Saints Row: Gat out of Hell

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell
Developer(s)	Volition High Voltage Software
Publisher(s)	Deep Silver
Producer(s)	Jim Boone
Designer(s)	Scott Phillips
Writer(s)	Steve Jaros
Composer(s)	Malcolm Kirby Jr.
Series	Saints Row
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One
Release date(s)	NA January 20, 2015 EU January 23, 2015[1]
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution	Optical disc, download

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell is a 2015 open world comedic action-adventure video game developed by Volition and High Voltage Software and published by Deep Silver. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game is a standalone expansion to Saints Row IV, meaning players do not need a copy of Saints Row IV to play Gat out of Hell.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released as a download through PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions saw a release bundled alongside Saints Row IV: Re-Elected.^[2][3]

Gameplay

The player controls Johnny Gat or Kinzie Kensington in an open world environment. Gat out of Hell shares many gameplay aspects with the previous installments, being primarily played as a third-person shooter in an open world city scattered with quests, secondary objectives, and various collectibles. Superhuman abilities return from Saints Row IV. Gat out of Hell introduces "angelic flight", giving wings to the player.^[4] Unlike past Saints Row games, players cannot customize the playable characters; however, by importing a Saints Row IV save, players can import their custom Boss character to replace the default Boss.

Unlike game progression in previous titles, players advance through the story by completing activities to fill a "Satan's Wrath" meter, which unlocks cutscenes and further story elements.^[5] Gat out of Hell takes place in an open world new to the series, New Hades, made up of five islands: Shantytown, Barrens, Downtown, Forge, and the Den, all surrounding a central tower on a middle island.

The player is able to fly around the open-world hell. They can also summon demon allies to flight alongside them.^[6]

The game's weapons are inspired by the seven deadly sins, e.g., a Gluttony Gun that shoots cake batter on enemies for other people to consume.^[6]

Plot

An epilogue to Saints Row IV, the Third Street Saints are preparing a birthday party for their lieutenant Kinzie Kensington on the spaceship they acquired from the Zin. At the party, they play a game of Ouija Board, with an Ouija board that had once belonged to Alistair Crowley, and unwittingly contact Satan who says the leader of the Saints will marry his daughter Jezebel. Satan drags the Boss down to Hell, and upon realization, Saints lieutenant Johnny Gat volunteers to go get them back, with Kinzie following on the argument that it's her birthday. Upon arriving, they find the Ultor Corporation has a branch in Hell, and suspect former Saints enemy, Dane Vogel, is behind this.

When they confront Vogel, he admits he's not behind this but he is taking advantage of Hell's economy, and offers to help the Saints save their leader. Meanwhile, Satan's daughter, Jezebel is rebelling against her father, as Satan declares she is a possession to him and Jezebel wants to be free from him. Vogel helps Johnny and Kinzie try to get Satan's attention by going around Hell, gaining allies from Kiki & Viola DeWynter, William Shakespeare, Blackbeard, and Vlad the Impaler.

Jezebel approaches Johnny and offers to take him to Satan's palace, in hopes he can defeat her father for good. At the palace, Johnny immediately confronts Satan, who threatens to kill Jezebel unless Johnny drops his gun. When he does, Satan gleefully boasts and praises Johnny for all he did and names him worthy of marrying Jezebel. When Johnny won't listen, Satan forcibly makes a deal with Johnny if he marries Jezebel in the Boss's place, then he will let them go.

At the wedding, Johnny shoots Satan in the face, to no effect. Johnny and Kinzie take out Satan's minions, and Satan challenges them to a fight. Ultimately, they defeat Satan, who surrenders before they can finish him off. Unable to handle defeat, Satan banishes them from Hell, along with Jezebel and the Boss, back to the mortal realm. Johnny, however, is detained by God, who explains that Satan was plotting an invasion on Heaven since Zinyak hastened the Apocalypse by destroying Earth, hoping to use either Johnny or the Boss as the general of his army, and offers to return the favor for Johnny stopping him. The player can then choose one of five endings where God lets Johnny into Heaven to be with his dead girlfriend Aisha, sends him back to Hell to take it over as its new king, finds a new home world for the Saints so humanity can be rebuilt, recreates Earth allowing the Saints to become a police force instead of a street gang, or tells Johnny the secrets of the universe.

