Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Humdrum Gameplay
Goofy Weapons
Overwhelming Style
A decidedly less exciting game than past releases from Volition, Agents of Mayhem still has some of the sparks that brought Saint's Row to life. However, you'll have to trudge through some pretty underwhelming content to see it.
Agents Of Mayhem - Launch Trailer
Agents of Mayhem - CARNAGE A TROIS
Agents of Mayhem - BOMBSHELLS
Agents of Mayhem does a good job paying homage to the cartoon and live-action TV heroes of the 80s and 90s, and revels in the absurd tropes and idiosyncrasies of those inspirations. A broad and goofy arsenal of unique weapons and gadgets and the ability to switch characters on the fly to access complementary abilities offers some solid combat and good mindless fun, but due to some unpolished writing and repetitive environments and enemy types, it doesn't fully live up to its heroic potential.
A bizarrely hollow yet mechanically competent open world action RPG that struggles to justify its own existence.
Agents of Mayhem may take place in the Saints Row universe, but this adventure title has its own bizarre cast of vulgar misfits aiming to save the world from mad scientists.
Serves up a generous range of play styles, but it's hampered by repetitive levels and a few uninspired design choices.
Hero-swapping tactics add a unique edge to third-person combat, while humor and heart elevate Agents of Mayhem's typical world-saving fundamentals to memorable heights.
Agents of Mayhem is absurd, but it leans into its own insanity in a charming way and backs it all up with fun, destructive action
Obnoxious attitude, poor mission design, and technical bugs make Agents of Mayhem chaotic and repetitive.
You can swap between the three agents you bring into the field instantly, letting you chain their different special attacks together for maximum impact. There are some clever choices here too. Derby star Daisy, for example, has to cool off her minigun by dashing through enemies, which turns a typically boring weapon cooldown mechanic into a renewable power resource.Remember those great characters? Well, practically all their dialogue is bland beyond belief. Much of the writing in Agents of Mayhem is “joke adjacent,” meaning it's delivered with the tone, pacing and structure of a joke, but is not, in actuality, funny in any way.This has likely started to feel like a litany of sins rather than cogent critique, but it's the best way I have of illustrating Agent of Mayhem's failings. It is not felled by any one thing, but is rather undone by a thousand little cuts. Agents of Mayhem heaps theoretical fun on you. Characters, powers, upgrades, tons of missions — it's desperate to for the player to just have fun. It's a noble impulse, but one that it's depressingly incapable of consistently delivering on.
