While I may not be the biggest devotee or fan of a game like Grand Theft Auto V – sorry folks, like it or loathe it, this name-drop/comparison is bound to pop up, best get it out of the way now – Rockstar’s 2013 outing in Los Santos still finds itself riding high on the list of vivid memories one can recall. And not for anything major pertaining to its story or substantial in gameplay terms. But instead, those small and inconsequential emergent few seconds where everything seems to neatly slot into place. A happy little accident, if you will. In GTA V’s case: taking a jet-ski up and around the North-East coast of the island setting, just as the sun was setting and dark was seeping into the sky. Then it happens: just as I stumble upon the lighthouse, as the final remnants of twilight fade, who else butAll Saintsstarts blasting on the in-game radio as I continue riding the waves in one of many periods of freely exploring, hoping to stumble upon something interesting. Suffice it to say, while the scenery wasn’t anything special on its own, it’s that moment – that fortunate accident of many an element meshing so wonderfully – that has stuck with me in the near-decade since.
Playing throughSaints Rowthis past week, I was both reminded of and so desperately searching for such a moment that would justify one’s prolonged time spent away from the rudimentary “main quest.” A moment that would illicit some modicum of a response from myself that wasn’t just middling apathy for everything else going on around me and too flung in my face as an excuse for player progression. Credit to the game’s long-time, long-standing developer Volition for allowing players to just go off and do their own thing. So faint a praise this might well sound, it’s almost offensive to faint praise. But given the marketing and shall we say, discourse, concerning the nature of this game as a reboot for the series, it was early on where I came to the conclusion that as far as a main cast of characters goes, I could not have cared less about the four would-be criminals the game’s “story” per se revolves around. Not terrible, not loathsome, not a bane on the success that some may have feared/wished for, like so much of Saints Row, just…there. There to fill space, screen-time and not much else. Much like one’s growing state as the hours rolled by, it’s at times shocking just how disinterested Saints Row feels in attempting to wow, impress or simply entertain its players. Worse, how the game feels like it’s been plucked fifteen years out of an otherwise more comfortable year where this kind of open-world attire may (not would) have been approved.
For long-time fans of the series, this year’s reboot may not feel that detrimental given how little this release feeds off the prior successes, even if on the basis of continuity. Which then leaves the only other group this game logically is hoping to appease: newcomers, like myself. But speaking as someone with zero prior experience to this series, I can’t say that what 2022’s Saints Row provides is in anyway enticing. As desperate as I was in the countless hours spent, scouring for something/anything to lift me from out one’s established lull. It’s that lack of interesting detail to its world and its means of exploration that’s perhaps the biggest culprit and why even without prior knowledge, even someone like myself is left feeling cold by what Volition have offered here. So what exactly is to blame here? Is it the scale? Perhaps not, there’s an ounce of admiration to share for a game that isn’t trying to be overly-large size for large’s sake. The fact the map is structured like a ring; a lake at its center with more open desert surrounding all sides, in theory is no bad thing. So little time it takes to make one complete map of the in-game setting, you needn’t worry about being too far away from one region if a distant landmark or stretch of road takes your fancy. Room, you would think, for exploration in those vast stretches where map icons are less present and not cluttering the screen space.
Maybe something is out there to find, to engage with, to at least commend for its position and execution on trusting player-generated, emergent moments. And sure, there are moments – brief moments – where a specific angle or way the sun beams back across the desert landscape that feels…pleasant. Not exactly awe-inspiring or worthy of much elaboration, but with the right hardware and settings, brightens the mood in more ways than one. The problem isn’t that Saints Row is devoid of such distractions, the problem is that the moments you think to be that which you discover naturally are already plastered on the map to begin with. Herein lies the crux to perhaps my biggest gripe with Saints Row, beyond even its sub-par writing, its uninteresting characters, its chore of a formulaic “make the numbers go up” excuse for a campaign progression. Just as one begins to stir up another round of hope and optimism, the game says: “nope, here’s where all the interesting stuff is”.
Such was my frustration coming out, I couldn’t help but groan when late on it dawned on me that the Secret History sites – the one aspect I long assumed the game was allowing me to discover freely and without sign-posting every single icon-donned area – too were being given away. Any chance I had of crafting some form of guide for readers that may be stuck with hunting down those last few sites made irrelevant. By a game that, like so much of its design, feels increasingly like it does not and will not trust the competency and intelligence of its players. That everything (and I mean everything) needs to be highlighted. And that even if you were to stumble upon something unusual or initially questionable (I won’t spoil the specifics, but if you so desire: head to the South part of the map), given how out-of-place it feels amid this sanguine, barely-fleshed out rendition of a zany, over-the-top, open-world adventure, only highlights just how flat and vacuous this game feels.
It doesn’t help that the uninspired mission design, non-existent through-line the narrative follows, as well as a surprising lack of polish with character models and animation makes that desire to enjoy exploring all the more crucial. For someone who relishes the opportunity to take a detour and see what is and isn’t possible amidst one’s surroundings, it was always going to be one of the first opportunities I took upon boot-up. But Saints Row offers little reason to see just what details, if any, are being hidden and not just because the details are already there staring you in the face. More so the possible routes there, to fall back on that previous point, already feel predetermined as if Volition has little confidence in the idea that some clever labyrinth or sandbox to mess about with would be one players wouldn’t engage with. Instead, you have an island at the map’s center that can be accessed with little difficulty. Or a collectible strangely isolated by a mountain’s edge, whose position suggests working out some secret back-route to then be quickly nullified by the presence of a jumping-off platform at the same height not too far away. How convenient!
For all its problems and so too those minute sparks that in another scenario might’ve worked were they better fleshed out, perhaps Saints Row’s biggest woe is its near-complete lack of interest in making its world one to care about. A problem not least in convincing veteran fans this reboot is justified with its changes, but arguably worse when it comes to drawing in potential new fans. Those without the knowledge and past connection to the series' background – those who may simply want to let loose and be left to freely scout out any all secrets this game may be stashing away. Not least when the writing, mission design and all-round aesthetic is more likely to push people away than it will draw them in. And yet with how there are so few interesting landmarks, dynamic interactions and worse, opportunities for genuinely emergent moments that stick with you, what you’re left with here is both mind-boggling in its staleness, but ultimately forgetful due to how little there is to grab your attention. Still I can recall the lighthouse from a near-decade old title like GTA V – accidental that positive memory might be. It’s only been mere days and looking back, I honestly can’t say I remember a single worthwhile moment with Saints Row.
