As of August 15, "Agents of Mayhem" is available to purchase in North America. Developed by Volition, which is known for the "Saints Row" franchise, it might be worth holding off a purchase and saving your hard-earned money since the reviews are hardly glowing.
"Agents of Mayhem" is literally a side story of the developer's more popular gaming franchise. The game's storyline begins after the ending of "Gat out of Hell" and includes characters from the "Saints Row" franchise.
Taking from 'Saints Row'
Continuity is not necessarily a negative thing, but it is hard to understand why Volition decided to brand the title as "Agents of Mayhem." It is directly tied to their previous franchise, and the gameplay is very similar to "Saints Row IV." Like its predecessor's later entries, Volition's priority is to be funny rather than fun.
This does work somewhat as the characters overflow with personality and wit. For those who grew up in the 1980s, they will find a lot to love in the plot since it parodies popular cartoons from that era. "G.I. Joe," especially, receives a few punches.
It's all in good fun, and it's obvious just how much the developers love the products that they are referencing. Yet, fun characters do not necessarily lead to a worthwhile game. The player controls a team of superheroes who can be interchanged at any time, allowing for some degree of creativity on how to dispatch the hordes of enemies.
Unfortunately, "Agents of Mayhem" takes repetition to a whole new level. One of the best elements seen in all of the "Saints Row" games is how often they switch up the missions.
While clearing areas on the map generally involved performing the same few functions, each title included a few creative and unique events that completely changed the style of gameplay. It added some much-needed variety.
"Agents of Mayhem" lacks that novelty, as the only variation results from the weapons or abilities used by the hero.
Otherwise, it is just a series of rooms that need to be cleared of identical enemies.
Is 'Agents of Mayhem' deserving of your money?
There is a good amount of fun packaged within Volition's latest project, but people who did not like their more popular franchise will not find anything to enjoy here. It is a rough start but one that holds potential, as these characters are entertaining enough to deserve another go-around. It might not be worth buying full price.
