SAW is a bunch of repetitive puzzles mixed with a dysfunctional combat system and a forgettable plot
It doesn't have a bad start. You're given the control of Detective Tapp, a police officer obsessed with the Jigsaw murders. Tapp finds himself in a difficult situation, he's been captured by Jigsaw and is being forced to take part on one of the killer's twisted games. True to the movies' modus operandi, Jigsaw creates an environment for Tapp to face what he considers to be the detective's maiming flaw: the obsession for capturing Jigsaw himself, what has caused Tapp to sacrifice his marriage, friendships and pretty much everything else in his life.
This environment is reminiscent of the places Jigsaw's chooses for his tests: abandoned buildings, closed slaughterhouses, factories and other desolated and busted places. On the first hour of exploration, one really feels inside the movie. Too bad that this feeling fades soon.
In spite of the proposition being similar to the movies, the execution doesn't follow through. The game is divided in eight chapters, each being composed of a series of maze like rooms and corridors in which Tapp needs to find a way to save a character that appeared in one of the movies from being killed by one of Jigsaw's devious devices. The problem is that those characters have no real reason for being there, aside from being in a previous SAW movie and being remotely connected to Tapp. The game does try to provide an explanation, they're also being tested by Jigsaw, but the whole thing is so weak that it fails to stand on its own. The models also look and act different than the characters in the movies and their motivations and behavior is just as weird as their reason to be there, so saving them from their death traps offers no real reward.
The environments look nice but the camera is placed directly behind the characters and the rooms are so dark that it's difficult to see where you're heading. The game offers different items for Tapp to light up the maze but they all fail to provide adequate lighting. Also, busted environments might be nice for a chapter or two but after 4 hours, it feels like you're revisiting the same places over and over.
The traps, shutters and locked doors usually require Tapp to find hidden keys, fix electrical panels or rewire other devices. The problem is that the detective is faced with the same puzzles throughout the game. They get progressively harder and the solution will change should you die or restart the game but the logic and looks is the very same, with very few exceptions. You have to solve those logical mini games under a time constraint and should you fail, it always results in your death. The game also presents you the game over screen should you fail to save a given victim.
It's really monotonous after the first three or four chapters as you already know what will be your challenge. Dying is tedious as it means you'll have to endure a couple or more mini games in a row under a given time to survive.
Aside from the puzzles, Tapp will have to deal with a bunch of madmen that also have been locked in the same maze and whose escape is conditioned to the death of your character. It could've been great but the combat is completely broken. There's plenty of objects that can be used as a weapon such as a mannequin arm, a table lamb, a scalpel, a baseball bat, a table leg, a Molotov cocktail and many other usual and unusual items but your best choice are your fists. Seriously, the combat is all about hitting as quickly as you can as it prevents your foes from hitting back and even though Tapp is not Chuck Norris, the best weapons by leaps and bounds are your fists.
You can also assemble simple and complex traps to kill or stun enemies but it feels completely pointless as all you have to do is close in and punch your enemies to death. It's frustrating as you find several weapons, healing items and devices and places to set traps but they're useless!
The game might have its moments, mainly in the first hours as you're not completely familiarized with the puzzles and game mechanics, but it fails to keep the momentum to the very end. It's a shame because the graphics are not bad and the SAW series has the potential for being turned into a great game.