Open world with criminal theme has the major connection on how to be memorable franchise of decade. There is GTA franchise as the main success of formula of being criminal who can do anything we want in fictional open-world city as setting, and there Saints Row that every one look up as the knock off GTA where since the first installment the theme focus on criminal and gangster culture that is probably remembered as GTA San Andreas long lost friend.
Oddly, I played the game with random pick with the third as my first introductory for the franchise that makes me really like the game direction with more humoristic approach and silly tone but still it has the gangster elements like taking over the entire map of Steel Port City which the premise just doing mission to defeat three different gang just like the second installment but with here I don’t play as unbearable main character a—hole attitude and surreallism the stereotypical gangsta crime depiction that makes a borderline with unrealistic physic and edgy story-line in previous installment.
So Saints Row 4 is my third pick to continue the story that has new things to explore like that has non-sense storyline about the world is blow by Aliens, and Saints Row gang who becomes a presidential and government force now instead gangster group becomes the survivor and they need to take down the invasion through simulation program on the space to defeat Zinyak, an alien overlord who just want to play along the characters. It just like the game creator probably don’t know what to do next about crime open world they used to make and then experiment things with zany and ridiculous theme that has nothing to do with previous installment and yet the game itself has self-awareness on how the storyline make connection with previous game and try to settle things what made the main character relate with the support characters which still the gameplay element is not far from typical open world mission element but there are bunch of addition that makes the game great such as kind of leveling system and super power to upgrade in order to defeat enemies, its combination of shooter but the main character are basically has super power such firing elemental attack, telekinesis and force field to stomp any enemy. It also enable to do travel faster around the city by having super speed sprinters and higher jump to fly around. It defies the physic of the game which I consider its really fits and what Saints Row no need to be more realistic game.
What I really love from the game that they don’t have to serious with its missions that has references to many video games as the variation to break the rules of open world mission cliché. There are things to do involving with blowing the entire city as side mission that just like typical Saints Row side-mission. Guns are necessary with two different side like using real guns or alien guns which is additional for the gameplay. Say goodbye to use vehicle because its not car-jacking game anymore and its not necessary to travel across the map using car since super power is the saving grace to save times from the exploration.
There many critics and hate from the fans who think that the game went too far from its root and the truth that the open world games has reach its peak with same boring formula, the Saints Row 4 exist as refreshment for the mundane stuff you can find for many open world games that was phenomenal with big open world and things to explore and yet people aren’t impressed anymore with the open world because what really matters are the fun game play and new ideas to dig for breaking the monotony which open world are already over-saturated games.
Rating : 9/10
Difficulty : Normal
Finished 16 March 2019
Written 15 March 2019
