Funny / Saints Row (2022)

Ehhh, it's probably nearby.^note  And it's totally not the big green van with the dish sticking out from the roof right in front of you that the cops are using to survey the Saints with, either.

Being an entry in the Saints Row series, itself no stranger to some wacky hijinks mixed with Black Comedy and some Bathos, it shouldn't be too surprising that this game will bring a chuckle or two as you play.

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Story

• The game's introduction has the Boss as part of a Marshall Defense operation, with them clearly being a new hire since they're watching the orientation video on the way to the job. Their CO, Gwen, isn't at all amused.
• When the Boss finally arrives at the site of the shootout, immediately they're blown away into a propane tank and onto the pavement. When they get back up, they loudly proclaim that it's "[their] first fucking day (on the job)". The mission's name? "First F#@!ing Day".
• At one point during the opening shootout, just before the Boss regroups with Gwen and survives the initial breach:
  Nahuali Mook: Marshall scum!
  Boss: Oh, bite me!
• The Boss manages to apprehend Nahualli by essentially spending the majority of the time being a glorified Curb Stomp Cushion. When Nahualli is finally surrounded, the Boss, out of breath and very roughed up, eagerly proclaims they got him.
• Being cheated out of a performance bonus was bad enough, but the Boss had plenty of choice words to say about it. Best enjoyed with Voice 1 or Voice 2 if you're a Persona (or Helluva Boss, for that matter) fan, by the way. Even better is that the amount of swear words is different depending on the voice chosen.
• Boss clearly isn't fond of Eli eschewing actual music in favor of Roger McGillicutty's sermons, as they tell Eli that, one of these days, they'll get him to listen to actual music. To which Eli responds by saying, "Roger McGillicutty speaks the music of [his] soul". Keep in mind they're listening to this on the way to their heist.
  • Before the deed, Eli tries to ask Boss for a gun, only for them to ask Eli if he really wants to use a gun after what happened last time when he did. Eli immediately corrects himself and says he doesn't need a gun.
  • After stealing the money -
    Boss: Same plan as last time. Eli, Kev - pretend traffic laws matter and get the money home. Neenah and I will split up and give the cops the runaround.
    Eli: Cool! Let me get the McGillicu—
    Everyone: (simultaneously) NO!
  • When the Boss finally gets back in their car to draw the cops' attention, they take the opportunity to immediately shut off McGillicutty's sermons with an exasperated, "Oh, fuck no."
• The beginning of "Be Your Own Boss" has the Boss wallowing in their failure after getting fired from their job. While it is fairly sad (especially since the Boss is at the Despair Event Horizon after the events of the previous mission), much of what follows is Played for Laughs.
  • Getting out of bed takes not one, not two, but three Quick Time Events (yes, Quick-Time Events). And even then, Boss doesn't get up, but rather they fall off the bed. What sells it is that the first mission's title was censored, yet this QTE's prompt wasn't. -
    Get the fuck out of bed!
  • They mope to the kitchen only to find a single waffle in the freezer. They try to toast it, only for the waffle to keep springing up. But by the third time they push it into the toaster, it just flies right out and across their face. Cue the Boss just giving up and deciding to go join Neenah, while they mope on the couch.
• On the same mission.
  • On their way to the Idols party during the above, Boss and Neenah both try to reach Kevin, but to no avail. When he finally calls back:
    Kevin: I'm fine, but Eli -
    Eli: THEY FUCKING SHOT ME!
  • Even better, before this Boss and Neenah are moping on the couch with this exchange:
    Neenah: Man, I’d really hate to be the Idols right now...
    *beat*
    Neenah & Boss: (once they remember that Eli and Kevin are there, dramatically face each other while the camera zooms in) Oh, Shit!/We gotta go!"
  • When they finally get back home, everyone tends to Eli's bullet wound by way of disinfecting the wound with ice-cold vodka. Eli, of course, yells out in pain, and then we're treated to this exchange:
    Neenah: You're doing great.
    Kevin: You're being very brave.
    Eli: (to Kevin) Fuck you.
    Neenah: Hey, keep that up and you won't be getting a star on the star chart.
    • Side note - if you actually look at said star chart (which is right next to the Weapons Cache in the Saints' old apartment in Mercado), you'll see that Eli doesn't even have any stars on his side!
• When Kev gets kidnapped by the Idols the Boss takes a moment to figure it out, first thinking he is with one of his old date referred as tattoo mom, then they call his cellphone only for male Idol member saying Kev is tied up at the moment, which the Boss thinks is in a kinky way and doesn't press on but still go at the bar to drop something Kevin forgot. Only when he sees the cars in front of the bar being all from the Idols he realized what is going on.
• The one time the Boss decides to get the Donuts is the time they end up on the Wanted App, with the entire city pretty much out for their head. Their solution? Buy out the app itself. Also counts as awesome since, by this point, the Saints are loaded enough to buy out a murder-for-hire app. What makes the entire ordeal hilarious is the Boss' indifference at the entire affair, feeling more inconvenienced than outright threatened.
  Boss: Fuckin' amateurs...
  • It's also revealed that Wanted started life as a failed dating app until the creators decided to pivot.
