Saint Row 2022 has the identity of being a comedic open-world experience. That identity has been solidified over the years through different games in the series. It has always been a satirical series with fun and decent gameplay. However, a lot of it has changed with this new entry into the series. Most of the changes make it worse than previous games in the series. The series has gotten goofier over the years but Saint Row 2022 turns it down a notch.
A new Saint Row was needed to quench the thirst for the series. Saint Row reboots the series in the worse way possible. The reboot doesn’t quench the thirst, instead, it takes the series in another direction mostly for the worse. It seems like the game is facing an identity crisis and is not sure what it wants to do. The satire has been turned down by a lot. All the language is filtered so that it does not offend anyone.
The nostalgic feeling is gone which is strange for a reboot. It mostly seems like reimagination that waters down the concept of the original games. It goes crazy with all the changes but still does not feel unique. All this makes you wonder Is Saint Row 2022 Worth It? Let’s find out.
Story and Setting
The story of the game is simple with not many complications. You are three roommates who decide to make a gang because they are broke. Each one of them has a unique talent. There is a guy with muscle, one with the brain, one is a driver, and things like that.
Each one of these characters has their own background. Saint Row 2022 leans more on group dynamics and it can be seen in the story. There is no build-up to the death of the antagonist. The antagonist is suddenly killed and you will reach that point without any events building up to it. Your action has no effect on other factions. That’s about it and there is nothing more the game offers in terms of story.
The world is good in terms of looks. Saint Row 2022 is a fresh experience and is not based on a real-world city like other games. There are variations in the city that divide the city into different parts. The city has dense residential areas with low buildings, areas with open plains and desert areas to cruise through, and city areas with tall buildings. Landmarks and building all feel good.
Random things will happen throughout the city. You will see the accident happen, pedestrians shooting fireworks and different random things happening in the world. Saint Row 2022 is a reboot that took a couple of years to develop. It is not a fun play in general despite having a decent open world. Some might enjoy it but it is not as interesting. It is a messy Saint Row that does not have the charm of previous games from the series.
Progression
Progression and upgrading do not offer much. You will equip different abilities through the phone that unlock as you go through the game. There are active abilities such as cooler moves and passive abilities such as health modifiers. Some of these updates become pretty crazy. It’s never enough to get you going. Saint Row 2022 does not have the feeling of one more mission one more game instead it goes in the opposite direction.
To progress ahead you have to earn money through different quests and make influence. Side quests include stealing cars, leaving bad reviews on Yelp for different places, fighting off bad guys that show up, insurance fraud, high-level bounties, and things like that.
Bigger things like criminal ventures are about getting stuff done to progress toward the next mission. You have to keep doing an activity constantly to make it reach 100%. It is fun in the beginning but all of it quickly becomes stale.
Combat
The core gameplay revolves around driving and shooting. The third-person combat is pretty basic that only includes basic combat moves. Couch, dodge, shoot, aim down sight, and do finishers are all that combat offers. There is no cover or any other type of mechanics in the combat of Saints Row 2022. To do finisher you have to kill enough enemies. Finishers are cool moves that will also grant health. Finishers are long and can break the flow of the combat. At times, it feels like finishers are getting in the way of combat.
Aiming and shooting feel dull that gets old really quickly. Things easily explode which can make a mess of things. There is even a button to shoot barrels instantly. Even if the weapon use is straightforward, combat can quickly become chaotic. Shooting and combat just feel outdated because it doesn’t feel like a modern game. Finishers are too long which can break the pace of combat.
AI of the enemies is bad and they will just stand in the open to shoot. They will mindlessly run around, making it easy to take them down. Certain guns will have cool attacks but most of the combat is pretty generic. There is no cover button and nothing else more complicated than running and shooting. Combat offer little in term of verity. Saint Row 2022 starts off strong with cool sequences but quickly becomes stale due to its generic combat.
General Gameplay
Saint Row 2022 has a high level of customization when making a character. You can make any type of person you want. There are options to make a ridiculous-looking character or cool looking character. You can buy weird-looking clothes and accessories to change the way your character dresses. There are options to customize cars and even customize your other group members.
The jokes and pop culture references are there but they are not as intense. Saint Row 2022 was always different than others due to its unique identity. It feels nothing like the series is known for. The game feels like a far more turn-down version of the series. Jokes are bad, characters are forgettable and the story has twists that you can see from far away. So many jokes do not land which creates an overall bad experience.
Driving is floaty and old-school. There is a drift button that will start the drift as soon as you hit it. Car sounds are not good even after the updates. Most cars have a similar sound that does not go up or down as you accelerate. There is even an option to ram vehicles. Car explosions are satisfying but the feedback is not good. The impact of your actions on vehicles is mediocre at best. The overall driving experience is not good.
The gliding system feels like an adaptation from the Just Cause series. Gliding is slow and feels hollow. It does not have the same impact as other games. Gliding does not feel as impactful because it feels floaty just like driving. You cannot go inside most of the buildings. Some shops have buildings but you can only shop from the shack in front of it which is downright stupid.
Verdict
Saints Row had a rough launch and it was plagued with bugs at launch. Updates have fixed a lot of these bugs but there are still problems here and there aside from bugs. It seems like Saint Row 2022 was rushed because it still has issues. It could have been a fun open-world experience but all of its negative points turn it into a hollow experience. From dumb combat to bad jokes, all of it takes it far from the identity of the series.
The game is more annoying than it is enjoying with everything that it offers. Saint Row 2022 removes anything offensive which has a huge impact on the game’s dialogues. Writing is not good which makes it a shallow experience for the Saints Row fans. One moment the gang will act as protectors and the next moment you will be killing civilians left and right.
It tries to satisfy the Saints Row fans and new player but end up doing neither. Saints Row 2022 is a reboot of the Saints Row series that wants to reinvent the series. Despite all its struggle to make it a new and better experience, it fails to do so. It is not a recommendation unless on sale.
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