In the pantheon of horror movies Tobe Hooper’s 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre stands as a true classic, continuing to terrify audiences nearly 50 years since its premiere. The unfortunate fate of a group of unlucky travellers at the hands of a family of rural cannibals has inspired generations of horror fans and film-makers alike, with main antagonist Leatherface becoming a cultural icon. It is therefore no surprise that the Chainsaw Massacre has been featured in the world of gaming, although generally only as an influence or cameo such as Leatherface’s appearance in Mortal Kombat. There was an amazing Atari 2600 title released in 1984, but Gun Interactive’s new take on the movie is a very different beast, and one that makes the most of modern graphical fidelity and some over-familiar gaming techniques to offer an experience that is clearly a love letter to the film and its legacy.
The opening to the game absolutely nails the tone and feeling of the original film, featuring a VHS filter and voiceover that perfectly matches that of Hooper’s movie. The game itself isn’t based on the actual story of the film (a choice that should hopefully allow for more content in future) and so developers Sumo were able to add new family members and a roster of unfortunate victims to play as.
This slots into the asymmetrical multiplayer mould of games like Friday The 13th: The Game and Dead by Daylight, but unlike other examples of this, both victims and family members must communicate to ensure the most effective and efficient approach, and you’ve also got more than one villain. Each game requires 7 players – a factor that is already leading to wait times between games – with 3 family members and 4 victims.
Alongside the iconic Leatherface (affectionately known as Bubba by fans) you also have the scheming Cook, the stealthy Hitchhiker, the poisonous Sissy, and Johnny who feels like an afterthought. Each villain plays differently with skilful players being able to use their strengths alongside the other characters as long as they are willing to communicate. Victims similarly have specific skills and abilities which can be unlocked and levelled up through sustained play. Whether you play as family or victim you’ll need to use voice chat to get the most out of the game. And here lies one of the main issues with the game.
At time of writing, the crossplay function has been disabled due to a large number of cheaters in the PC version, and while there have been patches to whittle away at these exploits, playing on that format a frustrating affair. Unfortunately this was the version I was stuck with and so my experience was sullied. There is also the potential for toxic players, with several interactions in my time with the game leaving a sour taste. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed, but often multiplayer games end up living or dying by the player base.
At launch there are only 3 maps in which to play, and this is one of the major drawbacks to the game. Each map is visually distinct but features the exact same range of exits for victims to find and unlock. This lack of variety means that it doesn’t take long to learn the maps and plan optimum routes for escape, although the actual process of carrying out these plans is still fun. Hopefully more maps are in the pipeline, but whether the player base is still there when these are released remains to be seen.
Graphically, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is pretty good, with the various environments being well designed and evoking the period setting well. Everything has a grimy grindhouse feel while character models stand up on the whole. There are a few graphical glitches still, although these are being patched as time goes by, but it does take you out of the game when a setpiece encounter doesn’t display properly. The strength of the setting is undermined somewhat by the relative scarcity of maps.
