Ever since The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was announced by Gun Interactive and Sumo Nottingham, I was curious about how this game might turn out. Having only played Friday the 13th: The Game a handful of times in the past, I was already sold on the asymmetric multiplayer format but still wanted to see how this studio would make a uniquely horrifying experience.
After spending this past Memorial day weekend exploring the technical test, I’m pleased to say that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is off to a promising start and I’m anxiously awaiting the final release in August. Here are a few more details on the game and my overall first impressions.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is based on the legendary 1974 horror film of the same name. The story revolves around the sudden disappearance of college student Maria Flores and how it leads to her younger sister, Ana Flores, and a group of friends teaming up to find her. In the midst of their search, they are captured by a sadistic family of killers. Now the group must work together to escape or meet their untimely end by Leatherface’s chainsaw.
After starting up the game, I was redirected to the main lobby where I had the option to play a public match as one of family members or victims. Here is a quick list of all the characters included in both groups:
The Family:
- Leatherface (Played by Kane Hodder)
- The Hitchiker (Played by Edwin Neal)
- Johnny (Played by Dove Meir)
- Sissy (Played by Kristina Klebe)
- The Cook
The Victims:
- Ana Flores
- Connie
- Julie
- Leland
- Sonny
When you play as The Family, your main goal is to secure the property and stop the victims from escaping. The only way to successfully do this is by making sure all doors are locked and that any and all possible escape routes are blocked. In addition to this, you are expected to collect blood from victims and drainage buckets located throughout the property in order to feed Grandpa. While grandpa isn’t a playable character, he does possess a unique sonar ability that helps him locate the victims but constantly needs blood to grow stronger.
In my first play session, I selected The Family and was instantly given the opportunity to play as Leatherface. While exploring my surroundings, I learned firsthand how important sound and movement are to this game. Once you are able to locate victims, you then have to devise a plan in order to execute them.
Paying attention to these aspects and communicating with your team can easily dictate whether you win or lose. While my team did manage to capture and kill a few victims, one still managed to escape and the final cutscene featured an angry Leatherface swinging his chainsaw at sunrise reminiscent of how the original movie ended.
In my second play session, I selected The Victims and played as Connie. As a victim, your main objective is to use every tool around you to escape the property undetected. This is really where the real horror survival aspect of the game comes into play as you don’t have any weapons at your disposal and have to be careful about sneaking around. If you are attacked and manage to temporarily flee, there’s a blood trail left that can easily lead other family members to your destination.
As Connie, I was the remaining survivor up to the the final minutes when I was massacred by Johnny in the field. This constant back and forth of evading danger will be thrilling for most players but also forces you to communicate with your teammates in order to survive. Family members also have unique abilities that help aid them in finding victims but it wasn’t clear what these advantages were nor was it evident if the victims also have unique skills as well. Hopefully this is one area that will be further clarified once the final build drops.
While my time with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was short, the technical test definitely left me excited to see more. Both Texas Chain Saw Massacre fans and survival game enthusiasts alike are in for a real treat when Leatherface and his family come to PC and consoles on August 18th.
This preview was written based on a digital code of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for PC provided by Gun Interactive and Sumo Nottingham.
