Gun Interactive and Sumo Digital’s passion for this classic horror franchise is evident; their asymmetrical multiplayer experience brings Tobe Hooper’s 1974 film alive with its griminess and thrills.
Bubba “Leatherface” Sawyer, Hitchhiker, and Cook are each unique in their active and passive skill trees; playing around with these capabilities provides plenty of character progression to keep matches engaging and fresh.
Gameplay
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre game key offers a chilling and terrifying asymmetrical horror experience that puts players into either the role of members of the Slaughter family or their targets. It was created by Gun Interactive and inspired by the 1974 movie that gave birth to the legendary slasher Leatherface.
The game can be found on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and PC and features various members from Leatherface’s Slaughter family – such as him and his four followers – each possessing distinct play styles and abilities; for instance, Leatherface uses his chainsaw to destroy walls and kill enemies, while The Cook can listen out for victims at a distance while Hitchhiker can set traps that temporarily immobilize victims.
Players must work together to survive and escape the house, fighting off killers with weapons such as shotguns and melee weapons. Furthermore, items and weapons can be collected to advance in the game while collecting items to help progress further. Finally, this game offers an original background story that pays homage to the film.
Gun Interactive’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre differs significantly from their earlier release, Friday the 13th: The Game, in that it does not offer single-player mode or bots; instead, it provides an engaging multiplayer experience for up to seven players at the same time – still providing an enjoyable multiplayer experience that fans of the franchise will surely appreciate.
Graphics
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre offers excellent graphics and sound design and will feel familiar to fans of the original film. Winding mazes, cave-like hallways, run-down cars, and bloody farming equipment are all present to help players immerse themselves into its setting; chainsaws have smooth animations while other weapons also look impressively lifelike; plus, there’s also an atmospheric soundtrack that adds tension and fear!
As for gameplay, players have two roles in The Witness: Victim or Family members. Victims attempt to escape while Family members hunt and kill them – giving the experience more of a survival horror feel than an asymmetric multiplayer one.
Playing as the Victim can be exciting and tense, with many opportunities for hiding or running around the map. Unfortunately, however, stationary objects such as fences, cow skulls, and brush may prevent this action; other maps even feature electric-defended gates with timed pressure-activated openings that impede these attempts at escape.
Players can utilize the game’s proximity cues to avoid Family members. These appear as yellow borders around their screen that grow larger whenever someone from their Family approaches. It’s easy to spot these cues as a warning that it’s time to hide or flee – they give plenty of notice that something needs to change!
Sound
Colin Stetson, composer for films such as Hereditary and Color Out Of Space, has provided music for Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s soundtrack.
The sound design in this horror movie stands out from its counterparts by creating tension and heightening the horror of scenes. Alfred Hitchcock influenced this aspect, using sound to complement the action on screen. Diegetic and nondiegetic sounds include character screams and noise from chainsaws, while non-diegetic sounds have generator whirring and distressed pig squeals, further distressing scenes.
Wes Keltner, CEO and Studio Director at Gun Interactive stated they took sound effects very seriously for their game. To capture an authentic feel, they even recorded real chainsaw sounds to capture good results.
The soundtrack features an eclectic range of genres spanning ambient to industrial. This music pays a fitting homage to both the film and franchise; furthermore, its sound harkens back to avant-garde composers such as Wayne Bell and Musique Concrete, providing an immersive experience sure to please both fans of both franchises and music.
Story
Gun Interactive’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre joins an increasing list of titles in the asymmetrical horror multiplayer genre and features three family members playing against four unlucky victims who make horrific noises while being cut down with chainsaw blades. While their primary objective is slaying all four victims, other goals include earning blood for Grandpa by cutting up prey or locking down escape routes to trap survivors into collecting buckets around the map for Grandpa to collect his share.
Contrasting other asymmetrical horror games, like Dead by Daylight or the developer’s previous Friday the 13th title, playing as The Killer offers a much more collaborative experience. Family members – Leatherface, the Cook, and Hitchhiker – may attack each other while pursuing victims and working together to detect and lure them into traps by Leatherface and his accomplices. Blood collected by killing victims or from buckets may also be fed back to Grandpa, who levels up five tiers with each match win!
Though I couldn’t glean too many details regarding support or player progression, the menus suggest ample customization and skill tree options in place – presenting rights issues weren’t as problematic in this game compared to its predecessor.
