Konami's SAW to rival Silent Hill

By Robert Purchese Published 3 April, 2009

Devs want repulsive "visual intensity".

Konami thinks the freshly-acquired Saw licence can become as important as Silent Hill - but focused less on psychological thrills and more on gory titillation.

"Because we have leadership in the survival horror genre we're passionate about it and wanted to find another property on par with Silent Hill," Konami marketeer David Daniels explained to Variety.

"Silent Hill is more about psychological terror, but Saw for us is more about graphic, intense horror that overwhelms you. We want players to turn away from the screen for just a moment because of the visual intensity.

"One of the big pillars of Saw is the maniacal, twister serial killer Jigsaw's very unusual traps," he added, "And you can expect that's something we'll carry forward. Some traps will even be a direct translation from the movies, particularly the iconic ones fans love."

Does he mean the pit of used syringes? Or perhaps the mechanical torture rack that slowly twists the limbs of the person (s)trapped inside?

Konami prized the Saw licence from the cold hands of dying publisher Brash Entertainment earlier this year - the company that promised tip-top film tie-ins but only ever delivered rubbish games for children.

Tobin Bell, the actor who plays Jigsaw in the films, will lend his voice to the project, and the game - for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 - will be out this autumn.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • Eraysor #1 3 years ago

    but focused less on psychological thrills and more on gory titillation.

    The psychological stuff in the first film was what made it good. All the sequels are terrible because all they do is add more gore.

  • Azazel #2 3 years ago

    So we are to expect a load of torture pr0n instead of actual suspense, clever psychology and atmosphere?

    \o/ finally!

  • Wyrm #3 3 years ago

    Oh don't be all up your own arses, there is nothing wrong with a bit of out and out gore now and then. Not every piece of media has to be clever and witty to be entertaining.

  • Tonka #4 3 years ago

    +!
    \o/

  • LazyDan #5 3 years ago

    Waggle escape-the-traps minigames for the Wii version confirmed.

  • shotgun44 #6 3 years ago

    I heart gore. Saw 5 was shit because the gore was wank!

  • Doctor_What #7 3 years ago

    Gore != gameplay.
    Good graphics != gameplay.

    I can't wait to see what the BBFC make of it.

  • AliRay #8 3 years ago

    He's not a serial killer! Did you guys even watch the films?!?!

    /got a little 'too into' Saw

  • CallousB #9 3 years ago

    They'll have to be careful with this...otherwise we'll have another Manhunt 2 style debacle.

  • Hobo #10 3 years ago

    Since when did Konami EVER have leadership of the survival horror genre?

    Sure, the Silent Hill games are quality, but they were for so long trailing behind Resident Evil, and now they're lagging behind the likes of SCEE (Siren) and at a push at least EA (Dead Space).

  • Beek4257 #11 3 years ago

    We want players to turn away from the screen for just a moment (...)

    Think i'll just turn away, period.

  • Ranger101 #12 3 years ago

    I like the Saw series. There I said. They make those films for me.

  • Malkotheslick #13 3 years ago

    The Condemned Series was really scary, I doubt these guys will top that. I reckon it will just be a gore fest.

  • Collymilad #14 3 years ago

    Sounds like it will be just as shit as the films.

    I mean seriously anyone who enjoys saw has something wrong with them. It's one thing having killing and gore but why exactly do people want to watch someone suffer over a long period of time then die in really screwed up ways?

    Give me a good reason beyond being fucked in the head.

  • sneetch #15 3 years ago

    Oh noes! Red pixels r scary!

    Sorry but gore in games is not scary at all. Who was horrified when they ripped the wings of a harpy in GoW? Or cut a locust in half with the chainsaw in erm... the other GoW?

    Cornflakes are scarier. They can (possibly) cut your gums (in theory) and could (perhaps) cause a severe infection!

    @Collymilad
    Give me a good reason beyond being fucked in the head.

    No, I think you've hit on the reason there. :)

  • muters #16 3 years ago

    I smell Quick Time Events and lots of them.

