SAW

By - Craig H.

The Saw franchise has 6 films under its belt and can now add a video game to its resume. Most may have assumed that the game would follow the new film or have some ties to the more recent outings but that is not the case. You will have to travel back 4.5 films to just after the events of Saw 1. Maybe this was a way for Konami and developer Zombie to add extra story between each film. This just seems odd to me and most players will not fully remember what happened in the first films which took place over 4 years ago.

In Saw you will play as Detective Tapp (remember him?). Tapp has been shot and brought to an asylum named Whitehurst by Jigsaw. He has been patched up but not without a twist. A key has been placed inside of the good detective that is the only key to escape the asylum. Tapp is not the one who needs the key though. Several other people have been placed in the asylum by Jigsaw and they have only one way to get out, you guessed it, they must retrieve said key from Tapp’s chest by any means necessary. Some people placed in the asylum are from Detective Tapp’s past and require his help for both of them to escape/live from one of Jigsaws traps. These puzzles are not very difficult and can get frustrating when clocks or poison gas get added to the mixed. The game does have a decent checkpoint system so you will not have to play the entire area over again to get back to the puzzle. Examples of these puzzles are to connect a circuit box to regain power and slide racks of dead/frozen pigs to reveal a path to a doorway just to name a few.

The developer Zombie hits the nail on the head when it comes to presentation and atmosphere. The grittiness of the movies is alive and well in the game and will have you checking the corners as well as keeping a watchful eye out for booby-traps. If you are not careful one wrong step and you will lose your head to a precisely placed shotgun. The games combat, however, leaves a lot to be desired. You have the ability to pick up several bludgeoning object (nail bat, mannequin arm, sledge hammer, mop handle, etc)and more “stealth” kill objects (syringe, scalpel, etc.) but the most effective of all of them is Detectives Tapp’s right hook. Many of the larger items take far too long to wield and you will end up taking a lot of damage before killing your foe. Your right hand is as effective as Mike Tyson’s and will dispose of your enemies quickly and effectively (or knock them down for a good foot stomp). The combat is clunky and will resort to hitting buttons or following an onscreen button for counters. You do not really feel satisfied or have a sense of reward when you take care of these enemies, they feel like speed bumps in your quest to the next jigsaw puzzle.

I enjoyed playing through the game and I believe fans of the franchise (and horror games) will enjoy a play through as well. The puzzles may be easy but are still fun to solve and save a life (or purposely fail and watch the trap get set off). The game will be good for a run through but does not really leave any reason to go back and play again (it has 2 endings but you can just load up the last checkpoint and play the other ending).

Quick Review:

Presentation: The developer does a great job at bringing the grittiness of the film franchise into the gaming world. The menus are easy to use and allow the ability to replay specific areas with ease though are a bit bland. - 8.5

Graphics: The scenery immerses the player in the Saw franchise with great environments and settings. The character models just look ok. - 7

Gameplay: The puzzles are enjoyable though easy. The combat could really use an upgrade and is unacceptable at this point in gaming. - 6

Length/Longevity: The game is good for a single play through (and double back to see the second ending). There is really no reason to play through the game a second time or to use the function to play through an individual level unless you want to see the traps go off. - 4

Rating: 6