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Mixed or average reviews - based on 41 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

  • Summary: Jigsaw has killed your partner and destroyed your life. Now he has trapped you in an abandoned insane asylum that he alone controls. If you can defeat his brutal traps and survive, you may just discover the truth behind what drives this twisted serial killer. SAW is a third-person perspective, survival horror game based on the SAW film franchise. The game features many of the deadly mechanical traps seen in the film, as well as terrifying new ones. Players pit their wits against Jigsaw as they navigate his world in an attempt to evade and escape his gruesome traps, while also struggling against his minions in brutal combat by using weapons found within the environment. SAW, the video game, is based on a treatment from Zombie Studios and the creators of the SAW franchise, Leigh Whannell and James Wan. The timeline for the game takes place between the movies: SAW and SAW II, giving the game its own story, yet fitting within the narratives of the movies. The story centers on Detective David Tapp who awakens in a decrepit, abandoned asylum. He has been captured by his longtime nemesis, Jigsaw. Obsessed with catching this serial killer, Tapp’s mission has consumed him and ruined his family, resulting in divorce, mental imbalance, and abandonment. Worse yet, this frantic hunt destroyed Tapp’s career while he watched his long-time friend and partner get killed by one of Jigsaw’s traps. Now Jigsaw has the upper hand and has captured the detective. Tapp must play a deadly game - the likes of which he has been investigating for years - to escape, and in order to do so he must survive the lethal traps and puzzles that Jigsaw has put in place for him and others. But each victim has a dark connection to Tapp. Will Tapp save them? Can he survive his obsession to find the Jigsaw killer? [Konami] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 41
  2. Negative: 4 out of 41
  1. Saw isn’t the great experience, but at least it is a good game if you remind yourself that it is based on a movie.
  2. A genuinely decent adaptation of the films. Repetitive and gruesome, but hugely evocative. [Winter 2009, p.85]
  3. 73
    A good adaption of the movies with fine gameplay. The audio and graphics aren’t really special and the gameplay may be a little bit repetitive but overall a nice game.
  4. In the end this game feels less like a thrilling adventure and more like an eight to ten hour endurance test. It's a good looking game, though the visuals will never 'wow'.

See all 41 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. this game has done rather well as a film-to-game adaption, it has interesting, albeit experimental gameplay, a decent storyline and it actually remains true to the films. Expand
  2. MilanA
    7
    For a "film turned into video game" game, Saw is actually pretty good. I m a big fan of horror genre in video games, and as there is not many of those games around, Saw does fill in the gap. Best part of the game is very solid graphics and sound design. It is pretty atmospheric game. It is also refreshing to see that it is not only an action game as Resident Evil is turning into, and as dead space is (great game though), but that there is lot of puzzles and riddles to solve. Story line is pretty solid too and it is connected to the movies. Worst part of the game, in my opinion is the repetitiveness, and bad fighting mechanics. If developers used a little more time in completing these two obvious faults, this game could gate a 9 or straight 10. Expand
  3. SAW pervades us with a creepy atmosphere with the shattered interiors of Whitehurst asylum giving the game its scary and lonely elements. Unfortunately the combat seems like an afterthought, with detective swinging fists as though he was under water. The characters are dire and don't contribute anything meaningful to the narrative. The AI is also shoddy, not recognising traps that are set and generally aren't a challenge. Not a bad rental, but one that when completed, you'll never want to return to. Expand
  4. Wow, Saw. Really I can't find anything positive to say about this game. It's almost like it was made out of a joke, just to cash in off of the Saw movies name, which I've yet to figure out why there are so many of. The game consists of repetitive and annoying puzzles and traps that instantly kill you around every corner. Cheap way to make a short game take 7 hours to complete, right? The voice acting isn't the worst I've heard, but it is pretty bad. Sometimes it's hard to tell if voice acting will be bad if the dialog sucks. This was a mix of both bad dialog and bad voice acting, and the annoying laughing after you die is just irritating and makes you wish you could throw a fist at whoever recorded it.
    This game seems like it was made primarily for getting an easy platinum or 1000 on your trophies or achievements lists. The only satisfaction I found after completing Saw was taking it out of my PS3 and putting it back on the shelf. Konami is a great company but this game is like an enormous smear on their name. In short if you buy this game expecting at the very least a decent game. You will be entirely disappointed.
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See all 5 User Reviews