Agents of Mayhem

A refined, fun and surprising spin-off that you don’t have to miss.

Agents of Mayhem may not be the best open world action game but it is full of awesome gameplay, satisfying exploration, and diverse characters that help keep the experience fresh. In the end, Volition tried something new and it definitely paid off.

It's not as funny and polished as most of the Saints Row games, but Agents of Mayhem is still a lot of uncomplicated fun.

The team behind Saints Row showcase their balls of steel by taking the plunge into the deep end and taking you along for the rough and ready ride that is Agents of Mayhem.

Quotation forthcoming.

I expected to come out of Agents of Mayhem wishing that Volition simply made Saints Row V instead. But now? Now I’m looking forward to what other trouble this budding agency can get itself into, and that’s saying something.

Hero-swapping tactics add a unique edge to third-person combat, while humor and heart elevate Agents of Mayhem's typical world-saving fundamentals to memorable heights.

Agents of Mayhem is cheesy, rarely funny, and generally ridiculous, but I was eager to play for long periods of time. The action is frenetic and fun, with room for strategy using all the characters’ assorted abilities. Even if Seoul ends up being a bland backdrop, I enjoyed being in the world and causing explosions in at every opportunity.

Few would consider the combat in the various Saints Row games particularly memorable, so it’s surprising to discover that the frantic, fast paced battles and excellent agent switching gameplay end up being the true heroes of Agents of Mayhem. While it’s disappointing that the open world feels surplus to requirements at times, it’s the 80s cartoon atmosphere and absorbing upgrade system that also help ensure that this is more than just a Saints Row spin-off.

The Saints Row vibe is strong, but Volition's latest is still a brilliantly bonkers blast-fest.

Agents of Mayhem lacks some inventiveness and the level design is often uninspired. It's basic in the gameplay dynamics, but nonetheless can be pretty fun. Don't expect anything too fancy, or rich, content-wise: if you loved Saints Row, this is the perfect filler before the beginning of the new gaming season.

Though Agents of Mayhem has a slow start, the game gets very entertaining along the way, thanks to the non stop action, variation in characters and controls. The story and the jokes are pretty lame though.

Agents of Mayhem retains the essence and fantastic sense of humor of Saints Row and adds fresh characters, a new story and several new mechanics to the formula.

After finishing the game, I was brought right back into the world with all my leveled up agents, able to replay any mission I wanted to progress in anything I hadn’t finished. Ultimately I had a great time becoming an agent; I laughed, I shoot a bunch of baddies, and I grew to love the Agents of Mayhem. There is quite a bit of content here and this won’t blow anyone away as far as mission design or open world games goes, but I couldn’t stop smiling, laughing, and playing until it was finished, regardless of its flaws.

The last effort of Volition, of course, does not invent anything, resulting in a very canonical and direct action / shooter, an unusual mix between Just Cause, Battleborn and Crackdown.

Agents of Mayhem is an interesting experiment, but with short legs. While on one hand we have twelve agents all different and fun to use in fast-paced and dynamic gameplay mechanics, on the other hand we have a gameplay experience ruined mostly for the repetition of missions background and the copious presence of bugs and glitches ready to make you start a great run over again.

From a creative standpoint, Agents of Mayhem is great. Its world stands on its own, looks good, and is hilariously written well… for the most part. Playing around with the agents’ special abilities can even be fun, but many missions felt repetitive and dull.

Agents of Mayhem is a good action game with a tremendous generic feeling. Although it is fun to play, sadly it doesn't have anything that makes it shine like other games, even less like those like of the Saints Row series. If you play it you could have a really good time; just don't expect anything outstanding.

Fundamentally Agents of Mayhem is a fun game, but Volition’s effort to achieve great ambitions at the shadow of Saints Row cut off the the potential to do more. Its roster of characters poses a charming personality and the perspective it gives us of Seoul looks amazing, but beyond the meticulous options in personalization and the fluid combat gameplay, there is a lack of cohesion and too much repetitiveness.

Agents of Mayhem is a game with very good ideas and quite enjoyable, but it can't avoid feeling repetitive. Also, its recommended difficulty is ridiculously low, and it makes the game feel more boring than it actually is. Make sure you play it on harder levels so it forces you to use the three-character team mechanics.

Agents of Mayhem is the kind of game that could have been great with a bit more work. The agents are a great group of playable characters and the mechanic of switching between agents as easily as you would switch between weapons in another shooter is a good one. Drop these agents into a lively open world with plenty to do and explore, a world like you'd find in a Saints Row game for example, and you'd have a really exciting game here. Unfortunately, personality alone is not enough.

A broad and goofy arsenal of unique weapons and gadgets and the ability to switch characters on the fly to access complementary abilities offers some solid combat and good mindless fun, but due to some unpolished writing and repetitive environments and enemy types, it doesn't fully live up to its heroic potential.

Agents of Mayhem tries and in parts succeeds in reminding us of the golden days of our childhood. Cartoons, evil geniuses, good guys, stylish humor (mostly hit-or-miss) and, of course, tons of pure, entertaining action. The variety between the well-designed Agents is what truly makes the game shine, and it’s a shame that the open world of Seoul is so repetitive and, despite the many colors and explosions, dull. It basically emulates every part of a classic “mediocre open-world game”.