  • On that note, how does the Boss get the creators to take them off the app? By putting them on the Wanted list, too! Needless to say, it doesn't take much to get them to relent after that.
• The entirety of "Corporate Retreat". To wit, the Saints have gained a new member in the Nahualli (the very same one the Boss captured at the start of the game). Rather than spend the day planning out the Train Job that Boss alluded to in their rescue, instead they spend the day through team-building exercises. And the rest is history.
  • The Nahualli's utterly blank look as Neenah shows off the matching hats. Definitely not how he saw his day going.
  • Like the Boss at the beginning of the game, so too does Nahualli call Kevin out on not wearing a shirt.
  • Roger McGillicutty rears his head once more...
    Kevin: Why don't we cut the tension with a little dubstep?
    Neenah: I'd rather hear some Ranchera.
    Kevin: What are you talking about? When they finally drop the bass the relief is infectious.
    Boss: We could ask our guest what he likes.
    Eli: Roger McGillicutty has this amazing new podcast—
    Boss/Neenah/Kevin/Nahualli: Nope. / No way. / Uh-uh. / I'd rather not.
  • While Kevin is typically the crew's resident Supreme Chef, apparently he was behind an incident dubbed "ghost pepper night". That is to say, during a night of karaoke, Kevin apparently used demon peppers that made the chili so spicy Neenah spent two days in the bathroom. Ouch.
  • Also - keep in mind, despite the fact that Boss is insistent on having a murder-free day, not only do they piss off all three of the enemy factions in Santo Ileso, but they're also still hunted by Marshall for facilitating the Nahualli's breakout during "The Frontier". As expected, a couple of Marshall Security grunts walk into the bar and they immediately encounter the Saints. And, well... you know the rest.
    • Despite being hounded by MDI, they're utterly nonchalant about the entire affair, with Boss being more concerned about the other factions ruining their day than outright threatening their crew.
• The entire concept of the Dust Rod Campaign is hilarious: a post-apocalyptic LARP event played by most everyone in the city, featuring Ye Olde Butchered English, cardboard foam "bullets" and weapons and armor, plus hilarious new takedown animations and enemy "deaths" where everyone mimes giving or receiving serious, lethal injury. Specific moments from the Boss's campaign for the crown are particularly funny, however:
  • Infiltrating Fort Firebird via stealth. That is, Eli gives the Boss an "invisibility potion," and they hold their arms up in front of them, upon which all of the mooks who can completely see the Boss have to ignore them for the sake of following the rules. The "stealth kills" are even funnier, with the Boss chopping someone in the neck with a foam finger, whispering the names of their techniques like ripping out someone's throat, or using the cheap "stab someone by sticking something between their chest and their arm" trick.
  • In attempting to steal the "Bowelrod," a "mythical beast" (van with cardboard decorations and a megaphone) of legend, the Boss, Eli, and Neenah end up having to recover pieces of its "body" while Neenah does the "ritual" to bring it back to life. It happens over the course of several waves of mooks, all while Neenah tries to pronounce the ridiculous, nonsensical, and absurdly lengthy verses to honor the rules and keep them from being disqualified.
  • The death of the Dust Storm King. The Boss busts into their "throne room" (a convenience store) with a foam shotgun and then demands the King yield. When he refuses, the Boss is compelled to shoot him. What plays out is an extended reference to "The Worst and Longest Death Scene Ever" where the King constantly gets shot by The Boss, screaming and playing out a new death animation several times in a row before he collapses onto his "throne" (several boxes of soda cans stacked together) and Dies Wide Open. Until the Boss takes his crown, tells him to move, then knocks him off his seat to have their Awesome Moment of Crowning.
  • Even better — right after this, the cashier (who had been watching this whole thing) timidly just asks the Boss if they need anything? The Boss gives them an order of food, then relaxes in their 'throne'.
• At the end of "The Great Train Robbery", Kev suggests that the crew do something irresponsible to celebrate their massive success. Cue the MONEY FIGHT where they gleefully start throwing stacks of cash at each other until Eli, caught up in the moment, almost throws a gold brick at Kev.
• "Good Cop/Bad Cop" has the Boss and Eli intimidate the Chief of Police into disbanding the "Purple Shirt Mafia" task force. Eli is giddy that the Boss lets them be bad cop. They use a helicopter to pick up the Chief's car with her in it. Eli tells the Boss to knock the car into containers, smokestacks, and finally hold it in a fire getting more unhinged until the Chief caves in. Eli, now completely calm, talks about how fun that was and was originally going to blackmail her over her involvement in smuggling artifacts with Los Panteros. The Chief is furious over everything they put her through when she would have immediately complied if they blackmailed her. To top it off, the Boss drops her off on top of Panther Rock with no way down.
• At the start of "Non-Compete Clause" Marshal's lawyer shows up with some legal jargon and tries to take control of the Saints. When Eli confirms the legalese is all correct and proper, the lawyer brags that he wrote the fine print in the Boss's original employment contract himself, following which the Boss non-chalantly shoots him while looking at Eli.
  Eli: You are aware that that didn't solve the issue, right?
  Boss: Yeah, but he was being a dick.

