I Really Like Saints Row Reboot

I was so happy when the new Saints Row game was announced to be released in 2022. Saints Row: The Third being one of my all time favourite games I could not wait to play rebooted version of the series, especially when it looked as good as it did. And then the game released, reviews came in, and I kinda lost interest for a while – it seemed that Saints Row was a buggy mess and it would be better to wait some time before trying it out. And after that development team was fired. And the chronically online people started hating Saints Row's new direction (but what they wouldn't hate?). 

We're off to a great start.

Finally at the end of the 2023 I decided to grab the game from Playstation Store sale and try it out myself. I was scared. Is this game going to be bad? Waste of money? I booted it up and...

This is how I spent my Xmas.

I really loved my time with Saints Row reboot. Sure, it's not perfect. Game still has a lot of bugs and glitches, story feels little bit rushed and at times unfinished, and some missions are just chores. But on the other side there's a game that hit straight into my millennial humour, from joking about student loans to being surprisingly respectful towards different people – this is not the same game that made fun of everyone like bad South Park episode. I personally enjoy reboot's take on things more, showing that you don't need to make fun of others to get some laughs. It's what I appreciate about a lot of modern art, especially being a person who grew on this culture where humour a lot of time was and still is targeted against certain groups of people. 

This game captures my life perfectly.

There is a certain charm to this absurdity that reboot offers. NPC's are doing their own thing, living seemingly normally in a normal city while Saints just break havoc and murder anyone on their way. And even after the craziest, weirdest or most macabre events, life in Santo Ileso continues. No questions asked. Especially after Saints Row IV's alien / Matrix world building I did really find reboot's more grounded world refreshing. And fun. 

Back when I was young games were not this colourful.

And that's what I mean when I think this game is really good – it is a fun experience. There is lot of different activities to do, and in a real Saints Row style you get your hands on some crazy weaponry. Even wing suit, which is just previous entry's flying ability but more floaty, turned out to be a really cool concept after I learned to use it without crashing to every single building. 

And you can be a zombie. As usual.

Great party.

I can understand that bugs and glitches will turn some people out of the game, but for someone like me, who loves when games break, it gives an another layer to the experience. Of course it is a thin line between silly and unplayable, but at least now reboot is more on that silly and goofy side. And if some missions (like insurance fraud) just don't work as they are intended to, this game allows you to turn off time limits and stuff. I really hope that more games would do that – timed missions are probably my most hated cliché.

After about 40-50 hours characters just started casually t-posing. Or a-posing?

As this game is on a sale very often, I would really recommend you to try it out. It has very high highs and some low lows, but overall experience is on the positive side. And if somebody says that this game is bad because it is trying to be respectful, guess what? There is no need to listen those people. Just enjoy the game.