Despite its shortcomings, I enjoyed my time with Agents of Mayhem. The gameplay is extremely solid and, combat-wise at least, deviates enough from what was on offer in the Saints Row games to hopefully entice players to at least check the game out.

At times it will bore and reduce you to groans but Agents of Mayhem's loot-driven loop will keep some players compelled. There is a better game under the surface of this and you're always being pushed towards some new gadgets, weaponry or skills. Combat delivers an enjoyable, if repetitive treadmill with plenty of room for experimentation. It's a shame it comes with so many caveats and qualifiers.

While I do feel like Agents of Mayhem has a bit of a generic streak, I don't believe it's a bad game. The controls are smooth, the graphics are decent, and it's fun to play at least in the short-term. But, I just can't shake the feeling though that it's all a shell waiting for an actual narrative to be injected.

Agents of Mayhem is a strange game. I did enjoy much of my time with it, but I kept wishing it was a fully-fledged Saints Row sequel, not some alternate universe spin-off with less content. I didn’t expect all that much going in, but by the end, I wanted more than I got.

Volition Studio has arrived late to inFamous' or Crackdown's style with this colourful and enjoyable Agents of Mayhem. The game can't surprise with its gameplay mechanics mix and it isn't a must to understand the course of the sandbox genre. But it has a nice offer of gameplay and on top of that, funny characters.

Agents of Mayhem would be a good product if Saint's Row did not exist. It has a simple and linear development. And that makes it boring during the most time in the adventure. The best thing about the game: the possibilities of the Agents.

Agents of Mayhem does not do anything wrong, but it also does not stand out in any of its mechanics.

Agents of Mayhem is a gorgeous slaughterfest filled to the brim with gadgets, silly one-liners and special effects. Is it fun? Absolutely! Is it freakin' awesome? Nah. Technological glitches and a stroke of repetitiveness prevents this game from netting a place among the must-buys of 2017.

Despite these technical flaws, I still had a really fun time messing around with the agents. Enjoying Agents of Mayhem is sort of like watching a cartoon you used to love without the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia or the naivete of youth. You'll get more of a kick laughing at it, rather than with, but there's a smile on your face either way.

The presentation, the characters, the gameplay -- Agents of Mayhem feels like a great game in spots. It's got all the Saints Row style that you're accustomed to seeing from Volition, but it lacks in features when compared to other open world games of this nature.

The story itself is a highlight thanks to the insane villains, although it takes a few chapters before things pick up. It’s disappointing that the remaining activities are so repetitive and lack the imagination of what Volition is known for, and with a myriad of technical issues, it feels like Agents of Mayhem was shoved out the door earlier than it should have.

Agents of Mayhem is an over-the-top hero shooter with lots of agents to choose from. The game pays an homage to old cartoon series with weird enemies, cool cut-scenes and a lot of action. Sadly the game suffers from the common flaws of the open world genre.

Agents of Mayhem is a fun ride if you want more of Saint’s Row while you’re waiting for the fifth main game to trundle along, or if you want a different take on the hero-based shooter. It’s by no means a bad game, just not a great one. You’ll play it once, have a good time, and forget about it.

It's not a bad game. It is, as I said up top, perfectly fine. The setting and the characters and the action: all fine, if totally unspectacular. Given that it took the same developer a couple of tries to get both Red Faction and Saints Row just right, I have no doubt that, eventually, Agents of Mayhem could evolve into something interesting. For now, though, it merely is, and it's hard to be too excited about any of that.

Agents of Mayhem is by no means a bad game, but it lacks ambition. That's particularly damning since it spawns from a franchise that rarely held back. If you want to blow up robots, collect some items, and hear amusing humor, then Agents of Mayhem fits the bill. If you're looking for something as off-the-wall as the Saint's Row franchise at its best, this is not it. There are enough glimmers of greatness and individually well-executed moments that it can be easy to forgive the bland filler. If you can't get past that, though, then there's not enough meaty content here to make it a satisfying experience.

Agents of Mayhem is a fun game, but it’s also lacking in what we’ve come to expect from the makers of one of the funniest franchises since Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 3 stole our hearts nearly two decades ago.

There’s a lot to love in Agents of Mayhem, which makes the pitfalls harder to swallow. An imaginative story and cast of characters is burdened by an uninspired and soulless open-world. Exciting character combat gets pushed out of the limelight by notable slowdown and other bugs that inhibit gameplay.

Furious and entertaining city action from Saints Row's creators, benefits from popular team actions, but doesn't offer any real team at the same time. The technical issues, non-attractive missions and unbalanced characters spoil the fun.

Agents of Mayhem has some positives to work with. The animated cut scenes and original songs definitely show off some flair, and the characters present a strong range of fun play styles with room to experiment. However, the enemies and environments aren’t nearly strong enough to match, and the game is further weakened by progression issues. It maintains interest well enough as it introduces each new agent, but the repetition smothers it in the end.