  • JJrabbit #17 3 years ago

    This will probably be banned. If manhunt 2 had to be censored, then what chance does this have?

  • IneptPercy #18 3 years ago

    Its not made by rockstar so the BBFC won't look at it.

  • space_ace #19 3 years ago

    worst news ever

  • vegard #20 3 years ago

    this franchise will be the end of modern civlization as we know it.

  • kipper #21 3 years ago

    @ Collymilad

    I agree totally with your comment. The popularity of the whole 'torture porn' genre just means there's a whole lot of sick people walking around.

  • Aphexman #22 3 years ago

    a leadership in horror genre? wake up konami, u lost it after silent hill 3, 6 years ago, without kojima onboard you'd be nothing for this day, what? pro evo? lol

  • Transcendent #23 3 years ago

    Collymilad: "Sounds like it will be just as shit as the films.

    I mean seriously anyone who enjoys saw has something wrong with them. It's one thing having killing and gore but why exactly do people want to watch someone suffer over a long period of time then die in really screwed up ways?

    Give me a good reason beyond being fucked in the head."

    kipper: "@ Collymilad

    I agree totally with your comment. The popularity of the whole 'torture porn' genre just means there's a whole lot of sick people walking around."

    The irony here is that this is how humans are, and have always been. Have you ever thought that maybe you are the exception, the ones "fucked up in the head"?
    Edited by 1 at 03/04/09 @ 15:16

  • vegard #24 3 years ago

    "Have you ever thought that maybe you are the exception, the ones "fucked up in the head"?"

    yes, clearly not liking saw et al makes you fucked in the head

  • Notez #25 3 years ago

    "The popularity of the whole 'torture porn' genre just means there's a whole lot of sick people walking around."

    But we knew that already from the spread of religion.

  • jade2001 #26 3 years ago

    "Because we have leadership in the survival horror genre we're passionate about it and wanted to find another property on par with Silent Hill,"

    In other words Silent Hill is no longer selling well and we need to something to take it's place.

    I love the SAW series and my friend and I are really looking forward to it.
    Edited by 1 at 03/04/09 @ 16:03

  • Machetazo #27 3 years ago

    Collymilad, I disagree entirely with your opinion, because, by your definition, anyone watching (and, heaven forbid, enjoying) any horror movie should be also suspected disturbed. Saw does nothing not already layed out by successful earlier horror franchises that by that time needed a break. The general progression of these series, into schlock, and people's numbing to their SFX and the movement into predictability, (and the rise of Dimension - from Scream therein to mediocrity of horror) is what prompted something like Saw to come along. For Hollywood to be able to say to an increasingly dubious audience: We've got something you won't be expecting - we can frighten you still. You disregard that those movies well, people of the time were shocked by those horrors - such as The Exorcist - much as you appear shocked that other people might find enjoyment in Hollywood's digital-age solution to lifting a once-flagging genre from its tumble into the dirt.

  • Cannibal #28 3 years ago

    Would make for an awesome PUZZLE game! Not kidding

  • riz23 #29 3 years ago

    "We want players to turn away from the screen for just a moment because of the visual intensity."

    Sounds like they want to have a look at that Leisure suit Larry game up on the front page.

  • makeamazing #30 3 years ago

    Saw movies are great, though can be alittle too much for me sometimes :D.. not sure the game will be any good, but having Tobin Bell in it is a good start, now just have the great music, scary puppet and pig mask... wow what a combinations :D

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #31 3 years ago

    Problem is the game and most people only see one half of the SAW franchise - the gore...

    The thing that draws me to SAW isn't the gore, it's the mystery and story behind that, all this 'your sick minded if you watch SAW' comments mean a lot don't know what the films actally are, it's a story, a story of a person driven to do these things, how and why, beleaving he is saving these people for themselfs and him facing the people trying to solve all this to stop him. Each film gave us a bit of this puzzle and throws up unanswered questions many viewers actally want to know. Like I said it's not all about the gore, it's about Jigsaw himself and everyone trying to solve that.

