[h2]A worthy successor of [i]Saints Row III[/i][/h2]
[b][i]Saints Row[/i][/b] is an interesting juxtaposition of a coming of age story with the usual Power of Friendship and cartoonish violence, gang violence, and the very modern job market. I found it particularly touching after almost 4 months on LinkedIn when I first played it. It is also a stark contrast to SR2, at the same time being a logical evolution and a significant improvement of the series, with the previous entries [i]How the Saints Saved the Christmas[/i] and [i]Gat Out of Hell[/i] (damned be consumerism and organised religion both; the reboot is largely Christianity-free, aside from the base being a repurposed church). But ultimately, it is a story about imperfect people in an imperfect world doing their best (through violence). So, while the party is not investing in education or researching renewable energy or creating legal job opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, one of the companions donates toys to orphans and there is an actual cat who is unharmed.
The graphics and visual style are fine and I found them more appealing with the visual accessibility settings and some filters. As is, they seemed a little too detailed yet some animations were occasionally too minimalistic, but as mentioned, it fit the general style.
The controls are comfortable and rebindable, though the aim assist felt a bit too strong. The combat felt simple but functional (when compared to [i]Devil May Cry[/i], which might be an unusual example), though I have not used the special abilities. Same for movement and driving, but there are flying suits, which are more grounded than the superhero abilities from [i]SRIV[/i]. The driving is quite good and different vehicles handle very differently from each other. The VTOL that is unlocked in post-game is easily the most convenient and powerful mode of transportation.
The range of customisation options is excellent and includes body sliders, layered clothing, and several voices. On the negative side, the missions are mostly linear (1 choice for the main story). The side missions and collectibles are nice, though I would have preferred them being available from the start, better integrated into the main story, and in lower numbers. As is, their availability is bound to the main story. It would have been better if each criminal venture and side activity was limited to 3 missions, with the first being bound to the main storyline, highlighting either the rival gangs or the companions and expanding the interactions with them. The Eurekabator is the perfect example - it directly references Marshall, unlocks new and exciting devices, and has only 3 missions. On the other hand, Food Trucks are very similar, have little connection to the story, and there are 5 of them.
The number of the save slots is limited to ~16 (not sure, but not enough to save every other main mission). The performance on Steam Deck with DX11 is excellent, though not so much with Vulkan, ironically.
Overall, I would recommend it with the right expectations.
