History VideoGame / SaintsRow2022

* MaccGuffin: The Hummingbird Codex, all we know is that it's a precious artifact all the gangs would fight for. [[spoiler: The Boss gets fired for getting it stolen by the Idols and they decide to take it back as the Saints to show they are the new top dog in the city.]]

* BetterLivingThroughEvil: While the Boss and two of their roomates were involved in morally questionable gang (the Boss is in a paramilitary group, Kev is part of the Idols cult and Neena is with the Panteros gang) it's when they decide to work for themselves as criminal gang with many horrible business ventures that they don't have to worry about rent.

* ThePeterPrinciple: One mission is directly named after the trope. Due to getting things done during their first two jobs for Marshall, Atticus himself gives the Boss a very important job: guarding a very precious artifact in a museum. Unfortunately, you end up in the middle of a MeleeATrois with Los Panteros and the Idols, and [[spoiler:the artifact gets stolen by the Idols, leading to you getting fired]]. The Boss starts off their career at Marshall by doing impressive things, and as a result they get promoted to a job that is beyond their experience level or skill set. It’s arguably a downplayed or subverted example, however. The [[spoiler: Codex being taken]] only happens because the Boss prioritizes saving Myra Starr (a VIP and board member of Marshall), which still falls under their purview as the security chief, and they do so despite facing an army of gangsters. If the Boss prioritized an item over the life of a board member they wouldn’t have been fired, but they have no way of knowing that Atticus is a BadBoss who doesn’t care for Myra’s life versus that of his property.

* ArcWords: "Be your own boss." InUniverse, the phrase is a mantra from Eli's favorite motivational speaker. It also serves as the main motivation for the team; the Boss, Kevin, and Neenah are all former members of previous factions, while Eli is an up-and-coming businessman. Together, they use their newfound organization to become their own "bosses", and create a community for folks who want to live life on their own terms.

* DeadlyGame: Boot Hill, a "murder circus" (as Kevin puts it) where contestants kill their way through an island, collecting more and more weapons as they go. The game is livestreamed, and is apparently extremely popular among the criminals of Santo Ileso, so the Boss participates in the game to advertise the Saints and get more recruits.

* EveryCarIsAPinto: Enemy cars are quite fragile. Side-swiping them while driving at a good speed is guaranteed to take off at least one bar off their health, and possibly send them veering into an obstacle that makes them blow up. Taken to extremes during the insurance fraud activity, where in addition to increasing your hang time like previous games, adrenaline mode causes any car the Boss touches to instantly explode.

* HandWave: One CollectionSidequest has you taking photos of collectibles, [[AnInteriorDecoratorIsYou which you can then place in the church HQ]]. When the Boss asks Kevin how that works, all he can come up with is "It just works."

* MoneySink: The Ventures require a hefty investment upfront before paying anything back. Likewise the post-game Millionaire shop has items that change the Boss’ character model with prices ranging from a minimum of 1 million dollars to ''25 million'' dollars for the most expensive one.

* NotQuiteFlight: The Boss has a wingsuit, which can be used to glide long distances. It replaces the Parachute from prior entries, and is a downplayed version of the glide mechanic from ''Saints Row IV''.

* RevolversAreJustBetter: The Handcannon .44 is the Panteros' main sidearm of choice and once you get it, it'll be yours, too. Its rate of fire is sluggish and its ammo capacity isn't particularly great, but its accuracy is excellent (headshots come easy and often with it) and, well… it's a ''[[HandCannon .44 Magnum]]''. ''Of course'' it's gonna pump out damage.

** Neenah gets one of her own, after [[spoiler:Los Panteros destroy her beloved car - she resolves to destroy ''all'' their cars, and blow up the factory where they customise them.]]
* SceneryPorn: From the towering cityscape of Lakeshore, to the glittery casino district of El Dorado, to the wide open desert alongside Route 66, Santo Illeso is quite expansive and gorgeously-detailed.

** The @tcha side missions. Gangs are fiercely protective of the ratings of businesses on their turf, and will send ''hit squads'' after anyone who leaves a review below 5 stars. The lower the score you give, the higher the difficulty.

** One mission involves lowering Marshall's stock value by committing rampage with their new tank, at first the stocks starts climbing because the owner of the local football arena buys everyone who is trying to get rid of their shares for his own long term benefit and to become main stockholder. The Boss blows up a statue near his arena so he gets the message that it's their schemes not his.

* VirtualPaperDoll: As usual, you've got an extensive amount of possibilities on what you want your Boss to look like, with the Boss Factory only providing a ''fraction'' of the options that the final game will provide. This time around, you can have a Boss with ArtificialLimbs, different skin conditions (e.g., vitilego) or body hair (a la [[Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery Austin Powers]]), and asymetrical eye sizes, to name a few.
* VivaLasVegas: The game takes place in what is essentially the ''Saints Row'' equivalent of Las Vegas, with much of its surrounding countryside taking influence from the Mojave desert. Route 66 also makes an appearance in this game, further cementing this.

* SeriousBusiness: The @tcha side missions. Gangs are fiercely protective of the ratings of businesses on their turf, and will send ''hit squads'' after anyone who leaves a review below 5 stars. The lower the score you give, the higher the difficulty.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: John Blande gets shaken down by the Boss and Kevin for the deed to the church. In his panic, he gives them not only the deed to the church but deeds to empty lots all over Santo Ileso as well. This single act allows the Saints to build fronts all over the city and is instrumental in their rise to power.

