Saw: Genesis Is a Promising Multiplayer Game — But a Questionable Fit

The Saw films are known for meticulous worldbuilding centered on John “Jigsaw” Kramer’s twisted philosophy. Saw: Genesis, revealed at Summer Game Fest, is an asymmetrical horror game that borrows much of the franchise’s iconography while loosening a timeline that has long been tightly controlled.

At Summer Game Fest’s Play Days, Bloober Team and co-developers Broken Mirror Games and Anshar Studios offered an extended look after the announcement. In gameplay terms Genesis is a clear fit for the asymmetrical trend: one player is the Judge, manipulating a trap-laden maze, while three Accused search procedurally generated maps for key items and an exit.

The Judge can access areas others cannot and surveil the lair, but cannot fully control every match. Caught players are forced into Jigsaw-style contraptions that demand brutal sacrifices—limb removal or eye extraction—or await rescue from teammates, and the first-person perspective places those grisly choices uncomfortably close.

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