Saints Row 4 Review

Just as there are three types of gifts — good, bad, and a book — there are also good, bad, and... Saints Row games. Yes, the Saints Row series simply can't be categorized. It's a game unto itself. It's the quintessence of humor, sometimes crude and absurd, but sometimes that's exactly what saves the day.

Saints Row 4 opened a new chapter in the history of the Saints gang. They're no longer just street thugs who could terrorize an entire city and scare off passersby with phallic weapons. Now, they're serious people who have climbed to the very top. Their new home? The White House. The reckless gang has finally made it, gaining power at last. But the celebration didn't last long.

The plot revolves around the gang leader who managed to become the President of America. All the other Saints members landed high-ranking positions in the government. Life should be good. But all good things must come to an end. And in Saints Row 4, the end comes almost immediately.

So, our newly minted president is getting ready to address the press. On the way to the conference room, he's offered to sign some utterly ridiculous laws (but this is Saints Row 4, so that's par for the course). Unfortunately, the much-anticipated interview isn't meant to happen. As luck would have it, aliens decide to interrupt and invade the holiest of holies — the White House.

Naturally, the president's conscience won't let him stand by, especially as the alien invaders start abducting his friends right before his eyes. But no matter how hard our hero tries, all attempts end in failure. Now there are no friends, no country, and no president. Everything hard-earned is taken away by the aliens.

You don't need to be a genius to figure out where the story goes from here. Obviously, your mission is to save the world, yourself, and your friends.

After being abducted, the main character finds himself in a virtual version of the city (hello, "The Matrix" and Neo). At first, he doesn't realize what's happening and takes it all for reality. That is, until he starts hearing voices in his head. Or rather, just one voice. His loyal partner and a few miraculously saved gang members do everything they can to pull their leader out of the aliens' clutches.

And they succeed. After leaving the virtual world, our hero boards a spaceship, where he's greeted with open arms. And that's when the scheming begins — plotting how to free the city from the alien invasion and reclaim power, strippers, and whiskey flowing like rivers.

You’ll be able to travel to Steelport (a virtual copy of the city) directly from your flying hideout. Convenient, isn’t it? While your friends are busy coming up with yet another ingenious way to save the doomed, you can take a stroll around the city.

And wandering around the city is interesting — at least for the first half hour, maybe an hour. You can get into a fight with aliens, hijack a car, kill a passerby, buy new clothes, or even get plastic surgery. But all of this gets old pretty quickly. So, it’s time to head back to the ship and pick up a new mission.

One thing the developers didn’t skimp on is the abundance of story and side missions. You’ll be thrown all over the city. While the story missions are spiced up with some variety, unfortunately, the side missions can’t boast the same.

By about the middle of the game, you’ll start to feel tired of the side quests, because they’re as similar to each other as two peas in a pod. At first, everything seems diverse and interesting, but that feeling disappears completely after about the twentieth identical task.

But, apparently anticipating this reaction from some gamers, the developers have generously seasoned every mission with humor. The protagonist’s comments during assignments, the soundtrack, and the behavior of people on the streets all help break up the nagging sense of déjà vu.

As for the story missions, you definitely won’t be bored. In your desperate attempts to save your gang members, you’ll have to visit all sorts of places. The cunning Emperor Zinyak has placed your friends in worlds that embody their worst nightmares. Just imagine what a nightmare might look like for a hardened criminal!

Here, the developers truly deserve a bow. I don’t know what the creators were on when making Saints Row 4, but I sincerely want to thank their supplier.

There are more than enough superpowers in Saints Row 4. You can run faster than the wind (who needs to steal cars now?), jump over buildings, freeze people, and even use telekinesis.

With powers like these, you hardly need weapons. But honestly, giving up these guns is impossible.

Just look at the dubstep gun. Blowing up the city to some good music is basically a dream come true. And a gun that shoots black holes? It’s hilarious to watch pedestrians and cars get sucked in. Honestly, the weapons in Saints Row 4 deserve their own booklet with detailed descriptions.

In Saints Row 4, you’ll find tons of parodies of famous movies and games. From the very beginning to the final credits, you’ll spot references to well-known and popular works.

All of this is delivered with a generous dose of sarcasm and dark humor. On one hand, it might seem like the developers are just mocking serious works, but on the other, it all fits so perfectly into the overall fabric of the game that you get the impression that renowned directors, five or ten years ago, somehow knew their masterpieces would be loved not only by audiences but also by the folks at Volition.

All in all, Saints Row 4 has managed to break free and shed its reputation as a GTA clone, and that’s definitely a good thing.

We’ve got a completely new game that’s a mix of everything imaginable. And while it doesn’t pretend to be a serious project or carry any real meaning, it will always be loved.

This game will appeal to anyone tired of the real world and looking to relax to the fullest. The only time you’ll need to use your brain in Saints Row 4 is when hacking locks in shops.

And you definitely won’t have to ponder whether there’s life on Mars or any other serious questions.