I think it’s safe to say that news of a Saints Row reboot went down pretty badly with fans of the series. Or at least it did in the comments section of my previous preview video.
The game’s announcement reflected a Saints Row fanbase split in two – between those who preferred the series’ first two games, which were gritter and more focussed on gang warfare, and fans who wanted more of the weird and wacky side embraced by later games which featured super powers and alien invasions. The reboot straddles the line between these two very opposing halves but, instead of pleasing everybody, seems to have left both sides with different things to dislike.
Complaints ranged from the removal of the series’ signature raunchy edginess, the emptiness of the new Santo Ileso world map, and the brand new cast of seemingly bland characters. Most prevalant of all was the claim that a fresh, clean slate reboot simply wasn’t needed.
11 Stupid Things You Can Do In The Saints Row Reboot – 19 MINUTES Of NEW Saints Row 2022 PC Gameplay Watch on YouTube
So the biggest question now is probably – does the reboot actually feel like a Saints Row game? Has the new direction and cast robbed the series of its, admittedly immature, charms? Well, I recently went hands-on with the first four hours of the game and as you’ll see in my video above, the world of Saints Row may have been rebooted, but the gameplay is just as ridiculous as it has always been.