Saw (video game)

Did You Know?

• The game's soundtrack was composed by Alex Guilbert and uses a minimalist approach with no vocals.
• Konami purchased the publishing rights after former publisher Brash Entertainment went bankrupt.
• A sequel, Saw II: Flesh & Blood, was released in 2010 and features David Tapp's estranged son Michael as the protagonist.

Gameplay

Saw is a third-person survival horror game with action elements. The player controls Detective David Tapp, who must traverse an abandoned asylum and survive Jigsaw traps to escape. Tapp can search toilets and corpses for items such as weapons, health, or clues. Case files and cassette tapes found around the asylum provide background information. The combat system allows blocking, counter-attacking, and attacking; over eighteen weapons are available, including lead pipes, mop handles, firearms, and explosives. Some weapons can cut open bodies or break walls. Weapons deplete in real time until unusable. Tapp can rearm or place traps, such as electrifying water puddles or creating explosive mines at Jigsaw's Worktables. Health is restored by bandages or hypodermic needles stored in an inventory. When health is low, the environment fades to black-and-white until Tapp heals or dies.

Synopsis

Saw is set in the fictional Saw universe in an unnamed U.S. city. The overarching story follows John Kramer, who, after losing his unborn child, being diagnosed with an inoperable frontal lobe tumor, divorcing his wife, and attempting suicide, began testing people's will to live. His tests often killed victims, and he carved a puzzle piece from their flesh, earning him the alias "The Jigsaw Killer" from reporter Oswald McGullicuty. In the game, Jigsaw is still alive, and his apprentice Amanda is assumed to be a victim. The game occurs after the bathroom trap of Lawrence Gordon and Adam Stanheight from the first film. David Tapp, a police officer whose throat was damaged by Jigsaw's knife and who was later shot by Zep Hindle, has been healed and is brought to Whitehurst insane asylum, an abandoned sanitarium with a history of patient abuse. The asylum contains many areas with key trap scenes, including cells once used for the criminally insane. Jigsaw places traps to test Tapp, while Amanda Young monitors him. Tapp, a veteran detective discharged for mental instability after his partner Steven Sing's death, is obsessed with catching Jigsaw. Jigsaw attempts to teach Tapp to let go of his obsession and focus on survival.

Development

Before Saw III's release, Twisted Pictures and Brash Entertainment announced plans for a Saw game, initially intended to release alongside Saw IV. Brash Entertainment was to develop and co-publish with Twisted Pictures. The plot originally followed the first film, with players controlling various characters in traps, but this changed. After no updates, a teaser site appeared and later vanished. At the Game Developers Conference 2008, a trailer showed Billy the Puppet preaching to reporters. Brash Entertainment confirmed Zombie Studios had taken over development and that the game would use Unreal Engine 3 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Windows. A poster with the tagline "Dying To Play?" was released at 2008 Comic Con. James Wan and Leigh Whannell, creators of the first Saw film, were brought in to design new traps and assist with the storyline.

Reception

Saw received mixed reviews. The Xbox 360 version holds an average score of 59 percent on Metacritic from 35 reviews; the PlayStation 3 version also has 59 percent from 36 reviews. On GameRankings, the Xbox 360 version scores 60.89 percent from 27 reviews, and the PlayStation 3 scores 58.57 percent from 23 reviews. The PC version holds 44.33 percent from three reviews. The storyline and two endings were praised, and the immersive atmosphere was noted as true to the Saw series, but puzzle quality varied. Controls were poorly received, and the combat system was panned. Official Xbox Magazine gave a 4.5 out of 10, citing unresponsive controls and poor collision detection. IGN's David Clayman gave a 7.5 out of 10, praising the unique take on survival horror and Jigsaw's omnipresence, but criticizing repetitive puzzles and the flawed combat system. Critics noted Alex Guilbert's soundtrack; Eric Qualls praised it and Tobin Bell's voice. Kadath Bird noted the absence of the Hello Zepp theme.