Publisher Deep Silver released new information, including a release date, on Agents of Mayhem, an upcoming game by the developers behind the Saints Row franchise, Volition.Agents of Mayhem is open world action game set in the same universe as Saints Row, set for an Aug. 15, 2017 release. The game takes place in a futuristic version of Seoul, South Korea where an organization known as M.A.Y.H.E.M. (Multinational AgencY Hunting Evil Masterminds), aims to stop terrorist organization L.E.G.I.O.N. (the League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations). Players build a team of three characters from a cast of twelve anti-heroes. Each character comes with a distinct design, weapon and skill set. Players are able to switch freely as they tackle a variety of missions.
Volition originally developed the first entry in the Saints Row series in 2006 for the Xbox 360. It was met with a generally positive response, with my similarities between the Grand Theft Auto series being noted. Players create their own character and after getting involved in a gang war, the player joins the Saints, a gang fighting to free their home turf from the control of rival gangs. Players were free to roam the game’s world, taking on missions to further progress through the story or partake in mini-games for in-game currency at their own leisure.
Saints Row earned a sequel in 2008, releasing on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and later on PC. Gameplay for the sequel featured most of the same gameplay but the story featured a more comedic tone than the first, differentiating it from Grand Theft Auto’s more grounded approach. A new feature found in Saints Row 2 was full cooperative play for both the story and all other activities. Special editions and DLC were later released, adding more story and mission content to the game.
The series third entry, Saints Row: The Third was the last Saints row developed exclusively for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, releasing in 2011. The game used a different engine, expanding on much of the gameplay found in the previous entries. The comedic tone was also dialled up with crude jokes such as the game’s signature sex toy bat. Reception remained generally positive with some critics seeing Saints Row: The Third as a perfected formula for the series while others felt some of the jokes fell flat.
Originally conceptualized as an expansion pack for Saints Row: The Third, Saints Row IV introduced new ideas to the series by giving players access to superpowers such as flight and enhanced strength. Rather than fighting against other criminal gangs, Players were now fending off an alien invasion. Saints Row IV was praised for its humour and customization but criticized for its lack of challenge. Despite this, the game sold over one million copies in its first week of release. A standalone expansion was also made, titled Saints Row: Gat out of Hell. The game served as an epilogue to Saints Row IV and one of its endings leads into the upcoming Agents of Mayhem.