Agents of Mayhem: E3 Impressions

21 Jun 2016
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We had the opportunity to sit down and kick the tires of Volition’s new IP, Agents of Mayhem, last week at E3, and if you like Volition’s Saints Row, chances are you’ll like this new game as well. Volition’s comedy and comic styling are in full force here.

You play as the Agents of M.A.Y.H.E.M. (the Multinational Agency for Hunting Evil Masterminds), and while they may not be classic heroes, their anti-hero antics seems to get the job done. At launch there will be 12 Agents to choose from, although we were able to demo only 4 – Hollywood (close range gun), Fortune (drone and longer range gun), Hardtack (close range shotgun), and Rama (long range bow). The beauty of the system here is in swapping between agents.  They all felt fully functional throughout the level, but to switch which agent you controlled is as simple as hitting right or left in the directional pad. The ease of such swap allows you to pick and choose as the situation develops, without any apparent detriment.

The game takes place in Seoul, South Korea, but, notably, in the Saint’s Row universe. The gameplay is very much an open world action shooter. The agents are trying to bring down L.E.G.I.O.N. (the League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations), and Legion is not short on henchmen. The Legion henchmen go down quick, but they keep coming.  Navigating the bright streets of Seoul, the cars, buildings, barriers, etc., while facing a constant onslaught is what this game (or at least the demo level) was all about.  It eschews any strategy of finding ways to pick off exposed enemies, instead focusing on the fun, and comedy, of jumping around (including a nifty double jump which each agent can do),  and firing at will mowing down the enemy whenever and wherever they spawn. Each Agent also has their own specialty move – aka Mayhem ability – which fits their personality.

Agents of Mayhem is scheduled to be released in 2017 (specific timing TBD) on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.