There’s a lot of potential scattered around Agents of Mayhem but not enough of it is realized. The shooting and abilities are fun, the characters are interesting and could develop followings individually, but everything is hindered by a half-baked open world. No matter how fun the shooting is, the in-between moments are consistently a chore. If this was intended to spring a new series of games to life, the initial effort spits and sputters on the launch pad.

Agents of Mayhem is a very interesting game with some wild concepts, many of which didn’t seem like they would work out. While the combat is enthralling, the mission design surrounding it is consistently disappointing. The city of Seoul is wonderful and begging to be explored, but that’s not something Agents of Mayhem encourages through its design. Agents of Mayhem is hit or miss, but has more misses than hits.

In all, the execution fails a great premise for what could have been a fun romp around a city. I wanted to like this game more, but it ultimately never brought much more to the table beyond the slapstick vibe it had from its opening moments.

Nothing in this game feels quite finished, which is the overbearing problem. Agents of Mayhem is brimming with potential and can be quite a bit of fun, but it's inevitably dragged down by the fact that every little element, no matter how much promise it has, always consistently feels so half-baked.

This is not a game to think about, this is a game you should play just for fun. There is a nice variation in Agents, but other than that it is pretty simplistic.

Agents of Mayhem utilizes a cool idea of steering a trio of agents, has cool cartoon graphics and proper Saints Row humor. Unfortunately the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired - there's too much repetitiveness. Joy turns into boredom really quickly.

Volition got lost with Agents of Mayhem which is just another very generic Action/TPS game where nothing that really stands out. Everything is average and boredom awaits right around the corner.

Agents of Mayhem is a lot of fun to play in the first few hours, and the gunplay and movement systems are addictive. Sadly, the story is rather dull and there is little offered in terms of immersion, which makes me wish the game offered more to keep me interested in Seoul and the admittedly charming characters in the long run.

Mayhem's slick squad combat is wasted on repetitive mission design and a soulless open world. [Oct 2017, p.76]

As much as it pains us to say this, Agents of Mayhem is a disappointing spin-off to one of the funniest video game franchises. An uninspired setting and uninspired gameplay make for a miss able game. And that's too bad, as the Agents clearly had some potential as characters.

Agents of Mayhem has enough gameplay diversity and fun characters to keep you occupied for a few hours, but it won’t take long for the repetitive missions, horrendously heavy-handed comedic overtones, and tired gameplay loop to wear on your patience.

Agents of Mayhem offers one-note action anchored to a city lacking in soul. In the end, it's hard not to pine for the way things were, when Saints Row was a bright new player on the scene.

Despite fun combat and characters, Agents of Mayhem becomes repetitive and grinding. In trying to chase the popularity of Saints Row, it misses having an identity of its own.

It’s bewildering how so much of Volition's Agents of Mayhem feels like a show of conformity.

An obnoxious and repetitive open world game that does its best to hide the fact that it’s a surprisingly decent third person shooter.

Compared to open-world rivals such as GTA, Assassin’s Creed or The Witcher, there’s simply far too little to do in this world – and what little you’re asked to do, you’re asked to do so much it becomes bland and uninteresting.

Agents of Mayhem is a step back for Volition after the success of the Saints Row series. While the characters are good and fun, they don’t feel larger than life when compared to The Boss and their crew. There aren’t as many memorable moments either, and the city of Seoul is wasted. The game is less Agents of Mayhem and more Agents of Mehhem.

You would expect the team behind Saints Row to make something with more verve and fewer grey hallways, but here we are with Agents of Mayhem.

Agents of Mayhem is Volition’s latest, a third-person, single-player shooter that’s been spun off from Saints Row and wants to channel the likes of Overwatch and Borderlands. It does not succeed.

Creaky old level design, a loathsome entourage of heroes, and a lifeless open world. [Nov 2017, p.81]

In Agents of Mayhem, the limits are all around you, all of the time - from the moment you start playing to the minute you stop, it feels permanently imprisoned by its own lack of imagination. The result is a game that carries the weight of a litany of sins - a saint that has fallen far, far from grace. [Issue#311, p.116]

The game is a weak attempt to get your money, by patronising and giving you exactly what you expect... An ugly game that's affecting all its attitude. [Issue#191, p.76]

Agents of Mayhem is a generic take on the city open world shooter. A diverse cast of heroes and a few funny one liners save it from being downright bad, but its repetitive missions and bland world firmly solidify its mediocrity.

Agents of Mayhem fails as caretaker of the Saints Row dildo-torch, with passable gameplay and characters the only vague upsides in its a repetitive, bug-ridden sandbox.

It may share a genre and universe with Saints Row, but Agents of Mayhem is a lifeless husk of Volition's prior work.

While I can’t imagine how any developer could have followed up the balls-to-the-wall tour-de-force that was Saints Row 4, Agents of Mayhem feels like it isn’t even trying – it’s a tiresome, atavistic throwback that feels at least a decade out of date. It qualifies as An Open World Game on the most basic level possible, but has none of the charm, audacity, or OMG did that really happen? appeal that put Volition on the map. What happened here?