If you have never heard of Saints Row, most would describe the series as a Grand Theft Auto (GTA) clone, gone silly. Whereas GTA takes on a grittier tone, Saints Row refuses to take itself seriously and puts an emphasis on comedy and the wackiness within its world that pervades every inhabitant and situation.
In the game you continue the story of a wannabe gangster who rose to fame within the ranks, eventually becoming one of the city's most prominent gang bosses. Your goal is to conquer the city, eliminating rival gangs while fending off government agents who are tasked to wipe you out.
Saints Row The Third is the 3rd installment in the series that was well received when it was released, with two sequels following after. Unfortunately the sequels do not hold up amongst fans due to major changes in the gameplay philosophy with the 4th installment and due to a severely low effort with the 5th installment.
It seems that this is the first step of a reboot of the series, with a brand new installment announced to release in February 2022, returning to its roots and simply called Saints Row. The game and the series are developed by Volition, and published under THQ.
I used to love the franchise growing up, favouring the games over GTA up until the legendary GTA V came along. That being said, times have changed since this game was first released, and the unapologetic approach to comedy may not be as welcome as it used to be. The question remains, does it still hold up after all these years? I’m interested to find out! Make sure to grab the remastered version while it is free on Epic Games as the offer expires on September 2nd!