Development

In December 2013, comedian Jay Mohr, who voiced antagonist Dane Vogel in Saints Row 2, revealed that he was doing voice work for the next Saints Row game.^[7]

It was later revealed Volition would be unveiling a new game at PAX Prime on the August 29, 2014. They teased an image which depicts a Ouija board with the Saints' fleur-de-lis on it. Later, at their panel on the same day, Volition and Deep Silver confirmed a standalone expansion to Saints Row IV, called Saints Row: Gat out of Hell. The game was initially scheduled for release on January 27, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One^[2] but was later rescheduled to January 20, 2015 in North America and January 23, 2015 in Europe. The game will be released in a bundle alongside Saints Row IV: Re-Elected for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.^[8] Unlike the rest of the series, which has a PEGI 18 rating, Saints Row: Gat out of Hell only has a PEGI 16 rating.^[9]

The expansion was inspired, in part, by Disney films, which are among the "big loves" of the game's creative director, Steve Jaros.^[6] He wanted the game to parody the fairytale qualities and "whimsical love songs" of the Disney film genre.^[6] Parts of the plot were taken from such films, including the birthday party prologue from Sleeping Beauty, talking inanimate objects, princess Jezebel rebelling against her father, Satan, through her spousal choice, and musical acts where Satan sings sentimentally.^[6]

The open world was designed to be a "fun toy box" that encouraged traversal through flight.^[6]

The January 2015 launch trailer included a hotline phone number with promotional hold music.^[10]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (PS4) 68.75%[11] (PC) 69.00%[12] (XONE) 72.50%[13] Metacritic (PS4) 70/100[14] (PC) 67/100[15] (XONE) 71/100[16] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 8/10[17] Eurogamer 6/10[18] Game Informer 7.5/10[19] GamesRadar [20] Giant Bomb [21] IGN 7.8/10[22] PC Gamer (US) 67/100[23] VideoGamer.com 7/10[24] Hardcore Gamer 3.5/5[25]

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version 68.75%^[11] and 70/100,^[14] the Xbox One version 72.50%^[13] and 71/100^[16] and the Microsoft Windows version 69.00%^[12] and 67/100.^[15]

Brittany Vincent from Destructoid gave the game a 8/10, praising the game's setting, refreshing superpower abilities, new cast of characters, interesting types of enemies and entertaining world, which she stated "feels much more polished and finished than Saints Row IV‍ '​s Steelport simulation." However, she criticized the game's short length. She summarized the review by saying "There's no agenda and no life lessons to learn in Saints Row. There's only pure escapism, which is what games are meant for in my view. Whenever I feel like I need a break, I will have Saints Row proudly on my shelf."^[17] Andrew Reiner from Game Informer gave the game a 7.5/10, praising the worthwhile side-activities, well-designed dialogues, satisfying transversal system, creative weapons and storytelling. However, he criticized the graphics, which he stated is on par with the last-generation version of Saints Rows IV, as well as occasional framerate losses. He also criticized the game for lacking in gameplay complexity.^[19]

Mikel Reparaz from IGN criticizied the game for lacking traditional story missions, as well as featuring repetitive side missions, unimpressive graphics, and being extremely buggy.^[22] Alex Carlson from Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 3.5/5, praising the voice-acting, dialogues, collectibles, flight mechanics and the game-world, which he stated "has a balance between familiar and fresh", but criticizing the game for being too similar to the original Saints Row IV in terms of the variety of superpower and mission types, as well as the middling story and graphical glitches.^[25] Phil Savage from PC Gamer gave the game a 67/100, praising the world design and in-game abilities such as flying, which he stated "has delivered a new sense of freedom". However, he criticized the lack of proper campaign missions and scripting, limited creativity as well as the poor combat system. He ended the review by saying that "Gat Out of Hell offers all the open-world distractions of a Saints Row game, but it seldom displays the spark of creativity, which made the last two [The Third and IV] so remarkable."^[23]

References

External links

• Official website

Saints Row series Saints Row Saints Row 2 mobile Saints Row: The Third DLC Saints Row IV Enter the Dominatrix Gat out of Hell