Saints Row has recently had a preview event which we got the opportunity to attend in order to give you all of the latest details about the game with information regarding everything from the gameplay to even accessibility options. There was a tidal wave of content at the preview to dig into and I had the opportunity to ask the developers certain questions about the game itself to find out even more. There is a lot to be excited about for the upcoming Saints Row reboot and it’s about time that we delve into all of those details.
Gameplay and Combat of Saints Row
The preview’s focus was on the gameplay of the experience, about everything you can expect to encounter while playing through the new Saints Row. With a cast of new characters making their way into the series, moments early in the game ensure that you as the player are going to connect with the characters before taking on everything that the world has to offer.
You will also be able to upgrade your companions (other Saints) abilities and these upgrades can be unlocked by completing activities such as general missions. Of course, you will also earn cash, experience points, sometimes cars, and more through completing missions.
There are three core criminal empires that the main Saints will have to deal with through a variety of ways to continue growing their influence of your own criminal empire throughout Santo Ileso, the new city, and your open world sandbox. You will be the boss of that criminal empire so it will be worth your while preparing to take to the streets with a deadly array of weapons, wit, and of course…vehicles, and there is a whole lot of those! More than 80 to be exact.
From the preview event, it was showcased that cars have the ability to side swipe into others and deal immense damage varying with what speed you are traveling at—needing to get some rival members off your tail? No problem, give them a tonne weight of car body as you slam into their side in your stylish vehicles. You will even be able to customize your vehicles in a diverse number of ways and you can do so from your very own garage.
In terms of the moment-to-moment combat, there are new ‘Finisher Moves’ for the Saints Row franchise that your character can take advantage of while taking part in the brilliantly designed melee system that you will get to enjoy along with the usual high-octane weapon fuelled combat of the series. Further, there are new skills and perks which you will be able to activate with a total of four skills allowed to be active at one time.
On the basis of weapons, it should be noted that all weapons will have a signature ability to unlock for each. These signature abilities vary in enjoyable wackiness and for a pistol, for example, one signature ability might be changing the pistol to a machine pistol.
Customization and Headquarters — Be Your Own Boss In Santo Ileso
Of course, to be the most memorable boss in the world you will want to look the part. If you’re wanting to dress up in fashionable attire or even a hot dog outfit, you can choose and create the outfit that lets others know you are the boss in town.
Customization is a large focus for Saints Row, from customizing your character’s body, hair, voice, skin tone, facial decorations, clothing colors, weapons, vehicles, and more. There is something for everyone. It was quoted that there are “more ways to customize your weapons than most games do for your avatar” and that should tell you everything you need to know about just how many options there are indeed for customization.
Not only that but you can customize your character anywhere in the world, yes, you heard that right, anywhere. You can create an entirely new character look and/or body type on the fly with the ‘style app’ found on your in-game phone. You will not have to travel somewhere to customize your character, you can do that wherever you want. Thankfully you will be able to save your own boss looks for your customization needs.
Your base of operations in the form of your HQ will be located within a church and you will be able to customize weapons from here and of course, get access to your garage. If you enjoy home decoration, then you will be pleased to know that you can also customize your headquarters. There are over 100 ‘props’ to collect for the HQ and these can be placed in multiple locations throughout the HQ. These props can be found throughout the world. One example of a prop that you can collect is a “giant metal rabbit statue” among many more.
One new feature that the preview was excited to share information on was the ‘War Table’ found within the HQ which is a ‘new spin’ on open world activities. This is where you will be building your criminal empire even further. There will be a display of the map on the table with each of the nine districts, you will be able to start endeavors such as district takeovers through the use of the war table. These will allow you to go out and complete missions related to them and lots of gameplay opportunities will appear for you. You can even unlock loot such as new guns by completing such objectives related to the war table.
A Thriving Open World — Time to Make Your Name Go Down In Saints Row History
The world that Saints Row will offer you is full to the brim of things to see and do. The world even will have random events occur like those observed in games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Scripted and random little encounters that bring the stunning city to life even further.
The areas within the world are diverse and full of sights to behold from what we saw in the preview of the game. The world is based on the “entire American South-West” and for reference material the team had traveled all over the place. It is a city where insanity is fully allowed by the looks of things, and when we saw the player character dragging around someone in a portaloo with a car to get information, it was very evident that Saints Row is still sticking to its roots in that regard among many others.
Following on from that, there was information given that side activities will be available throughout, such as robberies on vans and so forth to more in-depth side hustles. Expressing yourself in the world is also another thing that players will take joy in doing with over 100 emotes available for you.
Golden Nuggets of Saints Row Information — Wanting to Hear Those Exclusive Details?
Arriving to Saints Row once again will be online Co-Op and this will be ‘drop-in, drop out co-op’ meaning that you can join others at any time throughout the experience. You will be able to complete missions together and roam the open world whether you’re wing suiting or taking part in side hustles, or simply just trying to cause as much chaos as possible.
Exploration in the world is going to be rewarded greatly with lots of hidden finds and “tons of discoverable elements” for your character to stumble across, discoverability will be a prime area of enjoyment for many who delve into the world. That is when they aren’t tearing some flesh apart with the host of weapons available of course!
Along with cars, you will be pleased to know that other vehicles such as helicopters will also be included for you to enjoy. In terms of what camera view you will be using throughout the game, it will always be in third person for the time being as there are “no plans for any first person camera at this time”. This is due mainly to the fact that the developers were saying third person “offers the best view” for the areas and especially when bearing in mind that sideswiping with cars is a feature.
Your Burning Saints Row Questions Answered By The Developers
At the preview event, everyone attending got the chance to ask the developers some questions about the experience. One of the questions I asked was: “There have been many memorable and exciting weapons in the Saints Row series. Do you have any personal favorite weapons that you are willing to share information on?” To which I was told by one of the developers that the “Thrust Buster is a lot of fun, it can be attached to people directly or even attached to cars” and they also said “Just wait until you see the signature ability attached” for that weapon.
Further, from another question asked, it was apparent that there was going to be “one on one time” with your companions so growing your bonds with those in your empire definitely seems to also be on the cards for your player.
I also was curious to find out about the accessibility options for people and I asked what sort of accessibility options will be in the game. We were told that there it is the “most accessibility options we have ever had in a Saints Row game” with even options for hearing, visual, and motor aid for players.
When the team was asked what their favorite part of working with the Saints Reboot was, they said: “The things you hear”, “The people, everyone is so creative, so dedicated to seeing the success of the game” and it is with that dedication and creativity that the Saints Row reboot will certainly flourish. From the preview event, I was already booking my tickets for the hype train that is sure to be bound for the game in no time.
It is now up to you to take the plunge into Santo Ileso and explore everything the world has to offer when it launches. This seems like it will be a great new fresh start for the series and will certainly give fans something to be excited about.
Saints Row will be released on the 23rd of August for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and the Epic Games Store on PC.
