Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Encyclopedia
Saw II: Flesh & Blood is a 2010 third person
survival horror video game developed by Zombie Studios
and published by Konami
for the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
. It is the sequel to 2009's Saw: The Video Game, both of which are based in the same fictional universe as the Saw films. It was released on October 19, 2010 to coincide with the release of the seventh film, Saw 3D, a week later.
Saw II picks up right after Saw and is set between the first and second
films. It features David Tapp
's son, Michael, as the new protagonist as he searches for clues behind his father's death. In doing so, Michael becomes a target of the Jigsaw Killer
and his mysterious apprentice wearing another Pighead costume. The game expands technically on the previous game, also using the Unreal Engine 3
. Gameplay improvements include the ability to use the environment to combat enemies and redone combat system based on quick timing and defensive techniques.
Upon release, Flesh & Blood received mixed to negative reviews, lower than the reception for the first Saw game. Critics noted an improved story but disliked the new combat system, which they felt took the excitement and suspense out of the game.
in the series. The new protagonist, Michael, is the son of David Tapp
, who begins to seek the cause of his father's death which eventually leads him into conflict with the Jigsaw Killer
and his apprentice Pighead II. The game takes the player to numerous locations including hotel
s, factories
, sewers
, and other places to pursue Jigsaw and find clues behind David Tapp's death.
The first part of the game involves Campbell, a drug addict placed in the "Venus Fly Trap" who has to cut beneath his right eye to retrieve a key to stop the deadly mechanism. He then has to go through numerous, deadly traps in order to retrieve his long lost son, who is also a drug addict. It ends with Campbell having a choice between sacrificing himself for a "stranger" or letting the stranger die so he can escape.
The game then cuts to Michael Tapp at his father's apartment after his suicide
. He is kidnapped by Pighead II and forced to play Jigsaw's game in order to investigate his father's death. Throughout the game, numerous case files and audio tapes from Michael's father are found, revealing it was Michael who revealed his father's botched sting, which caused the death of Detective Sing, at Jigsaw's workshop without a warrant, putting his father out of the police force, and by extension, fulfilling his only obsession with Jigsaw. The main plot involves a drug cartel
run by a group of corrupt cops, who try numerous times to kill Michael and other victims in order to eliminate all loose ends. It is later revealed that their goal was also revenge against his father. There are also many enemies, who are ex-cons that were arrested by Michael's father when he was a detective, involved in the cartel. In the end, all of the drug cartel gets wiped out by Michael and Pighead II.
If the player chose the Path of Blood and saved Campbell, he will get on the elevator and Michael will be left to die. Jigsaw then confronts Campbell and says he is now free and can find his son outside. However, Campbell suffers a breakdown and convinces himself that his son can never live properly in a world with people like Jigsaw. Campbell becomes belligerent
and attacks Jigsaw, only to be killed by a falling scythe
. Jigsaw approaches his corpse and mutters, "game over".
If the player chose the Path of Flesh early in the game, Michael will get into the elevator and a tape will play, claiming that he and Jigsaw are similar and would both like to give justice to a world of criminals. Michael then faces two doors; one leads Michael to freedom and the chance to use the evidence found by his father to print the story of Jigsaw and the drug cartel. The other door reveals a Pighead costume and an offer to help people see the truth inside themselves, implying Michael can become another Jigsaw apprentice. The choice made is not revealed to the player.
survival horror game with action
elements. Puzzles of the original game return, such as the "circuit puzzles"; though instead of matching them with the same color, the player needs to match wires of opposite color (red to yellow and vice-versa). Lockpicking returns, but uses a new minigame
that has the player manipulate the tumbler
s to unlock. Environmental puzzles are also presented in a new way, such as having to turn a flashlight on-and-off in certain areas to show certain clues. Quick-time traps are back; in addition to shotguns being placed behind doors, swinging scythes, closing walls, and loose floorboards are placed throughout certain environments for the player to avoid by pressing a button in a timely fashion.
For the sequel, the entire combat system was reworked from the original game. There are two types of combat: melee
and puzzle-based. Puzzle-based combat encourages the player to use traps or the environment to execute enemies such as opening an elevator shaft as an enemy charges into it to kill them. The other type, melee combat, consists of the player using weapons or their hands and feet to neutralize an enemy. The basis of the combat will be on quick maneuvers and defensive reactions to defend the player from aggressive enemies. Timing is also essential to fighting and neutralizing enemies.
