Review: Agents of Mayhem is the Saints Row spin off you didn’t know you wanted

Platform: PS4 (played), Xbox One, PC

Developer: Volition

Publisher: Deep Silver

MSRP: $59.99

Introduction:

It’s impossible to talk about Agents of Mayhem without talking about developer Volition’s history and their previous major franchise, Saints Row. The video game that could. Saints Row aspired for greatness and resulted in beloved, but rather cult titles. Aside from basic building blocks, the first and final entries in the franchise differed greatly. Whilst it made necessary changes in order to stand out, this meant the series also never found its footing. Volition is looking to restart things, kind of, with the game Agents of Mayhem. It is very much a spin off, but it brings a lot of other ideas to the table that resets the precedent set by Saints Row.

G.I. Joe in video game form

The best way to describe Agents of Mayhem is as an R-Rated Saturday morning cartoon shoved into a video game. The levels are episodes of a TV show, and they even have an opening theme. There are 12 different agents in the game and you must choose a squad of three prior to leaving the Ark, which is a helicarrier that acts as M.A.Y.H.E.M’s base of operations. Each agent has their own unique abilities and characteristics, and even get their own episodes where you can only play as the featured agent and flesh out their backstory.

M.A.Y.H.E.M faces off against L.E.G.I.O.N, wh are just as absurd and diabolical as they sound. Agents of Mayhem has an incredible hook, and because of that, you’ll keep wanting to come back for more. The agents all feel really good to control, and even though they share common traits they fundamentally play differently. If you enjoy the bow and arrow gameplay of a Horizon Zero Dawn or the recent Tomb Raider reboot series, then you’re gonna be right at home with Rama. Even though agents Hardtack and Yeti are both tank characters, one wields a harpoon that can teleport enemies and the other is straight up Mr. Freeze. The characters also have great banter which fleshes out their stories and relationships no matter which agents buddy up. As a player, you get caught up in the fun of it all very easily.

A sandbox with a lot of style but not as much substance

The game features an open world and is set in Seoul, the current target of L.E.G.I.O.N’s latest devilish ploy. Whilst the city on the surface is stylish to look at, it isn’t particularly varied or interesting. It simply acts as a playground for you to wreak havoc, that havoc being rather tame compared to the last entries in Saints Row.

Restraint is something Agents of Mayhem has in spades. Which is great in a lot of respects, but disappointing in others. Traversal requires some more creative maneuvering, and charging into battle is ill advised if you want to maximize your loot potential. At times, however, it can be a complete bummer when you just want to get over the building in front of you, and you’re unable to with ease. This also translates to getting around in a vehicle. Agents can commandeer any car they want in the city or call up their own. The boost and drifting mechanics are fun to rip through Seoul, but you’re confined to the roads since for the most part, the city is quite cramped. Additionally, the basic car combat doesn’t feel satisfying enough to warrant its existence, yet you are continually tasked with ramming L.E.G.I.O.N vehicles.

Speaking of the evil organization, if only the members of the League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations (LEAGUE) had received as much care and attention as the agents themselves. Doctor Babylon, the most featured villain of the game, is fun enough, but like the 90’s cartoons that Agents of Mayhem strives to emulate, there is very little substance to the enemy. Which results in boss fights that ultimately all just blend into one another; shoot at the boss, they’ll retreat and attack you with a wave of henchmen, and return upon your destruction of said wave. Rinse and repeat. The henchmen, however, are varied in a way that their employers are not. Some are heavy gunners with shields, some are lower on health but move with tremendous speed. Switching between agents on the fly and using their varied abilities to tackle each situation never truly lost its luster, and each is balanced enough that it never felt like there was one specific agent I always needed on my roster.

A good foundation

Agents of Mayhem’s underlying systems are some of the strongest design elements of the game. Being on the Ark and seeing your progress at a glance allows you to not feel overwhelmed by a number of side missions and collectibles. This is an open world sandbox, but not one that’s going to suck 100’s of hours of your time. It slowly introduces new elements to the game, such as modifications to your weapons or training exercises to level up your character via new areas that open up within the Ark. It really nails that feeling of being a part of an organization, and the banter that the agents have with the side characters is just as enjoyable as the discussion amongst themselves.

Agents of Mayhem is not a slam dunk for Volition but is a step in the right direction for the developer. It has plenty of style and enough gameplay hooks to keep you entertained long enough to feel like you got your money’s worth. And it feels different enough from its predecessor, for better or for worse, that it deserves to be played in order to know if it’s right for you. If you’ve been craving a game that brings a little bit of your childhood into your adult life, Agents of Mayhem is it.