Saw 2 changes elements from the first game,but Jigsaw's motives for cruel violence and gruesome torture remain unaltered
Contains: Strong Bloody Violence, Language and Gory Images
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Saw 2: Flesh and Blood is third person survival, puzzle adventure game that takes place between the second and third films of the popular Saw franchise and is based around the same fictional universe.
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STORY - 3/5
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The first part of Saw 2 sees you play as Campbell, a drug addict who needs to survive Jigsaw's elaborate puzzles and deadly traps in order to find his drug addict son, and after you reach a contraption with the opportunity to live or die which will have consequences to a "stranger" the game cuts to the main protagonist and his storyline. You play as Michael, the son of Detective David Tapp, who begins to seek the cause of his father's death which eventually leads him into conflict with Jigsaw and his apprentice Pighead.
The story is very slow, and it takes a good few hours before you begin feeling involved with the events happening and plot twists becoming revealed. Saw 2 is also written in a way that desperately needs you to have knowledge of all prior movies and the previous game released last year if you want any chance of understanding the mystery behind Jigsaw's motivations for placing you in his vicious game of cruel traps. But if you are playing this game, then you'll likely have already seen the movies and played the first game of the series, and overall the story is decent which mainly comes together through the many case files and audio tapes that explore the back-story to the Saw universe aswell as a solid stepping stone to branch out plot developments and character profiles.
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CHARACTERS - 4/5
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"I want to play a game". Villain/Anti-hero Jigsaw and his pop-psychology rationalization for his behaviour (those who don't appreciate life, do not deserve life) convinces you that his view on personal responsibility is correct, even if a self-mutilation option that is the only viable way out of a trap to test the victims will to live isn't quite how giving people a second chance is quite the right approach. Jigsaw believes his methods of "rehabilitation" work, and therefore his "game" that is forced on his victims has meaning, whether you believe in it or not, and overall he is a very chilling and intriguing character who is perfectly voiced by Tobin Bell and has a strong background that is worth indulging into.
Many condemned victims who take life for granted find themselves in one of Jigsaw's elaborate traps, and require assistance or their own perseverance to escape alive. Only when they see death up close they'll know the true value of life, and if they survive they will learn a valuable lesson to not take life for granted. Lots of vignettes of Jigsaw's victims are presented around you throughout the game, and usually prove to be a visual of gory imagery and a messy death as a result of their failure, and subsequently their "Game Over".
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GAMEPLAY - 4/5
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Step into the dark and tormented world of Saw 2 and experience the gruesome traps that Jigsaw has created to test your will to live and seek the truth behind your father's death. "Oh yes, there will be blood".
Saw 2: Flesh and Blood expands on the puzzle solving from the first game and makes combat even more infrequent than last time, essentially making this third-person game a survival puzzle adventure. Quick-Time Events (QTE) replace the combat opportunities that were noticeably broken in Saw, and this interesting mechanic enforces that survival aspect inadvertently into the gameplay by keeping you on your toes for on-screen prompts that can appear when defensively and offensively attacking an enemy, when opening rigged doors and for treading on unstable ground or under weakly structured ceilings. Every chance of dying has an escape route by pressing the corresponding buttons that appear within the environment on the hazardous object, and while this relies solely on reactions to survive a bloody death, it clearly defines the survival aspect that the developer's initially tried to present in the first game, and it works adequately even when the hazards are repeated or appear similar.
The objectives press you forward to negotiate in gruelling tasks of self-sacrifice and mentally demanding errands that place a burden on your shoulder to see if you have what it takes to save a life. This heavy weight that is sustained in it's presence forces you to make decisions under pressure, and the short mini games and testing puzzles keep your mind at work when a time limit is present with bombs surrounding your predicament or a shotgun trap awaits behind a closed door. An impending explosion might be poised to prove the downfall of your failure unless you can find and enter the correct code on a lock and escape in time, or a room filled with noxious fumes that will continually deplete your health unless you can find and complete the mini game required to prevent further unhealthy and dangerous intakes of the gas around you is the source of your route away from danger. The time limit keeps the pressure on, keeping a sense of urgency to your task while never making the slightly repetitive situations feel like a chore to succeed, and then you proceed to the next challenge that asks patience and perseverance from you as you battle with physical and mental challenges alike on your adventure for answers and revenge. Jigsaw presents some important information with some cool riddles on surfaces that sometimes don't tell you directly what needs to be done, but are instead a brief puzzle on their own and these are classic representations of the serial killer from the movies.
