Saw: Genesis is not scary. Call it an occupational hazard, but few asymmetrical horror games are these days. Texas Chain Saw Massacre is probably the most terrifying, lore-accurate depiction of the source movie's tone and tension.

Meanwhile, Dead by Daylight's Survivors-versus-Killers framework speaks for itself, hinging upon hooking or avoiding being hooked. It's a simple structure, sometimes earning it accusations of being boring. But Saw: Genesis suffers the opposite problem. The success of a horror asym is tied to how well a game can sustain player engagement, and this one in its current state proves why a simple onboarding process is the best way to ensnare a player's attention off the bat.

Developer: Broken Mirror / Anshar Studios
Publisher: Bloober Team NA
Platform(s): PC [Early Access]
Release date: TBC

I can totally see the vision here. As a precursor murder mastermind to Saw's infamous Jigsaw killer, The Judge's job is to punish captive victims by putting them through horrific trials, involving everything from self-mutilation to sacrificing a limb to save another. The victims' job is to work together to solve the challenges before time runs out and your head explodes — and staying alive that long is challenging in itself. As it stands, there's almost too much to do in the upcoming horror game to make it intuitive. Case in point: the skill entry level to playing as the Judge is so high, the developers insist we play our whole hands-on demo as Victims.

Loading into my first match, I realize too late that I've not got any perks equipped.

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