The next-gen Saints Row presents its plethora of customization options, each crazier than the next. Here’s what to remember about customization.
If the conquest of territories will be one of the mechanics of Saints Row, the Volition studio will not turn its back on the customization of your band, your vehicles, weapons and your HQ. Brian Traficante, creative director on the game, recalled that it was the DNA of the series.
Customization is one of the things the license is known for. Not just in terms of characters, but also weapons. And in SR 4, we introduced weapon customization. It’s so ingrained in the DNA that I feel like if there’s no customization, it’s hard to say this is completely a Saints Row game.
Saints Row: create the character of your dreams
This new episode will not forbid anything and will go a long way in the options available to shape its hero. There will be something for everyone, from very classic looks to the most fanciful. Whether you choose a male, female, or non-gendered person, you can customize your character from head to toe. Literally.
In addition to gender, you will have to define your build according to three references (skinny, strong, fat), as in Saints Row 4, as well as your age. Are you going to opt for a handsome ephebe or a little old man who will sow chaos in town like the grandmother of Watch Dogs Legion? Up to you.
The choice of clothes is also very wide, especially since shops like Leather & Lace are back. As usual, you can dress up or go “in sobriety” by walking the streets like Adam and Eve, tap dancing socks on your feet. Moreover, those who want to play the nudity card may or may not activate the censorship, and adjust the size of the genitalia. Saints Row what!
For those in a hurry, there will be eight predefined characters, modifiable of course. Do you want to look like an inhabitant of another planet or a colossus of clay? This is possible thanks to the different types of skin. On the face side, it’s just as vast with the choice in teeth, eyes (injected with black ink, reptile style, etc.), eyebrow color, lip shape (normal, botoxed, etc.), scars, tattoos/makeup or lines for sometimes strange results… In short, it’s really ultra complete, and your body can also accommodate arm and leg prostheses. And if you find the time to do the mariole during the gunfights, why not do a Fortnite dance or move like on your tiptoes “à la The Mask” thanks to emotes.
Pimp My Ride at Jim Rob’s
Of course, Volition won’t let you wander the open world of Santo Ileso without a vehicle. On this, the developers have also put the package. On the program the traditional trucks, motorcycles, boats, jet-skis, planes, helicopters… and above all a HOVERBOARD. Name of Zeus! We already thank the studio for this beautiful gift, hoping that driving will be fun.
All of these vehicles will be customizable by going to Jim Rob’s Garage. Neon lights under the car, installation of shields, spoilers and fins, rotating rims, low-rise tires, etc. Conventional tuning, but we are in Saints Row. You can therefore install a roof box, make the engine appear to recreate Dominic Toretto’s Dodge Charger (Fast & Furious), or even modify your machine into a rolling pirate ship. Again, these are just a few examples.
That’s all ? No, special kits will be able to be installed such as nitro, off-road gear and a tow rope to hook things up to…including a bus to ride around the map. Finally, the presentation mentioned “signature skills”. They allow you, for example, to eject from your car and fly through the air in a wingsuit, to crush your enemies’ tires (like in the movie Grease with the Scorpions gang’s convertible), to drag a metal ball to send screw everything up…
Weapons and Operations HQ
Weapon customization, introduced in Saints Row 4, returns in this installment. Whether it’s a submachine gun or a pistol, each part can be customized with different colors. No trace of the bat-dildo, the “Penetrator” of Saints Row 3, but Volition multiplies the nods to works of pop culture. We will therefore find the Penguin umbrella (Batman), the guitar case that serves as a rocket launcher for Antonio Banderas in Desperado, or a firecracker firing confetti Harley Quinn style. But you can also transform guns into crutches or bones or swap a double pistol for two foam fingers of American football supporters.
All these weapons, vehicles and your wardrobe will be accessible from your smartphone application (in game), but also in your HQ. A church… customizable. You can organize your crimes there, on the upper floor of the building, which will allow you to capture territories.
Rebroadcast of the April 20, 2022 showcase
Saints Row will be available on August 23, 2022 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.