Saw had some difficult timed sections that tested your patience, but thankfully the more challenging puzzles in Saw 2 aren't under the threat of a timer, but more so how quickly you can achieve your goal and recognise what has to be done. For instance one sequence requires you to provide a clean path for a conveyor belt carrying a much-needed necessity for your objective which is surrounded by explosives, and so you have to be very quick at analysing what must be done and in which order to move things around so that the path is clear of obstructions. And another includes finding a path through clouds of poisonous gas that depletes your health when inhaled in order to mix components into a mixture that will stop the flow of gas while also providing a component needed to get through a locked door. Although these sequences could perhaps take a couple of attempts to understand what must be done and how the objective can be fulfilled, the moment once you acquire your object of interest is satisfying, and when mini games are thrown into the tightly contested sections, the tension really amps up. All puzzles have a substance of integrity about them, and so while they aren't easy, they are certainly doable within reason.
The objectives are usually predictable - search for clues to Jigsaw's next victim and then find a key to a sealed door or restore power to an elevator in order to reach them. But even though you anticipate this kind of attitude to your major objective, the way the game diverts you around the various environments so that you can achieve the collection of that single key or other important objects to reach the latest victim in Jigsaw's grand scheme, you'll be astonished at how well the game proceeds to digress down different paths that all eventually link up to where you started but now with access to the "boss trap". The exploration element of Saw 2 is really enjoyable. Searching through cabinets for needed items to access a mini game or genuinely looking in every corner and every room in case one of 25 puzzle pieces or case file for information is hiding is a fun aspect that never gets old. Some mini games that can be encountered include a lock pick puzzle that requires you to guide the camera through the moving components so you can reach the keyhole at the end, or a point-to-point game that allows access to the next room if you can match up and link lines of fluid to the correct point. They are simple in creation yet provide a certain measure of pleasant satisfaction when complete, and that is what makes Saw 2 so good - it's constantly fun.
Once you've overcome enemies in your path and obtained a key that leads to the next victim, Jigsaw will show in the form of Billy the Puppet on the TV monitor, shedding some information on the victim, and why they are in such a tormenting contraption that is inescapable by themselves, but can be freed by your persistence and wit. If you fail, a gruesome cutscene depicting their violently gory demise will play out before a chilling laugh unmistakably from the creepy puppet is audible on the Game Over screen.
Saw 2: Flesh and Blood made some crucial and arguably better changes to the Saw formulae which plagued the letdown of the first game where combat is concerned, and the way combat is handled where you must either engage in QTE's or relish the challenge of using the environment to an advantage is better at establishing that survival horror adventure feeling and preserving the enjoyment without allowing broken gameplay letdown the experience for a heavily underappreciated and underrated game.
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GRAPHICS - 3/5
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The environments that Jigsaw's clues and victims take you, range from traversing factories, carefully proceeding around a desolate hotel and treading through grime and filth in the sewers, and each location is well presented with grimy visuals and gruesome imagery to keep your mind within the Saw universe. Many areas may seem copies of one another because of the similar visual aspect that remains dark and gloomy throughout, but some sharp attention to detail with appropriate cobwebs and other details you'd associate with the setting you're in add a nice touch that makes the darkness something to fear. Unfortunately, some stiff character animations, ugly facial expressions up-close and slow texture loading hamper the immersion of being trapped within claustrophobic environments where the only route out is shown to you by Jigsaw, as he is the one who controls where you go and most importantly, how you will be tested. Screen tearing is also a constant issue that imposes itself at every opportunity, and infests just about every aspect of the visuals when the camera moves. Another unfortunate point to pick out is the health system. When you take damage, you have a health bar that isn't displayed on screen, but the screen starts going red at the sides as you take damage. If you don't have a health syringe then you have to endure a constant colour drain effect until you do come across one, and that can take some visual credibility away as it is a very noticeable distraction from what the game is trying to show you. But despite criticism for sub par graphics, Saw has some decent elements that are worth pointing out once you get used to them, even if the first impression you get isn't a positive one.
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SOUND - 4/5
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Weak weapon sound effects that don't justify the action occurring are the only demerit to the sound department in Saw 2. Convincing voice acting (with high praise towards Tobin Bell's portrayal of the infamous Jigsaw killer yet again), effectively eerie music throughout, and some truly stomach churning gore splatter effects bring about a certain degree of cohesion to what is relatively a sound aspect of the Saw experience.
