So far, Dead by Daylight is the only one that’s managed to stick, but that hasn’t stopped the deluge of asymmetrical horror games from continuing to flow. And now it’s Saw turn to try its luck where others have failed in the newly announced Saw: Genesis, which is on the way courtesy of Silent Hill 2 developer Bloober Team.
Saw: Genesis, in something of an intriguing turn, forgoes the modern-day setting of the movies in favour of the “grim aftermath of World War 1”. Here, players can step into the role of the Judge – a sort of precursor to Jigsaw, dedicated to “rehabilitating humanity through pain and sacrifice” – who’s decided to mete out his own brand of justice on the prisoners captive in his labyrinth. Or, as is the way with these things, you can play as one of the three Accursed trying to escape the Judge’s deadly trial.
Each match drops players into a procedurally generated map, where they’ll need to complete challenges, scavenge items, and collect keys in order to survive. Become ensnared in a trap, however, and you’ll have to make a choice: either hope your teammates can reach and rescue you in time or sacrifice a body part to escape, which can have permanent consequences for the match, makin git harder to complete puzzles and fight back.
The Judge, meanwhile, has access to perks and traps as he controls proceedings from the shadows. That’s alongside hidden corridors, a noise-detection map, hallucinogenic gas, paralyzing toxins and more. Notably, however, the Judge is not invulnerable and can’t overpower Accursed through sheer force.
Saw: Genesis is being published by Bloober, with development being handled by the studio’s subsidiary Broken Mirror Games in partnership with Anshar Studios. There’s no release date yet, but Bloober is planning around a year of Steam early access before it’s ready for 1.0.
