Agents of Mayhem Review Summary

While diverse character builds and satisfying combat stand out, repetitive missions, a lifeless open world, poor PC optimization, and a lack of co-op hold it back.

Diverse character playstyles praised: Players consistently highlight the wide variety of characters, each with unique weapons, abilities, and personalities that offer distinct playstyles. This diversity allows for different gameplay approaches and keeps the experience fresh and engaging.

Combat is satisfying and fun: Reviewers frequently describe the combat as satisfying, cool, and explosive, noting that it is fast, accessible, and often exhilarating. The addictive flow and enjoyable mechanics contribute positively to the overall experience.

Graphics and art style praised: The graphics are widely appreciated, with particular praise for the lighting, art style, and cartoonish visuals that include good shadows. Players find the visuals pleasing, especially on high settings.

Agent variety and uniqueness celebrated: Players highlight the diverse roster of agents, each with distinct abilities, weapons, and playstyles, making it fun to switch between them. The 12 agents are noted as unique and well-specialized.

Cutscenes add charm and style: The cartoon-style cutscenes are described as a nice accent that gives the game a Saturday morning cartoon vibe. They are viewed as stylish and add personal flair, making the presentation more engaging.

Missions are repetitive and boring: A large portion of feedback centers on missions lacking variety and becoming monotonous quickly. Players mention copy-paste objectives, repetitive dungeon clears, and bland side quests.

Open world feels lifeless: Many players describe the open world as empty, hollow, and lacking interesting activities or personality. The world is often compared unfavorably to other games.

Game feels generic and boring: Players often label the overall game as bland, generic, and monotonous, with unexpressive gameplay and little to keep them engaged.

Lacks co-op mode: The absence of co-op or multiplayer is a common complaint, especially for players expecting it based on previous titles. Some specifically mention the lack of online co-op.

Story is weak and cliché: The narrative is frequently criticized as bland, forgettable, cliché, or lacking depth. Some also mention it is predictable and presented in a childish style.

Unique character abilities and playstyles: Multiple clusters highlight that each character or agent has unique abilities, weapons, and playstyles, offering variety and distinct gameplay experiences. This is a strongly emphasized positive aspect of the game.

Third-person shooter gameplay: The game is described as a fast-paced third-person action shooter with character-switching mechanics. This genre classification is a core element repeatedly cited in reviews.

Squad-based character swapping: Players can choose a team of three agents and swap between them during missions, enabling dynamic combat and strategic variety. This mechanic is frequently mentioned and central to the gameplay.

Open world set in Seoul: The game is consistently described as an open-world action game set in a futuristic Seoul, South Korea, with a detailed city environment. This setting is a defining feature across many reviews.

Comparisons to Saints Row and Crackdown: Many reviews compare the game to Saints Row and Crackdown, noting similarities in gunplay, open-world structure, and gameplay loop. It is often seen as a mix or spiritual successor to these franchises.

Controller-related crashes are frequent: Multiple reports indicate the game crashes when using a controller, especially when opening settings or unplugging the controller. Disabling Steam Input appears to resolve many of these crashes.

Overall poor optimization: Widespread complaints about poor optimization, low FPS in cities, and high CPU usage even on powerful machines. The game feels heavy and unoptimized.

Launch problems on modern systems: The game fails to launch on some modern PCs and Windows 11, with black screens or missing files. Various fixes have been attempted without success.

Numerous bugs and glitches: Players encounter various bugs, clipping issues, softlocks, and freezes that disrupt gameplay. Frequent restarts are sometimes required.

Updates improved stability: Some players note that while the game had technical problems at launch, it is now stable and runs well on certain systems.

Wait for a sale: Many players advise not to buy the game at full price, suggesting waiting for a discount or deep sale, often as low as $10 or less. The game is considered not worth its full price point.

Not for Saints Row fans: A significant number of reviewers who are fans of the Saints Row series recommend avoiding this game, as it does not capture the same feel or quality. They suggest replaying the original Saints Row games instead.

Not recommended at all: A portion of reviewers strongly advise against buying or playing the game, describing it as a waste of money and time, with some giving it extremely low scores. These negative recommendations are not tied to specific bugs.

Recommended for some players: Some reviewers recommend the game, especially for fans of GTA, Watch Dogs, and Saints Row, or those seeking over-the-top action and humor. However, most of these recommendations come with caveats about sales.

Good for casual play: A few reviewers suggest the game is suitable for mindless play or as a background activity while doing other things, like watching videos. This indicates it may be fun in a mindless, casual context.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $30.00.

Game completion: 40.0h.

Story completion: 15.0h.

Players find Agents of Mayhem enjoyable initially due to varied hero abilities and combat, but the fun diminishes after a few hours as mission repetitiveness and lack of enemy diversity set in.

Friction: repetitive mission design; limited enemy variety; tedious side activities; same dungeon tilesets; enemy bullet sponges; uninteresting open world.

Saints Row Veteran: Co-op multiplayer, character customization, expects open-world sandbox with friends. Motivation: Seeking the classic Saints Row experience with co-op, customization, and narrative. Stance: no buy.

Looter Shooter Enthusiast: Strategic character swapping, experimenting with builds and team synergies, optimizing combinations for combat. Motivation: Enjoying the hero-based shooter mechanics, buildcraft, and moment-to-moment combat without endless loot farming. Stance: sale.

Achievement Hunter: Grinding side missions, collectibles, and connected contracts; focused on 100% completion and achievements. Motivation: Achieving 100% completion and earning all achievements despite RNG, server shutdowns, and broken achievements. Stance: no buy.

Steam Deck: The game is currently unsupported on Steam Deck, requiring extensive modifications such as downloading extra software and adjusting controller settings, while suffering from frequent crashes and bugs. Performance demands are high, further complicating the experience.

Linux and Proton: Only one review was available, which does not report any Linux-specific compatibility issues. The game is officially unsupported on Steam Deck, but the reviewer expects it to work in the future. No evidence of crashes, required tweaks, or broken functionality was found.

Monetization: The game has no microtransactions, gacha, or pay-to-win mechanics. Complaints center on the high base price and a DLC strategy where pre-order bonuses are later sold separately, which may feel unfair to early buyers. These are traditional pricing and DLC issues, not predatory monetization.

Overwhelming Saints Row comparisons: Most reviews compare the game to Saints Row, often criticizing it as a cheaper copy lacking the charm of the original series.

Saints Row franchise connection ambiguous: Reviewers are unclear whether the game is a spin-off, sequel, or standalone, noting a blend of shared universe elements and separate identity.

Saints Row references and characters: The game contains many Saints Row references and characters like Johnny Gat and Pierce Washington, reinforcing its ties to the franchise.

Low price and discounts: The game is often sold at a low price or heavily discounted, making it an attractive purchase despite mixed reviews.

No multiplayer or co-op: Players note the absence of multiplayer and co-op modes, which is a significant drawback for some.