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CONTROLS - 3/5
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Since Saw 2 utilises frequent usage of Quick-Time Events, it's important to have responsive controls that are simple to grasp. While they are certainly a lot more responsive than it's predecessor, getting to know the key buttons to press requires some getting used to, especially with the many different puzzles and mini games you'll be interacting with that each have their own little control scheme to understand and learn. There is no attack or block button, but instead combat requires well timed taps of the buttons when displayed on screen or in a metre gauge to block while everything around you goes in slow motion as you dodge your opponents attack, and then quickly execute some counterattacks that are neatly presented. To avoid certain rigged hazards in the environment, the game does a good job of presenting the required buttons to press on the actual hazardous object itself rather than onscreen which makes the event feel less contrived. Balancing across boards over chasms is done so that you control each step you take by pressing R2 and L2 accordingly to your approach on the screen while also carefully keeping the controller steady. It inspires the wrong kind of tension in contrast to the more disturbing scenarios, but once you get used to this procedure the controls will feel tidy.
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ATMOSPHERE - 4/5
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Saw 2 nails the atmosphere of the Saw films with the gritty and disturbing visuals and imagery that are displayed constantly to meet that demand of feeling within the Saw setting. The effective visuals and music accompanied by neat artistic touches to the environments create an unsettling atmosphere that keeps you constantly unnerved for what's to come. It's a constant struggle of short-term survival and the tension is well developed and sustained as you play through sadistic games and puzzles that masochistic people will relish. And even if you aren't, you'll likely be gratified with the cruel, vicious traps that cause buckets of blood and cringe-worthy deaths anyway. Some of the creepy moments are developed vicariously more than anything as you progress through a disturbing and hostile environment where each corner must be taken with caution for the foreboding feeling that will inevitably inhabit your senses, and you'll feel the same slow sensation in your mind as that replicated on screen as your character opens a door carefully in case of springing an unknown yet magnificently created device that could end your journey for the truth in a blink of an eye (quite literally sometimes).
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ENEMY AI - 2/5
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The criminals that Jigsaw has got hold of each have their own games to complete if they want a chance to escape their isolation, and their motive for trying to kill you is believable - You are the son of the detective who put them in prison in the first place, so a bit of revenge is the sole objective in their state of mind. Combat is infrequent, so there are aren't many instances where you'll have to engage in a fight-to-the-death sequence, and there isn't much variety in enemies either apart from the instances where you attack and defend yourself with a melee weapon or duel with an opponent who can only be defeated by using the environment as an advantage as they themselves are a hazard that cannot be attacked directly.
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LENGTH - 3/5
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Saw 2: Flesh and Blood runs at a very satisfactory length of about 9 hours depending on how well you explore each environment to find hidden items and collectibles of value. Being diverted away from your primary goal to complete secondary objectives is a trademark staple of the Saw video game series, and each time it is done, it's done very well.
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REPLAY VALUE - 4/5
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There are some events during this survival horror that have an impact on proceedings, such as whether or not you choose to save a person that you don't have to in order to proceed, and a big scenario during the game that decides which ending you get out of a possible 2. To witness both conclusions 2 playthroughs are required and replaying this puzzle adventure will be worthwhile if you enjoyed it. There are lots of collectibles hidden away in the environment which vary from case files to puzzle pieces, and the most interesting of the lot are collectible Billy Puppets that are optional and off the course of the main path. They are locked away and concealed by Jigsaw's most challenging puzzles that will definitely take time to unravel the code for the door in which they are placed behind, and they gradually become increasingly difficult with each one you find.
Saw 2: Flesh and Blood is an underappreciated game for the craft behind some of the puzzles designs which often get overlooked and criticised. But each one is well presented and made, and create a correct sense of tension and urgency to complete while also proving enjoyable at the same time. Survival and puzzle solving is what defines Saw 2 as a package, and while a slow moving story, some visual blemishes and some strange, but very rare, glitches can intrude on the experience, Jigsaw ensures that you will feel unsettled as you progress through menacing environments and evade past deadly traps that he has elaborately put together to test your will to live, and is constantly pressing the important message and question into your head - Are you sure you want to play a game?
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OVERALL SUMMARY - 8/10
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Good Points: Great voice acting, Interesting combat system that relies solely on quick-time events, Nice variety of fun minigames and mentally challenging puzzles that are well presented with the right sense of urgency, Effective visuals and gory imagery create an unsettling atmosphere, Case files and audio tapes explore and expand the back-story to the Saw universe, Eerie music throughout, A satisfying feel to exploration and survival.
Bad Points: Stiff character animations, Lots of screen tearing, Weak weapon sound effects, Some instances of slow-texture loading.