Saints Row 2022 is a mix of arcade chaos and modern anxiety

pcgamesn.com:

Saints Row 2022 might have a fresh face and a very modern set of anxieties driving its narrative, but its open-world arcade chaos and penchant for outrageous set pieces feels unmistakably like the Saints games of old. It doesn’t break any new ground, but the new Saints Row feels like a delightful return to the form of 3 and 4, following Volition’s misstep with Agents of Mayhem.

A short way into my four hour hands-on, my customised Boss character – a bright purple woman with lizard eyes, a fauxhawk, and a deep southern accent – is in trouble. Sprawled out on a bridge and surrounded by cops, she glances into the distance and smirks as her ride-or-die buddy Neenah comes roaring down the road in a bright yellow muscle car. What follows is a stunt so gloriously silly that it makes Fast & Furious look realistic – but, in true Saints Row style, it works like a charm.

“You said you didn’t want to risk your car,” chirps my character as she hops into the passenger seat. “I said I didn’t want to risk it for rent,” Neenah replies with a grin, “I’d risk anything for you dummies.” It’s a moment that encapsulates the reboot’s new cast perfectly – an over-the-top, modern-day millennial crew whose love for one another is immediate and inarguable, but who are also a group grappling with the mundane anxieties of contemporary adult life.

Stepping away from the beloved faces of Saints Row’s past isn’t something the team at Volition is taking lightly. “Over five games there are a lot of things that wouldn’t have allowed us to do what we wanted to do,” says principal designer Damien Allen of their decision to reboot the series. “This group of Saints is different, and they have their own story to tell.”

It’s certainly the game’s boldest