The release of the next Saints Row installment approximately a year and a half after the previous one may have given the impression of a hastily put together effort that may disappoint. That could not be further from the truth. Saints Row 4 is a cheery parody of several prominent pop culture phenomena, as well as a lot of fun in an open environment.
The fourth installment’s prologue recounts how our hero, the head of the Third Street Saints gang, becomes President of the United States. Following the events of the last part, Cyrus Temple, the commander of a military group opposing the growth of mafia activities, is demoted. In retaliation, he becomes a terrorist and plots a nuclear strike on the White House in an attempt to rid the country of corruption and wickedness. Of course, his plans must be foiled by well-known gangsters and celebrities, who foil the attack and become even more popular in society. As you might expect, the vox populi elects the leader of the Saints as President of the United States. Five years later, the United States has become a gangster idyll. Finding a cure for cancer or eradicating world hunger is a “small piece” – especially when the vice president is actor Keith David! Just when you thought things couldn’t get any weirder, the Earth is invaded by aliens. Emperor Zinyak’s overwhelming force tramples the defensive line and enslaves the whole planet. Because the dictator of the Zin Empire enjoys human misery, he ties a substantial percentage of the planet’s population – including members of our group – to computer simulations in which they will suffer from nightmares endlessly. “The Truman Show” meets “The Matrix” in a unique way. One of the gang’s more sturdy heads, Kinzie Kensington, manages to avoid this destiny. A cunning hacker rapidly breaches the simulation system’s security and locates our hero’s nightmare. It aids in escaping the confines of the computer illusion, but Zinyak transports us out of virtual space and into Simulation 31, a computerized replica of Steelport. The majority of the population is imprisoned there, and elite guards preserve order.
Even so, the main character begins to rebel against the system. The moment has come not only to destroy the entire simulation and escape the grips of digital hell, but also to bring the Zin Empire down! Kinzie and Keith David have stolen a spacecraft as the hacker command center of humanity’s final stronghold. This camouflage is ideal for this sort of assignment. It allows you to wander about the Empire’s base ship without raising an alert and remotely connects to the simulation – this isn’t the first time “The Matrix” has been compared. The gameplay seamlessly swings between real-world experiences and simulations, which we progressively learn to master and shatter in true superhero fashion. Running at breakneck speed, leaping into the air, and hurling fireballs are just a few of the maneuvers we can perfect to disrupt the simulation’s equilibrium. Setting the major battlefield in a replica of Steelport may appear secondary, but it is understandable: the player is not expected to discover a whole new city, but to learn about it from a different perspective. Streets and particular locations are no longer as significant; we may now explore anything by jumping on roofs or soaring at great heights. Kinza even manages to breach the software that controls automobile radios, allowing the main character to listen to his favorite tunes while racing vertically up the side of a building. The game engine’s flaws are skillfully explained away by flaws in the simulation system, which actually enhances our tolerance for errors, at least as compared to Saints Row: The Third. Texture loading, for example, is now purposely overdone to provide a more virtual world feel.
We may utilize weapons from the “Matrix” in addition to the full spectrum of superpowers that transform us into a superhero directly from InFamous or Prototype. We have a big collection to pick from, beginning with genre classics and finishing with space rocket launchers, cannons that produce black holes, and; wait for it, a knocker that kills with dubstep. It fires multicolored electronic music to destroy adversaries, producing a dazzling show. I’ve never seen a stupider notion that works so well in practice. All purchased or unlocked weapons may be enhanced and their functionality increased. We may customize the appearance of our equipment, allowing us to not only look stylish, but also wield weapons that are fitted to our dreams. Simulation 31 is only a stage for our games and side tasks; the main narrative leads to wholly new virtual reality realms. To defeat Zinyak, the hero must liberate all key members of the gang and the presidential entourage, who are each imprisoned in their own virtual hell. So we go back in time to see Ben King’s horrible recollections from the first portion of the game, free Shaundi and Shaundi from the clutches of her psychotic boyfriend Veteran Child, or assist Pierce in overcoming a marketing catastrophe.
Each released buddy joins the crew of the ship. We may visit them outside of the simulation at any moment, speak, joke, and, as befits a true space opera, have sex. The previously stated persona of Kieth David, who gave the voice of David Anderson in Mass Effect, is an extra complement to the vision of the space epic. After assembling the complete crew, we assist each of them in mastering “Simulation 31” in order to launch the ultimate attack on Zinyak. The loyalty quests are also utterly ridiculous and will frequently make you laugh out loud. Third Street Saints’ next escapade will certainly amaze you till the very end. It’s a fantastic mashup of science fiction films as well as games, which the creators ruthlessly assault. The first few minutes mimic tactical games from Tom Clancy’s series before returning to classics like Space Invaders and ancient beat’em up sidescrollers. Playing in the “Sandbox,” which is unquestionably Simulation 31, does not appear tedious, because the various activities familiar from earlier parts have been supplemented with a plethora of new games and mini-games. Furthermore, we don’t get the impression that we’re doing something wholly unconnected to the main narrative because crew members provide us side missions that entail accomplishing the aforementioned activities. Then they give us numerous perks.
There are also extra missions for two players where we may defeat the schemes of the great and wicked Emperor with the help of a living partner. Saints Row 4 will not bore you and will take a long time to complete – completing the main plot and half of the bonus missions might take over 20 hours. It is good to set aside the same amount for future chores and problems. On the technological side, standard faults arose that were before inevitable. When a crucial button fails to function, story characters might get permanently trapped in a texture. This compels you to load the most recent save point, however it is the only problem that may interfere with your overall experience.
The closing credits reveal that Saints Row 4 is a fantastic homage to the gaming community. Studio Volition ended the series with a strong expansion of the previous part’s humor. We encountered space gangsters who can still kick ass in style, and dance just as well!