The "Case Files" from the first game return. The subject of the files are varied but some focus on Tapp's testimonies on his raid of Jigsaw's lair and his entrapment in Whitehurst Asylum. A new collectible scattered throughout the game are small Billy the Puppet
dolls that can be found, though are not required. Players are able to solve more difficult puzzles in hard to reach areas to obtain the dolls. Multiple endings return, but this time around players must complete the game again in its entirety to unlock a different ending due to the decisions made during the game that affect the ending.
, could survive together without competing. Plans for a sequel were further evident when a cryptic "case file" was placed in the first game and an internet job listing by Zombie Inc. for a focus group was released, both pointing to a possible April announcement of a sequel in Los Angeles via press release.
The game was officially announced at Konami's Gamers Night 2010 by a trailer and details accompanying after. The trailer depicted Jigsaw voicing over an anonymous man in the "Venus Fly Trap" cutting his eye out to retrieve a key before failing and being killed. In the same press event, details followed including the new setting between Saw II and Saw III as well as the basic storyline of David Tapp's son and protagonist Michael investigating his death and encountering Jigsaw along the way. Martin Schneider, European Marketing & PR Director for Konami, stated that "[the] original Saw video game gave horror fans and gamers a new outlet to advance their favorite genre, but left them wanting more. Saw 2 will give it to them, but be careful for what you wish for! Our successful partnership with Lionsgate allows us to advance the survival horror genre, giving players the most intense look into the Saw universe ever."
On May 5 it was confirmed that Saw II would be displayed by Konami at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
. At E3 2010, Tobin Bell
was announced to return to voice the Jigsaw Killer as well as lend his likeness to the game; in addition, the subtitle Flesh & Blood was confirmed. The game was also shown at the San Diego Comic-Con 2010 at the Konami booth. In an interview, producer Jaime Benecia stated that all of the characters and plotlines present in the game had to be approved by Lionsgate to fit the canon of the films.
Saw II: Flesh & Blood was released on October 19, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, ten days before the release of the seventh film, Saw 3D.
, while the PlayStation 3 version has a 45/100, both indicating "Generally unfavorable reviews". These are lesser scores than the original Saw game, which earned a 59 for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, indicating "Generally mixed reviews". On Game Rankings
, another aggregate site. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions hold a 52.11 percent based on 27 reviews and a 48.11 percent based on 19 reviews, respectively.
Game Informer
gave the game a 4.5 out of 10 saying "The game not only failed to polish the concepts of the original and not only took a step back from its predecessor, it took a swan dive into a pool filled with razor blades." Anthony Gallegos of IGN
gave the game a very negative review. Reviewer felt the new combat system was actually worse than its predecessors. He reasoned the quick-time events rob the game of any suspense and disrupt the horror atmosphere, which he also criticized separately. Gallegos felt the game was poorly designed and disliked the difficult puzzles, which led to a very low score of 4.5 out of 10.
However, there were a few comparably positive reviews. Matthew Castle GamesRadar
gave the game a 7 out of 10. In his review he praised the improved combat and elaborate set-pieces, as well as the puzzles, comparing them to the "Riddler's Challenges" in Batman: Arkham Asylum
. His only negative remarks were poor checkpoint locations and subpar graphics.
Virtual camera system
A virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in videogames where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; more generally, they are used in 3D virtual worlds when a third person view...
survival horror video game developed by Zombie Studios
Zombie Studios
Zombie Studios is an American independent video game developer of console, PC, mobile and web-based games. It was formed in 1994 by Joanna Alexander and Mark Long, formerly of the Sarnoff Research Center. Alexander and Long founded Zombie after they completed the design of a virtual reality game...
and published by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. It is the sequel to 2009's Saw: The Video Game, both of which are based in the same fictional universe as the Saw films. It was released on October 19, 2010 to coincide with the release of the seventh film, Saw 3D, a week later.
Saw II picks up right after Saw and is set between the first and second
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
films. It features David Tapp
David Tapp
David Tapp is a fictional character from the Saw franchise. While introduced as a supporting protagonist in Saw, Tapp did not become a major character until Saw: The Video Game, which featured him as the lead protagonist and player character. He also made an brief appearance in a flashback in Saw V...
's son, Michael, as the new protagonist as he searches for clues behind his father's death. In doing so, Michael becomes a target of the Jigsaw Killer
Jigsaw Killer
John Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D...
and his mysterious apprentice wearing another Pighead costume. The game expands technically on the previous game, also using the Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3 is a computer game engine developed by Epic Games. It is the third generation of Unreal Engine, designed for DirectX 9/10/11 personal computers , the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita, the Wii U, Android and OpenGL-based operating systems such as iOS and Mac OS X...
