Saints Row Boss Factory allows players to create their own Boss prior to Saints Row's release, and the designs shared already are great.

The long-running Saints Row franchise will be receiving a reboot with the upcoming Saints Row game. Developed by Volition, the game is set in the fictional American city of Santa Ileso where players will be able to unleash classic Saints Row chaos. Saint Ileso is under the control of three gangs, but players are on a mission to seize power and become the new rulers of the city with their new gang. The reboot is meant to take the franchise back to its more grounded roots, but players will still get to enjoy the open-world mayhem that characterizes the series.

Saints Row is set to release in 2022, and in the lead-up to the game, the developers have released a demo titled Saints Row Boss Factory which allows gamers to build the playable character they will use in-game. The demo is free, and it demonstrates that gamers will have maximal freedom to design their character as they please. When Saints Row launches, players will be able to easily transfer their character from the demo to the main game.

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Saints Row Boss Factory is a demo that is free to download on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Players can download their own "Boss" that will serve as their playable character when Saints Row launches later in 2022. Bosses made can be uploaded online, allowing players to share their creations with others, and download the Bosses that creative gamers around the world have designed. Already, the internet has been flooded with some amazing Boss designs, with some resembling celebrities and fictional characters such as Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.

Saints Row Boss Factory is a great way to get a head start on Saints Row, especially because the options offered are so vast that it is easy to spend hours creating a character. It does not feel limited at all, and the ability to share Bosses makes it easy to get inspiration from other gamers. Players on the fence about Saints Row may also want to try the demo, as it manages to squeeze in a bit of the zany humor the series is known for.

Saints Row Boss Factory comes with a few presets, but imaginative gamers will likely not be satisfied with them. As one can expect from the series, Saints Row's customization options are quite zany, and players can unleash their wildest ideas with almost no boundaries. There are many clothing items available, including accessories like headgear, hats, headphones, glasses, and bracelets. A few unexpected items make an appearance too, including surgical masks and bandanas. To perfect one's outfit, players can mix and match clothes to look formal, casual, or just crazy. It is also possible further customize clothing by changing the materials used and the color scheme.

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Customization is not limited to clothing, however, and players can also modify their Saints Row Boss' body. It is possible to alter the build, figure, and chest size to make the character as skinny, muscular, or heavyset as one pleases. Players can also design their character with prosthetics, and change skin tone, muscle definition, and body hair. There is no reason to keep one's Boss looking normal, as quirky features such as body rashes, bruises, bullet wounds, stitches, bad tans, and bite marks are available. It is painfully easy for perfectionists to spend hours just customizing their Boss' face, as the customization options allow players to make the most minute changes. Players can alter each zone of the head, change eye color, facial hair, and head shape, or throw on some wrinkles and face tattoos.

At the end of all the designing, players can apply minor changes to Boss' personality by altering their voice and emote animations which are often hilarious. Saints Row Boss Factory confirms that Saints Row will feature more customization than ever before. However, this will not be limited to just character customization. As has been previously revealed, Saints Row's car customization and vehicle customization will also be quite extensive, allowing players to design their dream cars and guns.

There is a small bonus afforded to players who use Saints Row Boss Factory: they unlock two helmets which can be used in Saints Row when it is released. Players have already gotten a look at Saint Ileso, and it is a beautiful city featuring a dodgy downtown area, glitzy main streets, and desert plains surrounding it. The Boss' gang comprises disgruntled folks from the three gangs that control Saint Ileso, and gamers have gotten a look at them, too. Kevin is a DJ that used to work for a gang called the Idols who now handles heists for the Saints, Eli is a big-brained entrepreneur, and Neenah is a mechanic who used to work for Los Panteros but now serves as a driver for the Saints.

Reception to early views of the Saints Row reboot has been mixed. Many appreciate that the game is seeking to tell a more grounded story, especially after the cartoonish craziness of Saints Row 4 that caused many to believe that the franchise had jumped the shark. However, others argued that the Saints Row reboot proves that the series had lost its edge. The developers will have to play a very careful balancing game of maintaining the franchise's off-the-wall fun while keeping things relatively realistic to please both camps of fans.

The level of customization on display is similar to The Sims, and it is possible to spend hours getting a Boss design just right. Elden Ring's character creator helped increase the game's popularity as players shared their designs that reference pop culture figures and memes. Thanks to Saints Row Boss Factory's robust character creator, Saints Row may enjoy the same free publicity.

Saints Row is scheduled to release on August 23, 2022 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Smangaliso Simelane spends most of his time writing. When he isn't working on his imaginary worlds, he is writing about video games.