Saints Row 2022 preview images show connection to older games

New connections between the old Saints Row games and the 2022 reboot have emerged from early previews of the game.

Saints Row 2022 fans still have a ton of questions about the new versions’ connections to the original Saints Row series. While the core concept of a cartoony urban sandbox remains, many of the names, faces, and gangs of Saints Row 2022 are supposedly brand new. However, images from previewers show that there are more links between the games than many fans previously believed.

Thanks to early previews given to some game critics, players have already gotten a comprehensive look at the first parts of the game. While the early versions only include the first few hours, the loading screens and billboards from it spoil a ton of shops and mechanics. Many of them are directly inspired, or straight up copied, from the original trilogy.

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Will the shops from Saints Row return in the 2022 reboot?

Many of the same shops and businesses in the old Saints Row games have connections to previous shops or are straight-up continued with the 2022 reboot. 

The first obvious reference is a loading screen advertising Let’s Pretend. The clothing store first appeared in Saints Row 2 and has remained a constant throughout the series. It’s where players usually go to purchase more exotic costumes like space suits, animal mascots, or luchador masks. The new look seems to nod towards kid’s horror games like Five Nights at Freddy’s or Poppy’s Playtime.

Another spoiled Saints Row 2022 loading screen shows Shady Oaks, the hospital from the old games, appearing in Santo Ileso. The image also references Legal Lee, Johnny Gat’s lawyer. This may hint towards Johnny appearing in the game, though he’s been completely absent from all promotional material. Legal Lee also supposedly dies at the end of the Saints Row 4, but that’s an easy retcon if the developers want to bring him back.

The most notable change with the new Saints Row store names is for the car mechanic. It’s had its official name remixed to Jim Rob’s, which is a subtler dirty joke than the original. It will still function as a one-stop car shop in the game, and modification appears extensive from the previews.

As for whether there could be even more connections to the original games in the 2022 version of Saints Row, fans will just have to wait to find out.