The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | |
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Developer(s) | Sumo Nottingham [lower-alpha 1] |
Publisher(s) | Gun Interactive |
Director(s) | Wes Keltner |
Composer(s) | Ross Tregenza |
Series | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |
Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
Platform(s) | |
Release | August 18, 2023 |
Genre(s) | Survival horror |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 2023 asymmetrical survival horror game developed by Sumo Nottingham and published by Gun Interactive. It is based on the 1974 film of the same name. The game features seven victims attempting to escape the family of cannibals before they catch and kill them. The game's cast stars Kane Hodder as Leatherface (who also played the character as a stunt double in 1990's Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III ) and Edwin Neal as the voice of The Hitchhiker (reprising the role from the original film).
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 18, 2023, also releasing on Xbox Game Pass on the same day. The game received generally positive reviews upon release, with praise directed to its faithfulness to the 1974 film and its unique four versus three gameplay, though criticism towards its matchmaking and technical issues.
The game's plot revolves around Ana Flores and her college friends, who go searching for her missing sister, Maria, near the fictional town of Newt, Texas. The group is ultimately captured by the Slaughter family, a group of cannibal maniacs. [1] [2]
Players begin a match by taking on the role of either a family member or a victim, with a total of three family members and four victims being playable for a total of seven players per match. [3] A match is set on one of five maps: the Slaughter family house, a gas station, a slaughterhouse, a mill, and Nancy's house. [4] [5] The family house and gas station are locations featured in the film whereas the slaughterhouse, the mill, and Nancy's house are new locales. [6] [2] Each map has a day and a night variation, altering the lighting and atmosphere. A feature on each map is the basement where all the victims and Leatherface begin the match.
After escaping their restraints, the victims must first escape the basement to reach various methods of escape. Victims can escape via one of the four exits which are always present in every map. Family members meanwhile must track and kill the victims; if enough damage is dealt to a victim, they are immediately killed and are removed from the match. Family members must also feed Grandpa, a stationary character who feeds on the blood of victims and blood bags around the map. After he is awoken by enough noise being made by victims, he will occasionally shriek, revealing the outlines of any victim who is moving to all family members. A match is completed when all victims either escape or are killed. [7]
Players gain experience from each round and can spend earned skill points into each character's specific skill tree. Perks and attributes are unlocked via the skill tree, allowing each character to be customized and fit a certain play style. [8]
† This symbol denotes characters available through DLCs.
There are six family members to play as, each with unique play styles and abilities. [9]
There are seven victims who each possess their own abilities and are new characters created for the game. [10]
Gun Interactive previously created the 2017 asymmetrical horror game Friday the 13th: The Game . Following the loss of the video game rights, Gun Interactive began developing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre after gaining the rights from original film co-writer Kim Henkel. [11] Henkel only holds the interactive rights to the 1974 film of the same name and thus Gun Interactive cannot legally include elements from other films in the series. [12]
The developers utilized motion capture to portray each characters' animations in the game. [13] [14]
Remains: The Companion Album to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Game is a soundtrack developed in addition alongside the game's official game soundtrack, and was composed by Jim Bonney and Wes Keltner. [15]
Before the game's full release, a technical test ran from May 25–29, 2023 where players could play an early access version of the game. [16] [17]
In February 2024, it was announced that Black Tower Studios were new developers for the game. [18] [19]
The story of the game is given in an intro narration scene, reminiscent of the original film and is voiced by Aaron LaPlante.
