awesome new abilities, and probably the most enjoyable time anyone would really spend in Hell. Yeah I'm sold and you will be too.