Want to Play a Game?

Saw is an asymmetrical multiplayer game developed by Bloober Team, a studio known for their history in horror games. If anyone was going to make a game on the Saw franchise, it would be them, so it’s no surprise. In my short playtest of the game, I was joined by two members of the press, and we were tasked with escaping for our lives while being chased by the developer. Not fair!

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SAW requires quick-thinking to make it through alive.

Judge and Jury

In Saw, there are two roles: the Judge and the Accused. The former’s goal is to chase down the other three players, using traps to slow them down. The latter’s job is to complete the various objectives and challenges while surviving the ordeal. This was easier said than done; you have a tight time limit, and to gain more time, you’ll need to make a few sacrifices. For the most part, that will be health, but occasionally you might need to sacrifice one of the team, especially if the time is dangerously low; this extra bit of time could be the difference between success and defeat.

As the Accused, you might be the victim, but you’re not defenseless; with enough effort, teamwork, and tactics, you can defeat the Judge, ending the match in a win. This is not an easy feat, though, and it shouldn’t be your strategy for every match. During our first match against the developer, I found a knife, so naturally, when I got chased down by the judge and got cornered, I whipped out the knife and began to frantically wave it around at it. I got a few hits in, but it soon became obvious I was going to need some help (but I may have run off on my own!).

When I was captured, I was taken to a chair awaiting my death. I had a timer slowly going down and I could call out to my group via a button prompt which highlighted my location. I could slow down the timer at the cost of my health, giving my teammates a bit more time to reach me. Another option I had was to sacrifice myself. This would take me out of the game, but it would give the team some much-needed time, and at times, you’ll want to do this. Fortunately, this time, one of the team found me, and interacted with the machine to release me.

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The Judge can be defeated, but you’ll need teamwork to do it.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Starting the match, we were met with an objective. We had three machines near the exit and we needed to find the correct numbers to open it. Each number was written on a piece of paper, and these were hidden on some pig corpses, which were scattered in different locations across the map. For the first match, we decided to stick together, but we soon found out that it would’ve been more efficient for some of us to go to another objective due to the strict time-limit.

On the way to the objective marker, we faced numerous traps along the way (set up by the judge). The main purpose of the traps was to slow us down, but we soon found out that they can down you if your health is low. Immediately, I ran into the hallway, ignoring the traps (as you do), and a shutter dropped behind me, separating me from the team. Fortunately, I had looted the correct tool earlier (handsaw) to dismantle that specific trap. Because I dismantled the trap, it couldn’t be used again by the judge. However, if I didn’t have the right tool, I would’ve had to complete a mini-game. If I failed it, I would’ve triggered the trap and took damage as well as built up my pressure gauge. If the gauge had reached the end, it would have stopped me from moving momentarily, which, as you could imagine, would be great for the judge, not so much for me.

This is where all the many playable characters I could unlock came in. Apparently there will be a huge roster, with the developer telling me to expect around thirty, purchased with the currency you earn at the end of each match. The characters aren’t just for looks, though. Each has their own stats, which can, for example, increase damage or make mini-games and quick time events easier.

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As the Judge, you can use a Paralyzing Toxin to subdue your victims.

A New Challenger Arrives

After completing the objective, the team and I entered a Challenge Room. Here, we couldn’t be attacked by the judge (they’ll use this time to set up traps), but we were still up against the clock. We had to find four valves hidden in a maze-like room that had fire periodically blowing out of the pipes. We could wait for the fire to turn off briefly and get through the maze that way, but we soon realized that it was taking up too much time.

So, one of the group went up top, and this gave them a birds-eye view of the maze while the other teammate and I searched the maze for the valves. With some communication and coordination, we made our way to the valves. Once all four were collected, we placed them on the machine in the center of the room and turned them to open the exit to the room. Afterwards, the developer told us that each Challenge Room as well as the objectives beforehand will be procedurally generated to keep things fresh.

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Find the valves in the maze and use them to exit the challenge room.

Not Just A Horror Game

Another interesting part of the game is that there is a story told through the lore in the game. All we could find out in our short playtest was that it’s set 100 years ago from the movies, with the reason being that the developers wanted a bit of creative freedom when designing the game. Apparently, you can find the lore throughout the map as well as buying it with the in-game currency you earn upon completing a match.

Although what I played was just a small portion of the game, it was good fun, and I imagine myself having some great moments playing with my friends, especially when I trigger all the traps! I know I’ll be keeping my eye on this game in the near future.