. Gameplay improvements include the ability to use the environment to combat enemies and redone combat system based on quick timing and defensive techniques.
Upon release, Flesh & Blood received mixed to negative reviews, lower than the reception for the first Saw game. Critics noted an improved story but disliked the new combat system, which they felt took the excitement and suspense out of the game.
Plot
Flesh & Blood is set between the first game and the second filmSaw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
in the series. The new protagonist, Michael, is the son of David Tapp
David Tapp
David Tapp is a fictional character from the Saw franchise. While introduced as a supporting protagonist in Saw, Tapp did not become a major character until Saw: The Video Game, which featured him as the lead protagonist and player character. He also made an brief appearance in a flashback in Saw V...
, who begins to seek the cause of his father's death which eventually leads him into conflict with the Jigsaw Killer
Jigsaw Killer
John Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D...
and his apprentice Pighead II. The game takes the player to numerous locations including hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
, sewers
Sewerage
Sewerage refers to the infrastructure that conveys sewage. It encompasses receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, screening chambers, etc. of the sanitary sewer...
, and other places to pursue Jigsaw and find clues behind David Tapp's death.
The first part of the game involves Campbell, a drug addict placed in the "Venus Fly Trap" who has to cut beneath his right eye to retrieve a key to stop the deadly mechanism. He then has to go through numerous, deadly traps in order to retrieve his long lost son, who is also a drug addict. It ends with Campbell having a choice between sacrificing himself for a "stranger" or letting the stranger die so he can escape.
The game then cuts to Michael Tapp at his father's apartment after his suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. He is kidnapped by Pighead II and forced to play Jigsaw's game in order to investigate his father's death. Throughout the game, numerous case files and audio tapes from Michael's father are found, revealing it was Michael who revealed his father's botched sting, which caused the death of Detective Sing, at Jigsaw's workshop without a warrant, putting his father out of the police force, and by extension, fulfilling his only obsession with Jigsaw. The main plot involves a drug cartel
Cartel
A cartel is a formal agreement among competing firms. It is a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production. Cartels usually occur in an oligopolistic industry, where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products...
run by a group of corrupt cops, who try numerous times to kill Michael and other victims in order to eliminate all loose ends. It is later revealed that their goal was also revenge against his father. There are also many enemies, who are ex-cons that were arrested by Michael's father when he was a detective, involved in the cartel. In the end, all of the drug cartel gets wiped out by Michael and Pighead II.
Finale
After confronting his final victim of the Cartel, the game flashes back to the protagonist of the first act, Campbell, who was left with a decision early in the game. Jigsaw reveals that Michael is the "stranger" whose fate is in the hands of Campbell. Depending on the choice the player made early in the game, there are two possible endings:If the player chose the Path of Blood and saved Campbell, he will get on the elevator and Michael will be left to die. Jigsaw then confronts Campbell and says he is now free and can find his son outside. However, Campbell suffers a breakdown and convinces himself that his son can never live properly in a world with people like Jigsaw. Campbell becomes belligerent
Belligerent
A belligerent is an individual, group, country or other entity which acts in a hostile manner, such as engaging in combat. Belligerent comes from Latin, literally meaning "to wage war"...
and attacks Jigsaw, only to be killed by a falling scythe
Scythe
A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe...
. Jigsaw approaches his corpse and mutters, "game over".
If the player chose the Path of Flesh early in the game, Michael will get into the elevator and a tape will play, claiming that he and Jigsaw are similar and would both like to give justice to a world of criminals. Michael then faces two doors; one leads Michael to freedom and the chance to use the evidence found by his father to print the story of Jigsaw and the drug cartel. The other door reveals a Pighead costume and an offer to help people see the truth inside themselves, implying Michael can become another Jigsaw apprentice. The choice made is not revealed to the player.
Gameplay
Saw II retains the same gameplay style as the first game, being primarily a third-personVirtual camera system
A virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in videogames where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; more generally, they are used in 3D virtual worlds when a third person view...
survival horror game with action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
elements. Puzzles of the original game return, such as the "circuit puzzles"; though instead of matching them with the same color, the player needs to match wires of opposite color (red to yellow and vice-versa). Lockpicking returns, but uses a new minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
that has the player manipulate the tumbler
Pin tumbler lock
The pin tumbler lock is a lock mechanism that uses pins of varying lengths to prevent the lock from opening without the correct key...
s to unlock. Environmental puzzles are also presented in a new way, such as having to turn a flashlight on-and-off in certain areas to show certain clues. Quick-time traps are back; in addition to shotguns being placed behind doors, swinging scythes, closing walls, and loose floorboards are placed throughout certain environments for the player to avoid by pressing a button in a timely fashion.