* BookEnds: Narrowly and intentionally averted. [[spoiler:After the Nahualli betrays the Saints, the Boss ends up trailing his henchmen to WhereItAllBegan, the very quarry from the prologue where the two initially fought. Except [[BaitAndSwitch it's a dead end]]; he had actually taken the Boss's friends elsewhere and baited out a dramatic encounter to kill the last loose end off if they came running. Thankfully the last surviving member [[KnowWhenToFoldEm has the sense to just tell the Boss where the Nahualli is after seeing everyone else slaughtered.]]]]

You see, Santo Ileso is under the control of three gangs: namely, vehicle focused Los Panteros, the anarchist Idols, and the militarist Marshall Defence Industries. However, you have just started your own gang in order to compete with them.

You see, Santo Ileso is under the control of three gangs: namely, vehicle focused Los Panteros, the glitzy nightclubbing Idols, and the militarist Marshall Defence Industries. However, you have just started your own gang in order to compete with them.

Together with your roommates, Neenah, Kevin and Eli, you will take the city for yourself, one crime at a time.

The game features all-new additions to the franchise, including a much bigger and more vertical city in the form of Santo Ileso, new vehicles like hoverbikes and wingsuits, and the ability to start up illegal side activities from empty lots and make their activities look legal to not draw the cops to your gang.

* AscendedGlitch: In ''Saints Row: The Third'' and its sequel, there was a (now iconic) glitch that allowed players to fully customize whatever vehicle they wanted that wouldn't be normally customizable under normal circumstances (such as a tank or unique vehicles like the STAG N-Forcer). The end result of that being a virtually indestructible purple tank or a hot pink [[Franchise/{{Tron}} Lightcycle]]. Here, that limitation is gone and any land, sea, or air vehicle is fair game.

* DiscOneNuke: The Marshall MDI-101 Multi-Launcher, which you get upon beating the Prologue if you linked your account to the Saints Row website. While the rockets can be troublesome to aim (and its ammo capacity is limited), it's ''extremely'' effective against some of the tougher mooks early on in the game. And it's particularly effective against the Idols, who favor ZergRush tactics.

* EtTuBrute: "After Party" kicks off with [[spoiler:the Nahualli stabbing the Boss in the gut and burying them alive, viciously betraying them]]. Even the achievement you get afterwards is called "Et tu?".

** It can't be a ''Saints Row'' game without the Boss saying, "It's our time now. Let's get this shit started." This time around, it's said as the Boss and their friends agree to ban together and form the Saints.

* WhamEpisode: "After Party", which expands upon the events of the opening cutscene. [[spoiler:The Nahualli is revealed to be the assailant who buried the Boss alive, and he murders countless Saints at the party before kidnapping the main team. Meanwhile, the Boss is left to wander helplessly in limbo, until they finally regain the strength to wake up and escape the hole]].

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} Self-Made.]][[note]] From left to right: Kevin, Neena, Eli, and the [[VirtualPaperDoll Boss.]] [[/note]]]]

** One of the few games in existence that actually managed to get fire hydrants right (to a degree); if you destroy one, rather than the water simply continuing to run if you put your car under it, it'll actually fling you a few feet in the air. Firefighters need that much water pressure in RealLife for a reason, after all.

* BlandNameProduct: "Old Steel" microbrew is a stand-in for "Old Style" beer, popular in and around Chicago. ([[CreatorProvincialism Volition is based in Illinois.]])

* {{Expy}: The radio news anchor, Juana Villalovos, is very much this continuity's answer to Jane Valderrama. Even their names are somewhat similar.

* SceneryPorn: From the towering cityscape of Lakeshore to the wide open desert alongside Route 66, Santo Illeso is quite expansive and gorgeously-detailed.

* ArcWords: "Be your own boss." InUniverse, the phrase is a mantra from Eli's favorite motivational speaker. It also serves as the main motivation for the team; the Boss, Kevin, and Neenah are all former members of previous factions, while Eli is an up-and-coming businessman. Together, they use their newfound organization to become their own "bosses", and create a community for folks who want to live their lives on their own terms.

* ThePeterPrinciple: One mission is directly named after the trope. Due to getting things done during their first two jobs for Marshall, Atticus himself gives the Boss a very important job: guarding a very precious artifact in a museum. Unfortunately, you end up in the middle of a MeleeATrois with Los Panteros and the Idols, and [[spoiler:the artifact gets stolen by the Idols, leading to you getting fired]]. The Boss started off their career at Marshall by doing impressive things, and as a result they got promoted to a job that was beyond their experience level or skill set. It’s arguably a downplayed or subverted example, however. The Codex being taken only happens because the Boss prioritizes saving Myra Starr, which still fell under their purview as the security chief, and they do so despite facing an army of gangsters. If the boss prioritized an item over the life of a board member they wouldn’t have been fired, but they had no way of knowing that Atticus was a BadBoss who didn’t care for Myra’s life versus that of his property.

** As early as the first mission, despite the Boss managing to capture the Nahualli through their [[IndyPloy improvisation]], they're ultimately stiffed out of their Performance Bonus and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech given a stern talking to]] by their CO on top of that. As Gwen puts it, if they were in charge, it would've been a fine display, but since they're only a rookie, she's quick to remind the Boss that she's the one in charge, not them.

* AtrociousAlias: Once they start making a name for themselves, the Saints get dubbed by media and law enforcement as "the Purple Shirt Mafia".