Agents of Mayhem Brings More Madness from the Creators of Saints Row
Volition’s most famous work, Saints Row, is all about player choice – and it’s delivered possibly more opportunities to cause mischief, madness, and just plain old mind games than any other gaming franchise since it first hit Xbox 360 a decade ago.
Agents of Mayhem takes place in the same universe as Saints Row – and delivers a refreshing twist on that beloved over-the-top formula. The game sees players explore a futuristic version of Seoul, South Korea, with a team of elite agents who are on a quest to stop a collection of supervillains. Think of it as a 1960s spy thriller, crossed with the zaniness that you’d expect from a Volition creation. And since this is a Volition game, don’t think for a moment that the agents are exactly the “good guys.”
During our recent hands-on time, we got the chance to take control of agents Hollywood, Fortune, and Rama – and we found that their diverse sets of abilities made for team-based customization that rivaled the personal touches seen in Saints Row.
Hollywood is a leading action man straight out of the world of ’80s excess – and with an appropriate attitude (and powerful rocket launcher) to boot. Fortune, a former sky pirate from Columbia, wields dual pistols and a killer drone that makes her the right fit for a tight spot; she was definitely our go-to agent when we needed to fight our way out of a swarm of foes. Finally, Rama, a cloaked archer from India, is a master with long-range arrows… perfect for an assault from a distance, which clears the way for Hollywood to go straight-up action hero on the enemy remnants.
In a way, Agents of Mayhem almost plays out like a team-based fighting game. You can swap between your agents at any time, and part of the challenge comes from building a three-person team that’s perfect for the mission at hand.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Saints Row offshoot without that trademark Volition wackiness, and Agents of Mayhem delivers on that front as well. Our hands-on mission tasked us with finding Aisha, an A.I. decked out like a K-pop idol – and, naturally, things only got goofier from there. We’ll leave the details to your own discovery, though. Like Saints Row, this is an over-the-top adventure that you’ve really got to experience for yourself, and you’ll get that chance next year on Xbox One and Windows PC.