    If the game focuses just on the gore then a lot of people will not pick it up, unlike the films it'll just be very hollow and shallow exerience, sadly it will lack the depth the films actally have

  • Gradius #32 3 years ago

    @Kremlik

    After watching a SAW movie, what do you discuss with your friends? Do you talk about the gripping plot and great acting, or do you tell them about how cool the head trap, etc, is? All I'm saying is, if you truly watch SAW for its suspense and deep plot (and not for the gore) then there are far better films out there. I don't have a problem with the SAW movies, I quite enjoyed them, but I would never try and tell someone that they're anything other than puerile ridiculous gore-porn, and c-mon, the plot is pretty stupid tbh...

  • Gradius #33 3 years ago

    I've seen all 5 movies, I understand the plot, I just don't consider it particularly deep or original, the reason I call SAW 'gore-porn' is for the simple fact that the films would not have seen success if that element had not been included, the story is not powerful enough in its own right.

    It's like your mum catching you wanking over some 70s adult movie and you telling her "No, wait! I...I'm only watching it for the plot, the Pizza guy has a really deep story, I didn't even notice him screwing that woman! I swear!".

  • Gradius #34 3 years ago

    I think the absolutely most retarded thing about Saw, is that the old fool in it keeps telling everybody that he doesn't kill people because they have a chance to get out of what ever retarded trap he puts them in. Hmmm, no, Jigzy baby, I think putting someone in a head trap and telling them to cut their own eye out within the next 60 seconds or die, still pretty much means you killed them, after all they'd be alive if you hadn't drugged them and put a fucking bear trap on their heads. Also, I can't remember any of his victims who actually deserved punishment, a lot of them hadn't even broken the law as I recall...

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #35 3 years ago

    Actally Grad, most of the time we've (myself and my friends) been debating how the next film follows up to the last, whats actally going on and what 'clues' have been layed out, quite a few sub plots had been going across 2-3 films, Amanda's 'fall' is the most common one people bring up. I didn't even like the film series at all until I sat there and watched SAW on TV then watched SAW2 stright after, just becuase there was nothing else to watch I thought they were just nothing but gorefest films like many out there, until SAW3 and things started to click together.

    Count's right tho, people do see the films differently to others, a lot just see a gorefest but a lot see it has more. Thats the whole thing about SAW that keeps it from being just another Freddie or Jason series of films that just gets less and less interesting by the 11th/12th time.

    Perhaps it's a generation gap thing, I dunno but there is a lot more to SAW then just the gore, I'm just saying that I hope the game remembers that.

    Oh and that last comment about the 'victims being inncocent'. I think you better go back and watch them again, most weren't exactally 'do gooders', and a lot have been connected to Jigsaw some connections we do know some we don't, one thing these films have in common - nothing is coinsidental.
    Edited by 1 at 04/04/09 @ 16:25

  • Gradius #36 3 years ago

    I know they weren't do-gooders so to speak (and thinking back there were a few people in need of punishment) but making a girl crawl through a pit of dirty needles because she was a heroin addict is hardly a fitting punishment. Anyway, like I say, I never hated the films, I think they're quite a laugh, I really just don't see them as these kinda deep thinking-mans films, I see them as gore with a (imo) rather silly and weak story padding them out until the next gore scene, each to his own though of course :)

  • Gradius #37 3 years ago

    Fapula, it's got nothing to do with perception, The SAW movies do not have complex stories and are in no way difficult to understand, there's no need to keep trying to explain the story to me, I fully comprehend it, I just don't think it's as clever as you seem to. The story is mediocre at best, if the films had no gore in them, they would have flopped because the story isn't enough to hold a film together on its own, that's my opinion.

    May I ask, do you read any fiction at all? I'm pretty sure that if you did you would soon see that there's really nothing special about the character or story in the SAW films, they're just (relatively enjoyable) standard Hollywood tosh imo...
    Edited by 1 at 04/04/09 @ 20:08

  • Gradius #38 3 years ago

    Hmm, you're not listening, there is nothing to perceive in SAW that the average person wouldn't grasp, I've said countless times that there is more to the movies than just gore, they still would not have sold if it weren't for the gore though. That's my point, Jigsaw is not a complex character either, his disposition can be explained within a minute or two. I would really like to know what you believe you can perceive in these films that others can not? Others may not let themselves be drawn into the story of Saw in the same way you have, perhaps it's because they perceive too much and can see the story for what it is, mediocrity encased in blood and guts.

