Zero Punctuation Season 11 Episode 34 Agents of Mayhem

Agents of Mayhem, the latest open-world adventure from the developers of Saints Row, is the subject of this episode of Zero Punctuation. Yahtzee begins by giving a brief history of the Saints Row franchise and notes that while it's not strictly necessary to have played those games to understand Agents of Mayhem, doing so might enhance one's enjoyment of the game. As the video begins, Yahtzee immediately sets the tone for the review by poking fun at the game's title, which he quips could also be the name of a '70s cop show.

The game takes place in a futuristic version of Seoul, Korea, where a team of heroes known as M.A.Y.H.E.M. (Multinational AgencY Hunting Evil Masterminds) are on a mission to stop L.E.G.I.O.N. (League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations) from taking over the city. Yahtzee notes that while the setup is similar to other superhero team games like Overwatch, the tone here is more comical and tongue-in-cheek. To illustrate this, he points out one of the characters, Hardtack, who appears to have been "sculpted from a giant bar of soap" and has the ability to throw out turrets made of smoking barbecue grills.

Yahtzee goes on to discuss the game's structure, which involves selecting three agents from a roster of twelve to take on various missions around the city. The missions themselves are fairly standard fare for an open-world game: drive here, shoot these guys, hack that computer. However, Yahtzee notes that the game frequently tries to spiff things up by throwing in gimmicks like an on-rails shooting section or a minigame where the player has to avoid falling objects. He finds these additions to be hit-or-miss, but overall appreciates them for giving the game a bit of variety.

The meat of the review, however, concerns the game's combat system, which Yahtzee praises for its smoothness and responsiveness. He describes the various agents as having distinct and enjoyable playstyles, from the shotgun-toting Red Card to the teleporting Hollywood. He particularly enjoys using Scheherazade, a samurai-themed character who has the ability to dodge attacks and speed up time. Yahtzee notes that while the game's normal difficulty is fairly easy, playing on harder difficulties can provide a satisfying challenge.

The video then takes a brief detour into a discussion of the game's upgrade system, which involves finding various colored crystals around the city to unlock new abilities and boost stats. Yahtzee notes that while the system is fairly generic, it works well enough and gives the player a sense of progression.

Finally, Yahtzee wraps up the review with a discussion of the game's presentation. He notes that the game's graphics are bright and colorful, but ultimately unremarkable. He praises the game's voice acting, which he describes as "consistently excellent" and notes that the characters are all well-written and memorable. One aspect of the game's presentation that does not sit well with Yahtzee, however, is its abundance of cutscenes and dialogue. He notes that these can be skipped, but doing so would mean missing out on some of the game's best moments. Overall, Yahtzee sums up the game as a fun, if somewhat shallow, romp that is worth checking out for fans of open-world action games.

As always, Yahtzee's review is filled with his trademark humor and acerbic wit. He pokes fun at various aspects of the game, such as the hero-swapping mechanic ("It's like the Autobots invading Cybertron and going, 'Which three of us are going to take on the Decepticons today?'") and the game's loot boxes ("Why bother getting players to pay for a sense of pride and accomplishment when they can pay for a sense of making someone else richer?"). At the same time, he makes clear his appreciation for the game's strengths, such as its varied combat and colorful cast of characters. Whether you're a fan of Agents of Mayhem or simply looking for an entertaining review, this episode of Zero Punctuation is a must-watch.