For the sequel, the entire combat system was reworked from the original game. There are two types of combat: melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
and puzzle-based. Puzzle-based combat encourages the player to use traps or the environment to execute enemies such as opening an elevator shaft as an enemy charges into it to kill them. The other type, melee combat, consists of the player using weapons or their hands and feet to neutralize an enemy. The basis of the combat will be on quick maneuvers and defensive reactions to defend the player from aggressive enemies. Timing is also essential to fighting and neutralizing enemies.
The "Case Files" from the first game return. The subject of the files are varied but some focus on Tapp's testimonies on his raid of Jigsaw's lair and his entrapment in Whitehurst Asylum. A new collectible scattered throughout the game are small Billy the Puppet
Billy (Saw)
Billy is a puppet that has appeared in the Saw films. It was used by the series' primary antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw, to communicate with his test subjects by delivering recorded messages, often appearing on a television screen or occasionally in person to describe the details of the...
dolls that can be found, though are not required. Players are able to solve more difficult puzzles in hard to reach areas to obtain the dolls. Multiple endings return, but this time around players must complete the game again in its entirety to unlock a different ending due to the decisions made during the game that affect the ending.
Development
Following the release of the first Saw video game, Konami stated intentions to turn the franchise license into their next great survival horror franchise. Relying on visual intensity rather than psychological terror, Konami felt both Saw and their other survival horror franchise, Silent HillSilent Hill
is a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
, could survive together without competing. Plans for a sequel were further evident when a cryptic "case file" was placed in the first game and an internet job listing by Zombie Inc. for a focus group was released, both pointing to a possible April announcement of a sequel in Los Angeles via press release.
The game was officially announced at Konami's Gamers Night 2010 by a trailer and details accompanying after. The trailer depicted Jigsaw voicing over an anonymous man in the "Venus Fly Trap" cutting his eye out to retrieve a key before failing and being killed. In the same press event, details followed including the new setting between Saw II and Saw III as well as the basic storyline of David Tapp's son and protagonist Michael investigating his death and encountering Jigsaw along the way. Martin Schneider, European Marketing & PR Director for Konami, stated that "[the] original Saw video game gave horror fans and gamers a new outlet to advance their favorite genre, but left them wanting more. Saw 2 will give it to them, but be careful for what you wish for! Our successful partnership with Lionsgate allows us to advance the survival horror genre, giving players the most intense look into the Saw universe ever."
On May 5 it was confirmed that Saw II would be displayed by Konami at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
. At E3 2010, Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell...
was announced to return to voice the Jigsaw Killer as well as lend his likeness to the game; in addition, the subtitle Flesh & Blood was confirmed. The game was also shown at the San Diego Comic-Con 2010 at the Konami booth. In an interview, producer Jaime Benecia stated that all of the characters and plotlines present in the game had to be approved by Lionsgate to fit the canon of the films.
Saw II: Flesh & Blood was released on October 19, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, ten days before the release of the seventh film, Saw 3D.
Reception
Upon release, Flesh & Blood received mixed to negative reviews from critics. The Xbox 360 version of the game currently holds a 47/100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, while the PlayStation 3 version has a 45/100, both indicating "Generally unfavorable reviews". These are lesser scores than the original Saw game, which earned a 59 for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, indicating "Generally mixed reviews". On Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, another aggregate site. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions hold a 52.11 percent based on 27 reviews and a 48.11 percent based on 19 reviews, respectively.
Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
gave the game a 4.5 out of 10 saying "The game not only failed to polish the concepts of the original and not only took a step back from its predecessor, it took a swan dive into a pool filled with razor blades." Anthony Gallegos of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a very negative review. Reviewer felt the new combat system was actually worse than its predecessors. He reasoned the quick-time events rob the game of any suspense and disrupt the horror atmosphere, which he also criticized separately. Gallegos felt the game was poorly designed and disliked the difficult puzzles, which led to a very low score of 4.5 out of 10.
However, there were a few comparably positive reviews. Matthew Castle GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
gave the game a 7 out of 10. In his review he praised the improved combat and elaborate set-pieces, as well as the puzzles, comparing them to the "Riddler's Challenges" in Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' Batman developed for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment...
. His only negative remarks were poor checkpoint locations and subpar graphics.