Developed by Sumo Digital, and published by Gun Media, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a three vs. four asymmetrical survival horror, based on the 1974 movie of the same name, and it supports crossplay with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC, and while it can be played on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the older systems don’t support crossplay.

The game focuses on a three vs. four gameplay, and players will either take the role of Leatherface and two of his family members, or they’ll be one of the four unlucky victims. Each match will start with the four victims hung up in a basement, and they will need to free themselves and start gathering items to get out of the basement.

Up until one of the basement doors has been unlocked by a victim, the only major threat players will have is Leatherface. He is the only killer that starts in the basement – the other two are locked upstairs until the victims are free of the basement while the other two are locked out they need to be prepared for the victims by turning on power to the gates, setting traps, locking doors and dealing with Grandpa by feeding him blood.

Grandpa is always present in the level, but he won’t be in the same place each game he is not a physical threat to players. He just sits in his chair, but when he is fed, he gains power, and when he groans loudly, it enables a sort of tracking ability – if a victim is moving during the groan, they will be pinged and all killers can see exactly where they are. If you can keep Grandpa well-fed and level him up to max, the groans are much more frequent, and at max level, it will mark players even if they are not moving.

Every character has a unique skill and perk, including the victims. They have their own strengths, that when used together, support everyone. Connie, for example, can pick locks faster than the others. Leland, on the other hand, can disrupt the killers by charging into them with his shoulder. If the victims stick together, they have a greater chance of survival.

As we’d expect, Leatherface is strong but slow when moving, and he’s ideal for the basement segments as it is short and closed in. The other killers can be fast runners but their attacks have a shorter range as they use knives, but like the victims, they also come with some pretty fun skills to use. The Hitchhiker can set down a bear trap made of bones, and this is ideal for placing at key spots across the map. Cook uses his hearing to locate the survivors and mark them. Sissy blows a mist of poison and spikes health potions around the map, and Johnny can track fresh footprints, leading directly to the survivors close by.

While Sissy and Johnny weren’t in the films, they were created for the game, and Gun Media worked with Kim Henkel, the original screenwriter for the 1974 movie, giving him creative input with the creation of these two new additions, so interactions and randomly banter between the characters fit perfectly.

While it is played with a third-person point perspective, the lighting and shadows are perfectly suited to the style. It is still so easy to walk past a victim if they are hiding in a corner due to the lack of light in the basement or indoor segments of the six maps you can play on. Technically, there are only three locations, as each map has a day version or dusk/night variant, so it’s relatively easy to learn where the exits and certain key items spawn. I do hope we get some more maps in the future as it is rather easy to know the possible pathways that people may be taking.

Audio cues play a huge part in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as there are sound indicators for almost every activity. Opening a basement door is incredibly loud, so everyone sees where and when a door is opened. Running past chickens will make them go mental, and obviously draw unwanted attention. Victims will need to work together to distract the killers or try to stay nice and silent for the stealthy escapes.

There were some extra little features my friends and I noticed while playing, and I felt was worth mentioning – cosmetic appeal. Thankfully, there are no microtransactions for buying additional outfits. All you need to do is play as the victims or Leatherface to unlock the extra outfits they can wear, however, sadly, there are no other outfits for the killers available at this point in time.

Some bugs are present, though they’re not overly common, whether it be character models twisting and contorting after they are dead, or the rare chance the shortcut down the well bugs out and doesn’t let people fall back into the basement. Other than those two minor in-game bugs, everything else seems more reliable than the test build I played a few months ago – I have yet to see anyone get stuck into a wall. There was also a high ping error we kept getting, as it seems there is no regional matchmaking or servers, and while it’s not a bug, it was annoying as it would disconnect during matches.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an amazing game to play, regardless of whether you’re with friends in a private lobby or taking your chances in a public game. I have had a blast with every second I have spent playing, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what could be in store for the future of the game, but please, some extra maps would be appreciated.

Written by: Shane Walsh