Exclusive Saints Row Hands-On Impressions

Last month, developer Volition provided us with a playable version of the new Saints Row. I had access to a handful of story missions, a few side activities, and the entirety of the Santo Ileso map to explore. Will encouraged me to drive, slide, and wreak havoc to my heart’s content. So that’s exactly what I did. While the content is still in development, I was able to understand how the game is developing in its initial state, and it looks good so far.

During the super powered ride that was Saints Row IV, the cars became almost useless when you had the option of Super Sprint and Jump around Steelport. With this Saints Row reboot, those powers are nowhere in sight, so you’ll be fighting or stealing a random car off the street to get around. Fortunately, Saints Row features a totally redesigned driving system, bringing a new weight to driving and shifting the focus of automotive combat from guns and drivebys to using the car itself as a weapon.

On one of the first missions ever (which you can read about in our Saints Row cover story), I learned all about two key features of this new driving model. One is the ability to rock your car left or right with the push of a button, essentially hitting your vehicle to do damage or knock rival racers off the road. The other is a new drift that will spin your car into a sideslip while the camera tilts and zooms in a bit for added effect.

Drifting on Saints Row looks a lot like a Mario Kart drift, and that’s high praise. No matter the vehicle, drifting will always position your car at a mostly predetermined angle while on the slide, giving you control on the analog stick to adjust your car to an ideal position when coming out of the curve. There is no need to worry about applying the electronic brake too much, the rear of your car moving too much, or losing too much speed while maneuvering. I appreciate that it is clearly designed to keep you moving and not hinder the fun. In the end, I was drifting around every corner, no matter how fast or slow it was, just because it was fun.

Playing as the very capable protagonist known as The Boss, you can jump into your vehicles, even while moving. On the roof, you have a 360-degree advantage to take out pesky local gang members from the Los Pantheros or Idols factions that you may be locked in battle with. You also have the option to take to the skies in the new wingsuit. If your car is moving fast enough, you can jump off the roof and fly through the air to get away or land on another pair of wheels to take as your own.

Walking in a wingsuit through Santo Unleso as a deadly, manic flying squirrel is exhilarating and one of the most fun I had with Saints Row. You start a slide from tall structures like an office building or the mountains and hills that surround the city as well as the roof of a moving car. There are also dots scattered around the map’s accommodation mechanisms to launch you into the air; no skyscrapers required. It’s not always easy to find a place to catch the flight, but I like how that reinforces the importance of traversing the ground and relying on driving for most of your travels through the Santo Ileso districts.

Wearing the wingsuit is a great way to get through short stretches of town quickly. While you’re always at the mercy of gravity, diving to gain speed and pulling up to regain altitude can greatly extend your flying sessions. I love the feeling of speed and the amount of control you have while flying. I would compare it to something between Super Mario World’s cape and Batman’s sliding abilities from Arkham City.

From my time on Saints Row, the shooting felt more mundane. We had access to a set of pistols, assault weapons, and rocket launchers, all of which function as you would expect in a Saints Row game. Some of the wildest weapons promised by the developer were not available in my time of attempted crime around Santo Ileso. Still, the rocket-propelled explosives and minor ballistics were more than enough to take care of who or whatever got in my way.

Outside of the game, a question in the gaming community is whether it feels like the Saints Rows past. Volition has been sincere in wanting to provide a tone somewhere between Saint Row 2 and Saints Row The Third, and from the little segment I’ve played I’d say it hits that mark. I find that writing and humor are in the same ballpark. There are many curses, bullshit and other vulgarities that have not been present in much of what has been shown publicly at this time. You are a group that aspires to build a crime syndicate, after all.

This core group of saints is new and you can meet and befriend them. It’s one of the best parts of the past innings, and I’m looking forward to taking on the world with Eli, Neenah, and Kevin. They complement each other well, and even from what little I have seen, I can see where conflicts can arise, but I also have the feeling that they ride or die for their fellow saints. I am ready to take over Santo Unleso with them and be part of the calamity and destruction caused along the way.

Be sure to check out all of our Saints Row coverage throughout the month, like our Rapid-Fire interview with Jeremy Bernstein, lead narrative designer for the mission. You can find everything in our cover story hub by clicking on the banner below.