The Case

“We used to curb Human savagery by eating them!”

The Saints are back! Revisiting the original story never made (until now) that inspired the game which this now is a DLC for. Yep. After it was conceived as a DLC for Saints Row the Third, it was deemed too much fun to just be a piece of DLC, so it became a full game, and is now...a DLC again. Complicated enough for you? Good, because fuck Pierce.

The Trial

Interestingly enough, the first thing that struck me when starting the first mission, is that the DLC brings with it more than just a few hours of new content. There are some nice little visual tweaks interwoven as well. Actually, comparing a game with the DLC and one without, running on the same rig, the content within Dominatrix itself is definitely a tad sharper and smoother. Only slightly, but it's there.

As for the meat and potatoes of the DLC, well...Kinzie notifies you via your quest log, that she unearthed some deleted scenes from your past adventures. Which, when you fire up the quest, leads to an interview with various members of the cast. Conducted by Jane Valderamma, who you will recognise from in-game news reports, each of the disparate chapters of the Dominatrix plot arc begins with a short introduction by the Saints, constantly breaking the fourth wall and talking about the game as a game.

The humour here may turn away some, even those who are fond of the direction the series has been heading in, as it can feel like it's trying too hard. But the thing is, it is trying too hard. That's kind of the whole point. It all depends on your personal preference. I found it amusing, as it was clearly intended to satirise its own satire. Though, at the same time, I can appreciate how some, many even, will simply see it as going too far and taking itself too seriously. Especially with the more madcap, silly elements, such as the short live-action 'cutscene' of a toy spaceship escaping from the top of Paul's (the giant Saints Flow can from Pierce's nightmare) head, whilst he bleeds energy drink all over the table.

However, the interview segments serve a second, more useful purpose in that they link together the various sections without the need for the usual fluff. This leaves the DLC open to criticism for some, in that it cuts a lot of potential content. But again, it's all handled with that same self-aware humour. Like when Kinzie and Shaundi are joking about cutting four escort missions in a row. This setup leads to some ludicrously clumsy exposition to bring the player up to speed with the events between one mission and the next, and these will be the decider. Either you will embrace the satirical edge at this point, or are turned away completely.

Overall, when taken as a complete package, there's a lot to like as well as a lot that will create a great schism between Saints Row fans. The premise itself is entertaining, filled with potential and some moments that made me giggle unceasingly. The titular Dominatrix is a failsafe of the simulation that takes control after the defeat of Zinyak, and effectively all that you have to do is defeat her and escape. But it's never that simple and it's not until Kinzie hacks the simulation and injects some virus nodes that you are able to achieve this goal.

Along the way, you fight neverending waves of gimps, fly through Paul's brain in a spaceship, take part in a chariot race using Zimos as your donkey and stare in astonishment at Pierce being made Mayor of Steelport. The rewards for completion being some new weapons and homies made accessible in the core game and, as an added bonus (for the fans at least) the missions remain active in your quest log to be replayed as often as you like.

The Verdict

Personally, I had a blast in the three or-so hours it took me to tear through everything. The dialogue was clumsy, but intentionally so, and had some moments that tickled me pink. It won't be for everyone, which is inevitable with anything, though that is unfortunate in this case, as it is abundantly clear that this was an uncompromising 'this is what we want to do, ramifications be damned' moment from the Volition team. Though props to them for sticking to their vision...however batshit insane that may be.

Case Review