Side Content

• The entirety of the @tcha^note  Pronounced "atcha", like, "coming right at ya". Side Hustle is basically an exercise in both Disproportionate Retribution for the targets and Refuge in Audacity for the Saints themselves. All it takes to start the activity is simply leaving a bad review in a front owned by any of the gangs of Santo Ileso. Some of the reviews themselves are comedy gold, to say the least.
  (Boss is outside the Santoel Motel in West Providencia)
  [Four Stars, Bored emoji] The continental breakfast was too cold.
  [Three Stars, Fascinating Eyebrow emoji] Mattress was hard, and the ice machine didn't work.
  [Two Stars, Angry emoji] Why is there a chalk outline on the carpet?
  [One Star, Poop emoji] Someone shit in my pillow.
• The Saints are starting to become a problem for Santo Ileso and the local police department need a solution to keep tabs on them. The solution? Vans that, to their credit are well-hidden… until you actually see the vans themselves and wonder how they thought they were being slick. Look at the page image above for an example.
• One of the cars that JR asks you to steal is none other than... a Go-Kart. Not just any Go-Kart, mind you - rather, a Go-Kart that has kneecappers equipped. And considering how, like in past entries, you automatically get the cops on your tail, try not to laugh at the idea of two or three squad cars piling on a tiny little Go-Kart!
• The Insurance Fraud minigame returns... and is completely unnecessary. The Boss' contact for this Venture constantly points out that they have much more sophisticated ways of committing fraud available. It's the Boss who insists on continually throwing themselves into traffic because it sounds more fun.
• The Eurekabator's first invention is the very same cool hoverboard that was seen in the trailers. The story behind the hoverboard itself, however, is very amusing. As it turns out not only is it (unsurprisingly) stolen Marshall tech, but it's also an old design, having been around since The '80s. The fact that MDI used to have a toy division, of all things. Boss even takes time to lampshade the fact that the current PMC that they formerly worked for — used to be a toy company.
• The Running Gag of Boss being in the middle of something mundane (e.g., grocery shopping or going to a ball game) every time they get a call from their Cleanup Crew. Their reactions range from being worried that they won't make it back in time to being anything but amused at having to be on cleanup duty themself.
  • Then there is the time where the Boss tried speed dating only to call the Cleanup Crew themselves to have a reason to get out of there.
• The various Kavanagh County "Hidden History" zones contain lore on important areas and people in the history of Santo Ileso, as well as providing a prize if you listen to all the information for any given pair-set of areas. Eventually, you get to Sidewinder Creek, an area in the middle of the Rojas Desert where the Narrator openly Stopped Caring and recorded a rant about his dead-end job... while still affecting his usual monotone.
  Narrator: Did you know? I've worked for the Kavanagh County Park Service for over twenty years without so much as a "thank you." Shakes the Snake gets more respect than I do, and he's a fucking cartoon.
  Narrator: Did you know? Sidewinder Creek Blah, Blah, Blah, blah blah blah blah. You're not even listening, are you? You just want your big prize. Woo-hoo. Well, don't let me stop you.
• One of the client asking the Boss to ride shotgun is a Nervous Wreck named Josh who gets the dealers on their ass because he just took the drugs and ran with no real plan to escape. All so he could sell the drug and get rich enough to pay the other crew he owes money too. The Boss warns him he better cover his fee at least.
  • Next mission with him reveals he was owing money to the Idols. His parlay started and ended with him entering their hideouts and shooting the place before running in a panic.
• One Wanted client is a grandma whose target... is a millennial that is committing casual identity theft by using the old lady's stolen credit card. Being that this is Saints Row it ends as predictably as you'd expect. The fact that the Boss is simply tasked with driving her to the target so she can deal with him herself and is completely friendly throughout is all the more hilarious.