Leatherface is portrayed by Kane Hodder with Lex Lang providing the voice after previously being played by Gunnar Hansen in the original film, having passed away in 2015. [20] Troy Burgess takes over the role of the Cook from Jim Siedow (who passed away in 2003) who portrayed him in the first and second films. Edwin Neal reprises his role as the Hitchhiker from the original film, with Sean Whalen performing the motion capture for the character. Johnny is portrayed by Dove Meir and voice provided by Damian Maffei. Sissy is portrayed by Kristina Klebe. Johnny and Sissy are new to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and were created with input by original film screenwriter Kim Henkel. [21] [22]
Female victims motion capture was performed by Scout Taylor-Compton, in addition to her voicing Julie Crawford. And the male victims mo-cap was performed by Hunter C. Smith. Ana was voiced by Jeannie Tirado, Connie by Bryarly Bishop, Leland by Matt Lowe, Sonny by Zeno Robinson, and Virginia by Barbara Crampton. [23] [24]
The game was announced during The Game Awards 2021 and was accompanied by a short teaser trailer. [25]
In May 2023, a YouTube channel was launched with the name, "LoFi Leatherface". The channel used animation and artwork created by Matt Hubel alongside audio of lo-fi music. [26]
The game was released on August 18, 2023 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. [27] [28] [29] [30] The game was also available on Xbox Game Pass at launch, which Gun Interactive CEO Wes Keltner described as "paramount" to bring in strong player numbers and keep match lobbies full. [31] [32]
The game reached 1 million players in the first 24 hours of its release. [33] [34] [35]
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | (PC) 72/100 [36] (PS5) 71/100 [37] (XSXS) 77/100 [38] |
Publication | Score |
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Eurogamer | [39] |
GameSpot | 9/10 [40] |
GamesRadar+ | [41] |
IGN | 6/10 [42] |
PCGamesN | 8/10 [43] |
Push Square | [44] |
Shacknews | 8/10 [45] |
The Guardian | [46] |
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic for the Xbox Series X version, but the Windows and PlayStation 5 versions received "mixed or average" reviews. [36] [37] [38]
In his review of the pre-release version of the game, PC Gamer 's Luke Winkle praised the game's horror elements and 1970s setting, stating it "mirrors the claustrophobia and creeping dread of the 1974 horror classic." [47]
Mark Delaney of GameSpot gave the game a 9/10, stating "the adaptation of one of the scariest movies ever made becomes one of the scariest games I've ever played". He praised the game's maps, music, and overall atmosphere, stating the game was "driven by chaos and dread just like its source material", but criticized the unlockable character cosmetics as "lacking", and the "4v3 setup limits some groups in matchmaking". [40]
Writing for GamesRadar+ , Jordan Gerblick praised the visual design and atmosphere but criticized the tutorials, lack of objective markers, and technical issues. He wrote, "Leatherface brings with him an iconic presence that puts Dead by Daylight 's take on the chainsaw-wielding psychopath to shame, as well as truly ingenious refinements to the genre, but he's accompanied by a matchmaking system that frequently makes you wait five minutes or more for a game, a host of bugs and server issues [...], and an utterly sorry excuse for a tutorial." [41]
Travis Northup of IGN gave the game a 6/10, criticizing the pressing technical issues and lack of ways to help newcomers learning how to play the game. He stated that "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's less asymmetrical take on the asymmetrical horror genre offers a few entertaining, technically challenged hours of fun." [42]
Writing for Slant Magazine , Ryan Aston praised the victim's tense gameplay and its faithfulness to the original film. He also found the three versus four dynamic of the game to be a "compelling direction for the genre" and makes it feel "closer to a survival horror game than your average asymmetrical title." [48]
William Cennamo of Screen Rant gave the game a 3/5 rating and declared the game to be a "must-play" for fans of asymmetrical horror games but noted "a fair number of issues" relating to replayability and a general lack of depth. These included an unsatisfying and limiting progression system combined with repetitive gameplay due to the similarity of maps and escape methods. [49]
Kotaku 's Ashley Bardhan found that the gameplay and horror elements were ultimately "underwhelming." Bardhan found the game's story to be "an admirable living shrine" to the 1974 film, but does not fully "embrac[e] its own unsettling narrative" with horror elements being undercut by short match times and repetitive gameplay. [50]
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film produced, co-composed, and directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote it with Kim Henkel. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen. The plot follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate. Although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a 1986 American black comedy slasher film co-composed and directed by Tobe Hooper and written by L. M. Kit Carson. It is the sequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and the second installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. The film stars Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, Bill Moseley, and Jim Siedow. The plot follows Vanita "Stretch" Brock, a radio host who is victimized and abducted by Leatherface and his cannibalistic family; meanwhile, Lt. Boude "Lefty" Enright, the uncle of Sally and Franklin Hardesty—both prior victims of the family—hunts them down.