  • Gradius #39 3 years ago

    The character of Jigsaw and indeed the simplistic plot of the movies may well engross certain people, I guess some of us just need a little more. If you can manage to see a Hollywood gore flick as some kind of deep and enlightening experience, good for you. It just makes me laugh that you believe it's a case of perception, as if you're somehow on a higher plane and you understand SAW so much better than anyone else, seriously, in essence, it's a simplistic film for simplistic viewers, that's not to say that everyone who enjoys it on some level is simplistic, maybe it's an age thing, maybe if I were 15 again I would have really got in to it, now I just treat it as the kind of movie you watch with friends and have a laugh.

  • Gradius #40 3 years ago

    "You seem to be saying that just because a movie has one element that is popular with crowds (ie gore) then it can have nothing else aside from that."

    I don't recall saying anything of the sort, what I said was SAW would not have sold unless they padded it out with as much gore as possible, you've agreed with this, if a film needs severely graphic OTT gore to sell, it really doesn't say much for that story, does it. Yes, films like the God Father do incorporate violence but they do not dwell on it in the same way that SAW or Hostel do, there's a big difference between showing a few scenes of violence to get a message across and showing grotesque torture scenes for 70% of the movie. The God Father would have still been considered a masterpiece even if they cut or toned down the few nasty violent scenes, people would have still respected the great acting and base storyline, SAW would have not made a penny in the box office without the gratuitous and twisted death/torture scenes. Not a valid comparison.

  • bad09 #41 3 years ago

    Ironically, the only one any good (IMO) - the original movie has very little actual gore.

    I would have cared about this back then but the endless dull sequels killed my interest in Saw. No Mr Jigsaw, I don't want to play your game or see anymore Saw movies - 4 and 5 made sure of that....

    / music starts and in a mental twist bad09 takes off pig head mask and reveals he's actually Smelly, smiles, locks EG readers in a basement full of Wii's "Do you want to play a game?".........

  • GreyBeard #42 3 years ago

    1. The Saw movies together have an incredibly convoluted storyline. They ingeneuity of the plotting is a big part of their appeal.
    2. There's nothing new or particularly regressive about horror movies based around creatively staged scenes of carnage, skipping the obvious precedents a good analog are the movies Vincent Price made in the UK in the early 70's, notably the 2 Dr Phibes movies, and Theatre Of Blood.
    3. The gimmick with Saw is that the titualar Jigsaw killer actually NEVER kills anyone, he engineers situations where people kill themselves. This is a key plot-point particularly in the 3rd movie.

    Last of all, as a lifelong genre fan let me add a resounding FUCK YOU to the clueless little shitbags who connotate watching clearly faked, fantastical carnage to sadistic impulses. If that's what you see, then YOU are the one with the problem. I see illusion and special effects - a magic show. The appeal is that its an entertainment, that it isn't real.

  • bad09 #43 3 years ago

    "Silent Hill is kinda dead on its feet these days.
    Def no match for the might of Resident Evil 5. Now thats what I call, Next Gen "

    ?

    Considering they are to separate games I don't see why you compare them, one being an average survival horror and one being an average shooter. Especially as "next gen" RE5 is a scary as.....well....watching Saw 2-5.....

    (oh and Greybeard, is clearly WAY to into Saw....15 yrs old?)
    Edited by 1 at 05/04/09 @ 20:25

  • Grom #44 3 years ago

    Still, at least watching horror movies hasn't turned you into an angry person GreyBeard.

  • GreyBeard #45 3 years ago

    Lol no, my anger was more to do with just getting home after a long business trip to San Francisco and as a result of not having slept for over 24 hours at the time I posted.

    My point sill holds too. The inference (claim in some posts) of being a sadistic ghoul because I like watching *fake* blood and guts is both insulting and ignorant.