What Konami’s Saw Video Game Should’ve Learned From Silent Hill

Konami’s 2009 Saw video game focused on action and combat over survival horror, and taking cues from Silent Hill could’ve easily fixed this issue.

The 2009 Saw video game adapted the beloved horror franchise, but the game should’ve taken much more from Konami’s beloved Silent Hill series. The Saw film series follows a fictional serial killer known as Jigsaw, who places victims in elaborate and deadly traps to test their resolve. While the Saw films focus on gore and intense setpieces, the Silent Hill game franchise instead emphasizes psychological terror and the fear of the unknown. The 2009 Saw game includes Jigsaw and various other series staples, but it probably should’ve taken more inspiration from Silent Hill instead.

Konami’s Saw video game is set between the first two films, with Danny Glover’s character Detective David Tapp returning as the playable protagonist. Trapped in an abandoned insane asylum filled with deadly traps and relentless enemies, players must solve various puzzles while using improvised weapons to survive. The Saw game has a robust combat system, with players able to use objects like pipes or bats to defend themselves with blocks and counter-attacks. Players can also use Jigsaw’s traps to their advantage in combat by repurposing them or drawing enemies into them. While these mechanics make good use of the Saw game license, the title would benefit from a greater emphasis on horror.

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The Saw game remains faithful to its film roots, but it definitely can’t be considered scary. David Tapp is given free access to many weapons, up to and including firearms, which prevents enemies from ever feeling threatening. The traps that Tapp and other characters find themselves in are certainly gorey, but they also fall far short of feeling scary or particularly intense. Konami’s Saw video game winds up feeling like a more action-oriented version of Rockstar Games’ Manhunt, which has a similar premise and tone but focuses on stealth rather than melee brawls.

Silent Hill Holds The Key To Effective Horror

Many fans consider Silent Hill the scariest game series of all time, and Konami should have taken cues from that franchise when crafting the Saw video game. Silent Hill focuses on psychological horror rather than action, with players usually avoiding enemies entirely or trying desperately to escape from them. The survival horror franchise does give players weapons for combat, but the series often forces players to bear witness to unspeakable terror rather than fight it with a shovel. The Saw game could have embraced psychological horror by putting more emphasis on the traps themselves and their psychological effect on victims, rather than using them as action setpieces. David Tapp could’ve also been largely deprived of weapons so avoiding enemies was preferable to fighting them. Enemies wearing the disturbing Pig Mask also could’ve been scarier and more inhuman than the game’s generic thugs.

Rumors claim that multiple Silent Hill games are currently in the works, which could mean a climactic return for Konami’s beloved survival horror series. The games are considered some of the most terrifying titles in gaming history, so Konami would’ve been wise to base its Saw video game on that successful franchise. Psychological terror is the major focus in Silent Hill, and it creates a much scarier experience than simple shotgun traps and lead pipe brawls.

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