‘Saints Row’ 2022: New Gameplay Footage Shows Off Stunning Open World
Nitrous oxide pushes an elaborate car up to breakneck speed, launching it off a suspiciously ramp-shaped piece of scenery. As the vehicle lands on a flat roof, the player character ejects high up above the colourful cityscape, before our hero spreads their wingsuit and glides over the vibrant streets. As they’re about to complete their descent, they strategically bounce off a random pedestrian, once again soaring up into the sky. This is 2022’s Saints Row.
Watch the new gameplay footage here:
It was during a hands-off preview event that I first witnessed the scene I described above. Deep Silver Volition’s upcoming open-world title is set to release in a few months time, so one would assume we’ll be able to test it out soon. For now though, I can only comment on what I’ve seen.
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Based on the gameplay footage, I’m excited to dive into Saints Row. The series reboot puts you, the player, into the sprawling, picturesque city of Santo Ileso. This California-esque location seems to be buzzing with life, with ample NPCs adorning the roads and sidewalks.
This new environment is the sandbox that you’ll seek to rule over, as you form your street gang, the Saints. The world of crime is a competitive one though, so you’ll have to face rival factions on your way to the top. Add to that a ruthless police force, and you can be sure that there’ll be chaos aplenty.
Playing as a fully customisable character, you’ll have a variety of missions to take on, ranging from main story quests to side hustles. Although I’ve yet to play any of these missions myself, the glimpses I saw include armed robbery, saving a kidnapped friend, and stealing a chopper to destroy another gang’s base.
The questions on my lips are how silly will Saints Row be? And, as someone who adores SR4, is this going to be a game for me? I put these questions to the game’s associate UX designer Kenzie Lindgren, and she explained that Saints Row is “pretty similar to SR4 except no superpowers”, but is “closer to SR2 and 3”.
Principal designer Damien Allen explained that Saints Row has “the tone and the feel of a Saints Row game”, which is music to fan ears. He continued: “While you’re not in a Matrix-like setting, you do have the freedom to play how you want, to go around and create chaos and havoc in the city.”
Saints Row will offer co-op gameplay from the beginning, and this game mode will “feel very different”, according to Damien Allen, because of mixing playstyles: “You may be focusing on what you’re supposed to but your friend is causing tons of chaos”, he explained.
“Suddenly you have your notoriety, or whatever, because your friend decided to blow something up”, described Kenzie Lindgren, further explaining that this brand of chaotic gameplay is both a lot of fun and very on-brand. “What do you expect from a Saints Row game?”
As the game’s launch date of August 23 looms on the horizon, it’s hard not to wonder what Saints Row will do for the series. The adventures of Johhny Gat may have come to a close, but it’s clear the fine folks at Deep Silver Volition still has a lot they want to do with the franchise, and long-time fans will surely be eyeing this new title with anticipation.
Newcomers, too, could be in for a treat here. While Grand Theft Auto V may continue to keep players hooked with its online play, the lack of even so much as a GTA 6 trailer in the subsequent nine years means a vacuum is there to be filled. Could Saints Row fill the void? I certainly hope so.
Topics: Saints Row