REACTION - The Saints Row Reboot Understands How To Do Campaign Co-op The Right Way

That’s the good stuff.

By Jay Tee
01/11/21

We’ve seen time and again examples of how Campaign Co-op is presented in such a way that avoidable barriers to entry can ruin the experience. Whether it’s through restrictive player tethering (Far Cry), weirdly closed off final missions (Dying Light), or games that tack on a half baked co-op mode that feels like a stripped down version of the solo experience (Kameo), there’s plenty of case studies out there that are cautionary tales of approaches to avoid.

On the flipside, we have the upcoming Saints Row reboot, which seems to be making all the right moves on the co-op front. As per Game Informer’s extensive coverage, we now know that progress from co-op sessions is retained per player when returning to a solo game save (so you don’t have to replay missions you’ve already done), and there’s no tethering during open world exploration.

There’s even a “pranking system” of sorts, which is very much in keeping with the series’ exaggerated sense of humour. It all sounds well thought out, and flexible enough to allow co-op players to actually enjoy the experience free of unnecessary limitation. Although the final game has much to prove, given the franchise’s previously dormant state, it’s jolly to see them tackle this feature with such comprehensive, and common sense, ideas.

Source: Game Informer