Agents of Mayhem
A 2017 action-adventure game set in a Saints Row parallel universe.
Agents of Mayhem is a 2017 action-adventure game from developer Volition and publisher Deep Silver, released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in August of that year. Its style draws from Saturday-morning cartoons and superhero movies, and the story unfolds in a parallel universe connected to Volition's Saints Row series, featuring crossover characters and plot elements.
The game received mixed reviews. Critics liked its humor, characters, and combat but found it repetitive. By February 2018, it had sold 300,000 units, a commercial disappointment that led to layoffs at Volition.
**Gameplay**
Played from a third-person perspective, Agents of Mayhem is set in an open-world version of Seoul, South Korea. Players choose three of fifteen playable "agents" to complete missions and explore. Each agent has a unique style and abilities—for example, Hardtack wields a shotgun, while Hollywood uses an assault rifle. Damaging enemies fills a bar; once full, players can unleash Mayhem abilities, superpowered moves that vary by agent (Fortune's drone stuns foes, Hollywood triggers explosions). Players can switch freely between their three selected agents and experiment with different combinations. Movement is fast, with triple-jumping and cars for traversal.
Alongside main campaign missions, unlock missions add new agents, and personal missions explore their backstories. Agents have distinct personalities and react differently to events. As players progress, agents earn experience, cash, skills, gadgets, and mods to boost combat, plus cosmetic customization for agents and weapons.
**Synopsis**
**Setting**
The game takes place in a futuristic Seoul, called "the city of tomorrow." It exists in a multiverse with Volition's Saints Row and Red Faction series, occurring after the "recreate Earth" ending of the Saints Row IV expansion *Gat out of Hell*. The story pits two organizations against each other: M.A.Y.H.E.M. (Multinational AgencY Hunting Evil Masterminds), funded by the Ultor Corporation (a former antagonist from Saints Row 2 and Red Faction) and bearing the Saints' purple fleur-de-lis logo; and L.E.G.I.O.N. (League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations). L.E.G.I.O.N. launches a worldwide attack called "Devil's Night" to topple governments.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Agents of Mayhem
- Developer
- Volition
- Publisher
- Deep Silver
- Producer
- Greg Donovan
- Designer
- Anoop Shekar
- Engine
- CTG Engine
- Artist
- Matt Flegel
- Writer
- Jason L Blair
- Composer
- Malcolm Kirby Jr.
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4 / Windows / Xbox One
- Released
- NA · August 15, 2017 · AU · August 16, 2017 · EU · August 18, 2017
- Genre
- Action-adventure
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Agents of Mayhem is set in a futuristic version of Seoul, South Korea, billed as 'the city of tomorrow'. The game is part of a multiverse alongside Volition's Saints Row and Red Faction series, but its connection to Saints Row is tenuous—it takes place in a parallel universe rather than as a direct sequel to any specific ending. The plot revolves around two organizations: M.A.Y.H.E.M. (the Multinational AgencY Hunting Evil Masterminds), and L.E.G.I.O.N. (the League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations). L.E.G.I.O.N. reveals itself with a worldwide attack called 'Devil's Night', and Persephone Brimstone defects to form M.A.Y.H.E.M. and recruit agents to stop L.E.G.I.O.N.'s leader, the Morningstar, from harvesting Dark Matter to alter reality.
Reader's Guide
Agents of Mayhem received mixed reviews from critics; it was generally praised for its humor, characters and combat, but criticized for its repetitiveness. The game sold 300,000 units by February 2018 and was a commercial disappointment, which led to layoffs at Volition. Its development began shortly after the release of Saints Row IV in 2013, inspired by 1980s action cartoons such as G.I. Joe and He-Man. The game introduced multiple playable characters, a departure from previous Saints Row games, to foster player connection with the diverse cast. Despite its commercial underperformance, Agents of Mayhem remains notable for its ambitious crossover universe and character-focused design, though it failed to achieve the success of its Saints Row predecessors.
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