Saints Row – -apkrig
The last, fourth part of Saints Row was released in 2013, and after the next infernal standalone data disc Gat Out of Hell, it was not entirely certain what would happen next with the series. Developers from the Volition studio released the failed heroic attempt Agents of Mayhem, whose financial results caused a wave of layoffs.
In addition to the remasters and ports of older games, it seems as if the name Volition fell to the ground, but in the meantime the authors worked hard to reboot the brand, which, probably the only one in their portfolio, still has quite a resounding name. The new part of Saints Row was officially unveiled at the Gamescom Opening Night event after a short teasing, but we have known about it for some time and even participated in a presentation with a deeper performance from the author team.
Something new
The new Saints Row has no number or subtitle and has a good reason for that. This is a reboot in the true sense of the word, you won’t find anything from the old sequels here except for some of the Easter eggs and winks. This is the city of Steelport, away is the purple stylization and popular characters. The new game relies on a brand new aesthetic. So different that when I saw the first shots, I thought the brand was going to the Wild West.
It won’t be such a drastic change, but the truth is that instead of Steelport with a touch of the east coast of the United States, this time we will head to the dusty southwest. The fictional Santo Ileso includes the larger metropolis, but also the countryside around. The developers promise that reboot is by far the largest game in the series, and at the same time the individual parts of the map are also the most diverse. After all, he speaks of the American Southwest as one of the most colorful areas of the country, and the typical aesthetics are reflected in the game. You can look forward to nine areas with a characteristic atmosphere, inhabitants and activities.
Thanks to the diversity, you will be able to enjoy skydiving and wingsuit flying from skyscrapers in the city center, as well as motorcycle and buggy racing in the dunes around the city, or the tinsel of luxury neighborhoods full of expensive restaurants and cars. All wrapped up in the atmosphere of the “weird west”, which hides a lot of secrets that the player will be able to discover.
As you could read above, there is nothing left of the original Saints line-up, the novelty will bring a brand new group of protagonists. In the foreground are four friends, which also includes the main hero / heroine of the game. Don’t worry, the new episode will also have a traditionally rich character creation system, so you can make a truly unmissable avatar.
Group of four
Your three friends are actually members of three quarreling gangs. Los Panteros are classic street criminals, relying mainly on hard fists. In stark contrast to them is the well-trained private army of Marshall Defense Industries. And then there are The Idols, addicted to fame and unmistakable (and noisy) style.
But together with your colleagues, you will soon find that you would much rather have something of your own, your own criminal startup, in which you would not have to call anyone, sir. The goal of the game will be to grab Santo Ileso just for yourself, but for that you need above all money and power. Building an empire will not be a clearly lined line, but a very bushy and branched tree of possibilities.
There are a number of empty plots in the city on which you can build your unfair business. But every such business will bring with it a whole new layer of gameplay, new missions and activities. When describing from the developers, I remembered the good old Vice City and the acquisition of real estate, for the profitability of which one had to complete several missions. In Saints Row, however, this mechanism will be much more sophisticated and will have a longer life.
For example, you can build your own fast food chain, which actually distributes drugs, you can sell weapons, or you can have a not quite official health clinic and commit insurance fraud. The authors point out that they tried to select as many popular activities from the past as possible into the game, but at the same time not to be too bound to make the reboot look fresh enough.
Where now?
When asked why they decided to take such a drastic step as rebooting, creative director Jim Boone replied quite pragmatically. After the fourth part, in which the protagonist became the de facto ruler of the galaxy and subsequently conquered hell itself, there was simply nowhere to go. The team therefore wondered how the Saints Row series could work in the modern world.
The trailer raised many questions about whether the game would still be as wild and humorous as it had been in the past. You don’t have to worry that they would want to embezzle the link completely in Volition, but one of the goals is to bring the series closer to the modern audience and reflect current events in the game. You can look forward to a huge arsenal of weapons at a distance and at close range, but this time you will not find a giant purple dildo in the game.
Saints Row is targeting current and past generations of consoles and PCs through the Epic Games Store, and the game will also include drop-in cooperative gaming, as is customary in the series. The release date is currently set for February 25 next year.