Gameplay

• Like in Saints Row IV, you can play music while you're freely exploring Santo Ileso on foot. The end result is nothing short of hilarious Soundtrack Dissonance, as you casually slay mook after mook all while jaunty ranchera music (or even better - DMX) plays in the background!
• Some of the Takedown animations can be pretty amusing. One such example has the Boss pretend to injure their toe on their would-be victim (causing them to burst out laughing), only for the Boss to kick them square in the chin. Another one has the Boss just grab the victim, pin them to the floor, and bitch-slap the shit out of them!
• As mentioned above Dustbowl has the boss LARP. Their takedowns are changed to reflect this when fighting dustlanders as all of them are the boss mimicking attacking and the "victim" following along with the attack. Also using the weapons from the LARP will have victims do the same acting the LARPers do even if they're in the middle of being robbed of thousands by the boss. For extra comedic effect, this works even on the SWAT, the local national guard, from Marshall operatives, to even the Nahuali's crew.
• Tropers, rejoice. For the legendary floss dance is now in Saints Row... it and the Scoop (aka, the Hype Dance) are purchasable emotes at the Chicken Dance Studio in East Flats.
• On the topic of Emotes, you can combine different emotes to amusing effects. For example, try the Bull Rider and Whatever emotes together for instant lulz. Or try The Bird emote with the Creeper emote.
• Like in the first two games, the physics are... janky for want of a better word. Fortunately, those janky physics can lead to some very amusing moments. For example, try taking a Go-Kart and sideswipe an SUV (e.g., an SIPD Vigilance) and watch as they veer off to the side of the road and instantly blow up! Or try ramming a tour bus from behind and watch as it helplessly falls into the lake!

Trailers

• The reveal trailer has a few.
  • Kevin's Brutal Honesty and distraction while Eli and Neenah sneak into the car containing the RPGs.
  • Eli's shit-eating grin after he and Neenah make off with the Panteros' weaponry.
  • The Boss popping out of a fried chicken food truck guns blazing with a minigun.
  • Kevin's reaction to Neenah driving the getaway car cross across the rooftops... backwards.
• A lot of the Freeze Frame Bonuses in the Districts of Santo Ileso trailer have quite a few Punny Names to them.
  • The Turdis from the How the Saints Saved Christmas DLC (which is an easily missable Easter Egg) makes its return.
  • There's a building with a bee in its logo for a company called "DSM". When you see it...
  • There's a location that's called the School of Architecture and Design. Fun with Acronyms, much?
  • Big Vig's Payday Loans has a shark in its logo.
  • There's also a location named Pawn Hub. We don't even need to explain that one.^{But if we must...}  It's a reference to PornHub, in case you're wondering.
• There's also quite a few giggles to be had in both showcases of the game's customization.
  • One of the Freeze Frame Bonuses in the Ultimate Customization Trailer features a cameo from Shrek himself.
  • You can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things.
  • If the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick.
  • If you thought the Pimp Slap from SR1 and SR2 was good, you can turn your pistols into foam fingers! Pew pew!
• The series of "Meet the Saints" videos where the voice actors have a brief interview about their roles includes a video for Snickerdoodle, their pet cat.

Other

• According to Volition, the entire plot is essentially a start-up group of college students looking to start a criminal empire... to pay off their student loans. At the very least that idea is amusing enough to work. That and, well, something similar has already been done before, to great effect.
• For Persona 5 fans in particular.
  • Hearing Max Mittelman as one of the voice options for the Boss is hilarious by default if you remember all the memes surrounding Ryuji's inability to say the word "fuck" (until Strikers, anyway). Especially if you happen to customize your Boss to resemble Ryuji, too!
  • Ditto for Erica Lindbeck, too - the idea of Futaba (again, especially appropriate if you customize your Boss to look like her)^note  Wouldn't be the first time Lindbeck cusses up a storm if Loona was anything to go by, though. swearing and casually blowing up convoys like nobody's business is so ridiculous that it only works in Saints Row.

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