Robert Sawyer, better known as "Chop-Top" is a fictional character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise; created by Tobe Hooper and L. M. Kit Carson, Chop-Top makes his first appearance in the film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) as one of the film's villains and the main source of its black humor.
Kane Warren Hodder is an American actor, stuntman, and author.
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a 1990 American slasher film directed by Jeff Burr and written by David J. Schow. It is the sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and the third installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. The film stars Kate Hodge, William Butler, Ken Foree, Tom Hudson, Viggo Mortensen, Joe Unger, and R.A. Mihailoff.. The plot follows Leatherface and his cannibalistic family stalking a motorist couple in the backroads of Texas.
The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 1995 American slasher black comedy film written, co-produced, & directed by Kim Henkel. It is the fourth installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. The film stars Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, and Robert Jacks. The plot follows four teenagers who encounter Leatherface and his murderous family in backwoods Texas on the night of their prom. It features cameo appearances from Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, and John Dugan, all stars of the original film.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Marcus Nispel, written by Scott Kosar, and starring Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel, Eric Balfour, and R. Lee Ermey. Its plot follows a group of young adults traveling through rural Texas who encounter Leatherface and his murderous family. It is a remake of Tobe Hooper's 1974 film of the same name, and the fifth installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Several crew members of the original film were involved with the project: Hooper and writer Kim Henkel served as co-producers, Daniel Pearl returned as cinematographer, and John Larroquette reprised his voice narration for the opening intertitles.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a 2006 American slasher film and a prequel to the 2003 film. The sixth installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, it was written by Sheldon Turner from a story by Turner and David J. Schow, directed by Jonathan Liebesman and co-produced by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. The film's story takes place four years before its predecessor. It stars Jordana Brewster, Diora Baird, Taylor Handley, Matt Bomer and R. Lee Ermey.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an American horror franchise created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. It consists of nine films, comics, a novel, and two video game adaptations. The franchise focuses on the cannibalistic spree killer Leatherface and his family, who terrorize unsuspecting visitors to their territories in the desolate Texas countryside, typically killing and subsequently cooking them.
Sally Hardesty is a fictional character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. She made her first appearance in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as a young woman investigating her grandfather's grave after local grave robberies—crossing paths with Leatherface and his cannibalistic family in the process. In this film and later in The Next Generation (1995), she was portrayed by Marilyn Burns. Olwen Fouéré was cast in the sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022). The character, renamed Erin Hardesty and played by Jessica Biel, also appeared in a remake of the original film in 2003.
The popularity of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film-series and of its main character, Leatherface, led to the publication of several comic books based on the franchise. In 1991, Northstar Comics released a miniseries titled Leatherface — a loose adaptation of Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III — that ran for four issues. In 1995, Topps Comics released Jason Vs. Leatherface, a three-issue miniseries that had Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th fame moving in with Leatherface and his cannibalistic family.
Leatherface is a character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. He first appeared in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as the mentally disabled member of a family of deranged cannibals, featuring his face masks and chainsaw. Created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel, Leatherface was partially inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, in addition to confessions by serial killer Elmer Wayne Henley. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, and comic books; appearing in all nine films in the series.
Cinema Of Fear was a toy line of action figures, plush dolls, "screen grab" dioramas, and limited edition toys based on New Line's horror franchises: Friday the 13th, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Rob Zombie's Halloween II remake.
The Texas Chainsaw House is located in Kingsland, Texas, on the grounds of The Antlers Hotel. This 1900s late Edwardian farm house was featured prominently in Tobe Hooper's horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as the home of Leatherface and his cannibalistic family, before it was moved to this location from Williamson County in 1998. The then-dilapidated farm house originally sat on Quick Hill Road during the July–August 1973 filming of the movie. The original site is where La Frontera is now located, in Round Rock.
Texas Chainsaw 3D is a 2013 American slasher film directed by John Luessenhop, with a screenplay by Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms.
Leatherface is a 2017 American horror film directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, written by Seth M. Sherwood, and starring Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Grasse, Sam Strike, and Lili Taylor. It is the eighth installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM) franchise, and works as a prequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), explaining the origin of the series' lead character.
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