When it comes to videogames, I like surprises, so it was with some pleasure that I discovered Saw was (palindrome alert!) not as dire as I had been lead to believe by pre-release internet chatter, and actually does a good job of emulating the terror and gore present in the movies upon which it’s based.

The Saw movie franchise follows of the exploits of a mysterious and psychotic antagonist named Jigsaw, who always manages to find a way to pluck seemingly unrelated people from their daily lives and place them all together in a series of ghastly situations and traps that test their mental and physical strength to the limits, usually involving the severing of limbs, the breaking of bones, and the tearing of flesh. Not fun.

While all of this is going on, the police are carrying out an investigation into the identity and motives of Jigsaw, which takes place on the periphery of the story and usually becomes intimately involved with the crimes it’s trying to uncover.

In Saw the game, this is flipped around as you play Detective Tapp, who himself has been captured, trapped in an abandoned hospital and unwittingly become part of Jigsaw’s demented and deadly ‘game,’ forced to complete tasks that threaten life and limb, all while dealing with environmental hazards (including broken glass, shotgun traps and electrified water puddles) as well as the local inhabitants who have seemingly also been captured and (with the promise of release from the frightening corridors of the dilapidated hospital) told to kill Tapp on sight.

The developers have managed to capture the murky, forbidding and dense atmosphere from the movies, but most importantly reminding me of the thick, impenetrable mood found in the Silent Hill series of games as you make your way through the filthy, decrepit and dark corridors of this hospital, as ambient noises and music constantly remind you that something could appear around the next corner at any moment to shred you to bits.

Also true to the movies, the game contains lots of stomach-churning puzzles that require solving in order to save not only your own life, but the lives of other captured inhabitants, while many more, smaller puzzles can be found along the way to unlock progress through the world. These puzzles and situations are unfortunately reused far too many times too early in the game, and while new brain-teasers are introduced at a steady pace, and ‘set-piece’ situations make an appearance to further break up gameplay, there will come a time while playing that you wish there was a little more variety in the actions required of you.

Brawling with others trapped in the hospital is another way Saw mixes up the pace, as you wield pipes, bats, table legs and anything you find lying around to smash enemies in the face. The fighting mechanic is woefully under par, however, with a basic heavy/light attack and the ability to block, only it never feels as through you’re actually making contact with anything - and sometimes you don’t - while your attacks and the enemies’ attacks don’t quite sync up as you both drunkenly trade savage blows in the hopes of actually connecting.

In one way this fighting system, in the same way as the Silent Hill games, actually helps make you feel even more vulnerable and terrified as an enemy approaches, but in practice it feels as though you should be able to competently take care of enemies, but simply can’t, which leads to a bit of frustration - when a crazed maniac is trying to smack you in the head, you want to feel in control and confident you can defend yourself.

Saw the game is surprisingly good, but only surprisingly – it’s not a stunning achievement but competently approximates the mood and horror of the movie series, and at a stretch, the Silent Hill series of survival horror games, providing a good mix of terror-filled corridor perambulation and brain-teasing puzzles to keep you on the edge of your seat and, while you’re there, busy. The game is unfortunately bogged down by repetition in these puzzles and the actions it asks you to perform, below average control abilities, painful voice acting and (my ‘favourite’) quick-time events, which all make slogging through the game a little tiresome.

Fans of the Saw movie series (if such creatures exist) and those looking for a Silent Hill/survival horror fix, however, will get a kick out of it. Maybe buy it with a friend and play in a group – you may just need someone beside you to take an edge off of the tension.

Purchase: