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Once seen as little more than a knock-off of Grand Theft Auto, the Saints Row series has undergone a massive transformation in the eyes of the public over the past few years. With Saints Row: The Third, the developers at Volition made their mission clear: to be offensive, crass, nonsensical and irreverent - so long as the end result was fun for those playing the game. With Saints Row 4, they’re taking that philosophy to a new level.
With their last game widely praised by existing fans (and having earned them plenty of new ones) and now claiming a brand new publisher, Volition isn’t changing a formula that’s working - not to mention one they believe is unique in today’s industry. But as outlandish as Saints Row 4 may look, the makers claim there is a method to their madness; a point made clear in their latest developer diary, ‘The Wheels of the Spaceship Go Round and Round.’
Taking players from the leader of a gang to the face of a multi-million-dollar brand was a strange enough leap for the previous game, but for SR4, one new addition leaves energy drinks and autograph sessions in the dust. We speak, of course, of the all new superpowers (oh, and you’re the president now).
The ability to leap tall buildings or run faster than a speeding train may not seem outlandish given the series’ reputation, the developers reveal that implementing those abilities required a new breed of enemies; specifically, the alien invaders of the Zin Empire. While we might disagree that weapons like a ‘black hole gun’ or laser rifles wouldn’t have fit into the game without a sci-fi enemy, it’s nice to know Volition has reasoning behind their more unpredictable decisions.
Even so, the weapon known only as the ‘Rectifier’ proves that not every weapon or feature needs a justification (and can occasionally be enough to get the game banned in some countries). But even if some of Volition’s decisions are criticized or attacked, it all seems to be in service to the company’s fans - a point the developers drove home in their last diaries. And as this video emphasizes, they’re willing to go to great lengths to offer quality along with a healthy dose of humor.
Creative director Steve Jaros is right to point out that not many studios these days invest in a character creation engine as extensive as the series enjoys, let alone recording multiple voices to accompany it (with some notable stars among them). And with each passing year, it becomes harder and harder for open-world action games to distinguish themselves from the ever-growing pack. But that’s one problem Volition does not need to worry about.
Will there success in sophomoric humor - backed up by solid open-world game design - be a trend that other soon imitate? Only time will tell. For now, fans have only a few weeks left to wait to experience the game for themselves. What comes next from the series… well, even the developers aren’t sure just yet.
What do you think of the sense of humor seen in the Saints Row series? Should more studios stop taking games so seriously, or is maturation a good thing? Leave your opinions in the comments.
Saints Row 4 releases August 20, 2013 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.
