The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (2023) Video Game Review

This review is based on true events...

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (2023) video game is out now, and though we did gain review code a few days before release, we weren’t really able to test things out properly until post-launch.

A new asymettrical horror title from Sumo Nottingham and published by Gun, Texas Chain Saw Massacre is (quite obviously) based on the classic 1974 horror movie of the same name. There’s a huge emphasis on Leatherface’s family in this one, and that’s what makes this title unique as compared to other video games in the same genre.

Rather than a 4v1 affair, Texas Chain Saw is 3v4 — three family members (of which Leatherface must be one) versus four survivors (or as the game calls them, “Victims”). The gameplay loop is relatively simple, though Sumo insists on six-minute tutorial dumps when you first play, and they quite honestly are more confusing than helpful.

The family is tasked to hunt down the victims, collecting blood from either buckets left over from previous torture sessions or fresh from victims themselves. That blood is fed to Grandpa, who essentially makes things a 4v4 affair. An NPC, Grandpa is powered up through blood and will periodically perform what’s equivalent to a sonar ping; if victims are moving during this event, they’ll be marked for the family to see.

Victims need to quietly and carefully obtain resources like lockpicks and makeshift weapons when they first start, urgently needed to escape Leatherface’s basement and work towards exits. Up on ground level, victims can try to make a run for the highway, or obtain additional items like fuses or valves to open up additional routes. They can also take the fight to Grandpa himself, silencing the old man for a short period of time to then be able to move more freely.

Each action a victim makes, much like a generator skill check in Dead by Daylight, will make noticeable noise if you’re not careful, alerting the family to your presense. Victims also get a little assistance when a family member is nearby; a yellow border around the screen will transition to a red one when you’re truly in danger.

Both family and victims alike each have a unique ability to aid in their duties; Sissy, for example, can poison the items that victims are trying to obtain. The Cook can hyper-focus his hearing to locate victims, but things like dangling bone charms and even Leatherface’s chainsaw can disrupt this ability. One victim has the ability to charge and stun family members, while another can hyper-focus and pick locks almost instantly. Every single character has a skill tree that can be used to gain new perks and will level the character up in the process.

Family members can unlock doors with the press of a button; more importantly, they can close and lock doors behind them just as easily. Victims, in contrast, can make shortcuts to crawl through, or find bone tables to skirt under; most family members can’t take advantage of these new pathways. Leatherface starts off in the basement with the victims, and it’s up to the other two family members to decide if they should booby trap the areas above, or make a beeline for the basement to try to help eliminate their prey.

So far, Texas Chain Saw Massacre seems tilted towards the family; while Leatherface is a bit slower than his kin, he can destroy shortcuts and help to funnel victims towards his faster, equally as lethal brethren. Despite tools meant to break pursuits and lines of sight, a victim is toast if they’re up against two family members at a time. Things like bone scraps are meant to shift things back into a victims favour, but extremely laggy connections — and ultra frustrating disconnects citing extreme ping — mean that a lot of attacks (on either side) whiff when you’re confident they’ll connect.

Most matches will take around 15-20 minutes to complete, but I’ve seen quite a number finish up within 3-4 minutes; to be quite honest, I’m not sure how the family can hunt four victims down so quickly. I’m equally as confused as to how victims can obtain the required tools to then escape to freedom. Assuming these players aren’t cheating, I’ll chalk it up to the fact that this title has shipped with three maps and players must be learning every single nook, cranny and exploit extremely fast. I don’t think that’ll work in Texas Chain Saw Massacre‘s favour.

There also appears to be a bug tied with progression; finishing a match throws up a prompt saying your progression has been saved, yet that’s certainly not the case when you see that you’ve reached player level 11 and then start your next match back as level 10.

This is a title available as part of Xbox and PC Game Pass subscriptions, so stop reading what I’m saying about it and jump on in if you’re a horror movie or asymettrical horror game fan. The best part is, Achievements stack on both platforms — obtain a heap playing on the Xbox version, and they’ll basically auto-pop when you jump into a match on PC. Cross-play is certainly available, though I’m not sure if cross-progression is limited to Game Pass or not.

That said, there’s a strong core here and I hope the issues currently experienced are sorted soon. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is available now on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4 and PS5.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was reviewed using a promotional code on Xbox Series X, as provided by the publisher. Click here to learn more about Stevivor’s scoring scale.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 18 August 2023 PC PS4 PS5 Xbox One Xbox Series S & X   Buy on Windows PC via Steam Buy on the Microsoft Store Buy on Amazon: PlayStation, Xbox