I know what you are already thinking, after the ordeal of the first game why on earth would anyone play another one of them? well to put it simply I had to see what it was like. SAW suffered from sloppy controls and utterly ridiculous fighting abilities, by the time you hit a button a random psychopath has caved your head in with a baseball bat ..lovely. So is SAW II as bad as the first? and has it got any redeeming features? – keep reading to find out!
As per usual with SAW once the game begins you are already given an awkward choice, you either stay there and get crushed or willingly put yourself through hell as you try to survive a set amount of tests and endless traps by the infamous Jigsaw killer. So on with the show, SAW II picks up right after the first game so you can actually play one and then go straight into the next one. Again the player is given a speedy introduction to the character, I don’t want to spoil any of the story or character evolution. From the get go the game did feel almost identical to the first one, it was after all a rushed title with not too much time put into the development, all that aside it still stands on its own two feet quite well. You play a SAW game to experience a complete and utter barrage of hair pulling and mind melting scenarios that will have you swearing like a sailor in the first hour alone.
The character controls a lot better, thank god for that. The overall controls are a lot more responsive now so instead of frantically bashing buttons to get him to do anything you just have to be good with your timing. The broken mechanics of the first game was one of the main reasons so many people avoided it, it’s clear there has been a huge overhaul and its certainly for the better. That doesn’t mean the game is a walk in the park, apart from the various traps there are victims of Jigsaws games lining up to take you down in the hopes it will earn them their freedom, so head on a swivel seems to be the best option. The tools and weapons are pretty much the same and are all used for causing serious hurt and death to whoever is unlucky enough to cross your path. To top up your health you have to find and use syringes, they are dotted around different rooms on the map and are essential in making it to the finishing credits.
As for the traps and puzzles, they seem to be a lot harder than the first game, you can’t just start randomly press buttons and hope it works. The logic that goes into some of the more intelligent traps is mind numbing, and of course when you mess it up the person on the other end of the trap meets a very ghastly end. Save points can be found scattered around the map and even if you think you don’t need to save its always worthwhile, I found myself wishing I’d saved so many times. Another thing I found with the puzzles is that though they might appear to be easily solved that’s not always the case, many of the puzzles seemed to have more than one stage so just as I was pausing to have a breather more terror ensued.
As with the first game I really enjoyed SAW II, I bring to my gaming experience my love of the films so I’m already happy that the games even exist. That’s not to say I didn’t find any problems with the game, constant circuit board puzzles to open door after door got old quick, one or two puzzles seemed almost identical to past traps in the previous game, the floor puzzle with the flickering pictures must have showed up 5 or 6 times.
In the end you really won’t play the game unless you are a fan of the movies or the previous game, no one wanted to be in the same room as me when I played because they could feel the frustration I was going through. It was a real test of temper and patience, there weren’t as many broken elements this time around and visually there was a bit of improvement in graphics and sound. To make the game last longer there are collectables such as tape recorders and billy puppets hidden off the beaten track. Instead of the usual constant same same corridors there are wider open rooms and areas full of traps that just look so much better than the first game.
Thrown in for good measure are shoot outs with various characters, arsonists bent on turning you into a fireball, psychopaths with long spikes protruding from their explosive vests and a lot more. If you are a fan of the films or liked the original game I’d say go ahead and give it a try, but only if you are ready for skull shattering traps and patience testing puzzles that would drive even the most level headed gamer completely insane. I’m giving SAW II Flesh and Blood 6 out of 10, its a lot better than the first one but there is still room for some serious improvement.
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