Saw: The Video Game Review

1st Oct, 2022

The Saw movie franchise has spawned numerous movies, most of which have been received very positively by the public and critics alike. Thus, it's no wonder that the developers eventually decided to create a video game based on the movies, in order to give the fans the ability to experience their eerie environments first-hand.

And even though the game succeeded in many aspects, even where some other games have failed before, it still failed to satisfy the franchise's fans and video game fans in general, due to some of its more prominent glitches and the at time weird designer choices.

Gameplay

The game is played from the third perspective, and is mostly an adventure with some action flicks thrown in. You play the role of an ex-detective trying to escape a facility riddled with Jigsaw's traps. This comprises the majority of the game's gameplay initially, though at times you'll be forced to fight other enemies.

The combat system has been moderately well executed, and you're able to perform various moves on your enemies to incapacitate them, with most of the combat being focused on hand-to-hand. The variety of weapons is very good, and we certainly enjoyed how well the game has been polished in that aspect.

There are some points at the game where you'll get assistance from some computer-controlled teammates who'll be required to progress through some of the tests. At some points, you'll be given the choice of branching your journey through different routes, which may provide you with some bonuses.

You should enjoy the diversity in the level design in general, and the game deserves special praise for the way it develops some of its characters. On the other hand, sometimes you'll really feel bugged by the way the AI blocks you and prevents you from progressing, and you'll wish it just wasn't there in the first place.

Graphics and System Requirements

Saw features the Unreal Engine 3, which most of us know what's capable of. You should expect top notch graphics and eye-catching effects, and a good play on lighting. On the other hand, some of the engine's characteristic problems, such as the plastic-looking light shining on objects, as well as the high system requirements, are present and very persistent at times.

The requirements should be noted specifically – if you don't have a good machine to play this on (if you're playing it on the PC), forget about even enjoying it at the lowest settings. You need a fairly good computer, capable of running DX9 graphics and the latest Pixel Shader versions. This, however, is more than justified by the graphics' quality, as we mentioned above.

Other

The game makes some changes to the movies' storyline, so don't expect to get the exact same thing. Some of you may feel annoyed by this, others probably won't care that much – but you should be warned about it.

Conclusion

If you're a fan of the movies, you may feel slightly let down by the game – but that's not to say that it doesn't deserve a try; no – Saw can give you some quality moments in front of the monitor, despite its occasional problems.