SAW Genesis reveals asymmetrical multiplayer horror gameplay featuring procedural environments psychological survival decisions and The Judge antagonist arriving on PC early access in 2026
The Saw horror franchise has captivated audiences for more than 20 years with its grim atmosphere and brutal trials. Now a collaborative development effort by Broken Mirror Games, Anshar Studios, and Bloober Team will allow players to test their survival instincts in a digital recreation of this universe. Licensed by Lionsgate, the upcoming project is titled SAW Genesis. Following its initial reveal at the Summer Game Fest, the media outlet IGN recently published a gameplay trailer showcasing the mechanics of the title.
The game is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror set at the dawn of the 20th Century around 100 years before the events in the movies. Each game consist of 3 Condemned players against 1 antagonist player a character called The Judge. In order for the survivors to win, they will have to escape the maze like trapped building within the time limit. To make sure the game has high replay value, all environments in the game are rendered procedurally so that the design of the maze and the placement of the traps are different for each match.
Cooperation is necessary for the survival team because they are required to solve challenging and hazardous puzzles. When a person reaches the end of the trial or activates the trap, that particular inmate is moved to Purgatory. The inmate must then decide to make a difficult decision,2 s/he must either have other players sacrifice 1 of their own limbs or wait until his/her other teammates come to rescue him/her to escape. This puts a psychological burden on the remaining 2 players because they are faced with the decision to risk their lives for a prisoner or leave him/her to be executed, providing a certainty of escape.
The opposing player will be The Judge another title amongst many suitable killers, all of which are picked by the players. The 1st antagonist listed in the line up, is The Surgeon, brought in to be slightly slower moving and weaker than the other killers, yet much smarter. The Surgeon is able to move round the map via the known maintenance hidden tunnels, while establishing active traps and repositioning the Labyrinth to throw off the players.
Unlike many other game systems similar to this, the antagonist is not all powerful in SAW Genesis.
The 3 Condemned players are able to have the same resources as the opponent for attacking him and they are also able to quicken time by temporarily incapacitating the antagonist.
SAW Genesis is planned to be released on PC through early access by the end of 2026. A specific release date for the public has yet to be announced, but the dev teams have made public beta registration available, to allow players to test gameplay mechanics.
