Here’s a look at the new Saints Row’s opening story missions

Volition’s first reveal of its upcoming Saints Row reboot did not, it’s fair to say, seem to bare much in common with the series of old. A few gameplay snippets that followed helped bridge the divide, but a newly revealed look at some early missions has given the clearest indication yet of how Volition is looking to revitalise its ageing sandbox series.

As shared by GameInformer, the new nine-minute pre-alpha gameplay video offers a look at two early story missions: Making Rent and Idol Threat. The first of these takes place before the Saints are even officially formed, with The Boss and the game’s core supporting – Kevin, Neenah, and Eli, all previously members of rival gangs – orchestrating a robbery on a loan office to raise some cash.

We don’t see much of the robbery itself, but there’s a reasonable look at the resulting high-speed escape from the police. Here, we get a taste of Saints Row’s revamped car combat – incorporating the likes of side-swiping and drifting – culminating with an on-foot shoot-out against Neenha’s old gang, Los Panteros, who are less than happy about the soon-to-be-Saints encroaching on their territory. A bit of desert dirt biking later and the mission comes to an end.

As for Idol Threat, it sees the player attempting to track down Kevin, who’s been kidnapped by his former game the Idols. The spliced up footage shows another shootout, this time at the Idols’ party as the Boss and Kevin dish out some revenge, plus a tease of a new tether mechanic, enabling players to drag things behind their car – in this case an Idol gang member currently ensconced in a portable loo.

And that’s where the Saints Row gameplay ends. GameInformer also has a more in-depth look at car combat, wingsuiting, and the world of Santo Ileso, if your interest is suitably piqued, and the full game is currently scheduled to launch on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on 25th February next year.