We wanted to make it bigger than Stilwater, bigger than Steelport. Our team traveled to places like Las Vegas, to places here in the southwest, to see what it’s really like out here, and all those things we brought back to make Santo Ileso what it was. I had the chance to speak to Danielle Benthien, an associate artist at Volition, on how the team achieved this goal, and how the reboot is more of a mix of southwest Americana than it is based on one particular region: “Making the bigger is always important, but more color, more vivaciousness, making things alive…we have the technology to do that now.
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The map of Santo Ileso is massive, but it isn’t overwhelming to the point where it feels like an empty canvas full of soulless pins. It’s still fun to stop and take a picture of a “Keep Santo Ileso Weird” mural (taking pictures of key/set locations also can unlock fast travel), or go dumpster diving (which is the Saints Row equivalent of a hidden package) after seeing an icon light up on the in-game radar. And it’s easy to progress, too, because there are a lot of little things to do beyond the main story. There’s just enough RPG elements to get that dopamine flowing when you level up in Saints Row, but not an overwhelming amount to the point where progression feels pointless. Like the tone of the story, it’s all a careful balance. With adjustable difficulty, having that higher ceiling and air of accomplishment is a good thing on paper if it keeps that feeling going through the finish line. On normal mode I acclimated very quickly to the game’s various tricks, and found myself able to mow down droves of enemies, even at a higher “heat level” after causing a ruckus. There’s a familiar “retro” air to it too (as in, a GTA 3 retro, feel old yet?), with the proper amount of snap to the controls.
It’s functional and fast, which is how you want an open-world game centered around action and gunplay to be. It also has a weapon wheel and a takedown system, as well as abilities like smoke bombs and proximity mines, on top of a leveling system and passives. Immediately I noticed the snappiness of aiming and locomotion, a tightness that will come in handy after spending 30+ hours in this world.
Said tutorial also teaches you the basics of running and gunning, as well as the responsive dodge button and jumping mechanics. Whatever you end up deciding on looks-wise, the tutorial has the boss try and track down a notorious and elusive villain, disobeying orders in the process (which sets up a chain of events that leads to said boss creating their own empire with their own crew of preset story characters). Another writer next to me was making Thanos, complete with purple skin. I had the chance to flip through the boss creator social channel in-game, which included a dev creation of Shrek, fully decked out in Shrek garb (which you can click on as a loadout if you have the in-game cash to buy said outfit). Speaking of the character creator, it’s also another neon sign of how weird Saints Row can get. While the monetary plight of the boss is at the forefront, the MDI commercial also showcases how the organization is “serving the community” by saving an old lady from getting hit by a car by…blowing up said car with weaponry right on the street. It’s here that the tutorial picks up and you start to see the aforementioned silliness in action. Our story begins with the “boss,” our plucky protagonist (who is fully developed with a highly customizable character creator) who joins up with the PMC Marshall Defense Industries. So what’s the verdict? Well after playing the first few story missions and four full hours of the open world (via a later save file), I can safely say that it feels like a comfortable mix of the seriousness of Saints Row 2, and the silliness of Saints Row 3.
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A full reboot feels like the best direction to take a series that once brought us to hell and tangoed with aliens and superheroes, and we recently had the chance to put this to the test with a Saints Row hands-on session.
When the new 2022 Saints Row game was announced, I was legitimately surprised.
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