Review: Saw II Flesh and Blood

The sequel to Saw: The Video Game is here, Is it worth battling your way through life and death? Find out in this review.

Video Review

Story

The story continues on from the first Saw: The Video Game. Flesh & Blood is set between the second and third films in the Saw series. The new protagonist, Michael, is the son of David Tapp, who begins to find out the cause of his father’s death which eventually leads him into conflict with Jigsaw and his apprentice Pighead. Through out the game you are constructed on going around saving a victim from a building-sized trap, forcing the hero (the son of the last game’s protagonist) to find escape routes in hotel lobbies and acid factories. Its a pretty straight forward plot and we don’t really have any complaints. The story opens up more as you find clues on how your Dad died.

Gameplay

Saw II retains the same gameplay style as the first game,  If you are new to the series the game plays as a third-person survival horror game with the occasional action elements.  The Puzzles from the original game return including  the “circuit puzzles”though with a little change, instead of matching them with the same colour you will need to match it with the opposite colour (red to yellow etc).  As you would of guessed Lockpicking returns, but uses a new type of mini-game that causes you the player to manipulate the tumblers to unlock the the lock. The Environmental puzzles are also under a new light, this will involve you having to turn of the flashlight on-and-off in certain areas to show clues, such as words on the wall, codes etc. The Quick-time traps also make a return. This time placing shotguns behind doors, swinging scythes, closing walls and floorboards that are loose throughout certain environments, to avoid them you will have to click a button on the controller to miss being killed. Now the majority of us who played the original, the combat system was pretty much useless. Now the sequel has revamped the whole combat system. There are two different types of combat: melee and puzzle-based. As you would guess the puzzle-based combat requires you to use the traps or the environment it self to execute enemies with, this includes multiple things such as opening an elevator shaft. The melee combat, consists of you using hand to hand combat against enemies’. You can pick up different types of objects to take out your foes such as nail bats, polls etc. The hand to hand combat will require you to be quick on manoeuvres and require you to also be defensive. It all comes down to overall though your timing.The “Case Files” from the first of the series returns.  The subject of the files are pretty varied but the majority of them focus on Tapp’s testimonies on his raid of Jigsaw’s lair.  Expect throughout the game side tracking and trying to find all the new collectibles know as the Billy the Puppet dolls.  The dolls will help you later on in the game, depending if you find your self in a pickle with the puzzles. The dolls can be used to help solve the puzzles and help you reach harder areas. Multiple endings do return but Konami have been cleaver for the replay value as you will have to complete the game again to unlock a different ending due to the decisions made during the game affect the ending.The puzzles in the game still remain the same charm and will countlessly time to time want you just to cause your self to die just to see the outcome Jigsaw has prepared for you.

Design

The design of Saw of course follows its movie counterparts, mainly focused on how gruesome it can look.  It manages to improve on what its predecessor did wrong, but still manages to look a tad bland and isn’t that impressive. The dull corridor puzzle designs can be forgotten as they no longer cause an issue. The labyrinth level designs have vastly improved and do actually have some interesting and well designed elements.  The design however isn’t the main focus (other than the gruesome ways you can kill your enemies)  and can be forgotten after a few hours of play. The characters on the other hand haven’t really improved much but like I said Saw mainly focuses on the puzzles and bloody out comes.

Overall – Good

Saw II is a must have sequel for any of the previous players and new comers. All the issues from the previous game have been fixed up and work brilliantly.  It’s a shame that they have brought to much of the original traps and haven’t really designed any new ones, the most noticeable traps and deaths in the game would have to include the explosive vests, acid baths and drowning tanks, its worth picking up the game just to see Jigsaw at his best. The game is a enjoyable through start to finish, if you can ignore some of the badly designed characters and dialogue.