The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game had their technical test this past weekend, and we got a chance to check it out. Based on the iconic 1974 film of the same name, the game features an asymmetrical horror experience with three of the “Family” members hunting four “Victims”.

The Victims

There were four “Victims” you could play as during the technical test, which included Leland, Ana, Sonny, and Connie. We played matches with each of these characters, who each have their own special abilities and attributes:

“First up we have Connie’s Focused Ability, an Ability that allows her to pick a lock much faster at the cost of stamina and her Family proximity warnings, without consuming the unlock tool.

Sonny, our intellectual, has the Heightened Sense Ability. Triggering this will give Sonny a situational awareness buff, allowing him to detect noise made by anyone nearby, pinpointing their location and tracking their movements.

Leland can throw his weight around, literally. Use the Life Saver Ability to bump charge a Family member, stunning them. Leland can use this Ability in a variety of ways to interrupt an otherwise fatal clash with Family for himself or his friends.

Last but not least we have Ana, the fearless leader. Her appropriately named Ability, Pain is Nothing, significantly reduces the damage she’ll take from attacks and falls, like jumping out windows. Her additional buff is a temporary immunity to the effects of any poison.”

Matthew Szep

There is an additional “Victim” that wasn’t available to play during the technical test, Julie. Her ability is “Ultimate Escape”, and we look forward to playing as her once the game is completed.

As a “Victim”, your ultimate goal is to escape the nightmare you’ve been put into. During the playtest, there were two maps to escape from, The Family House and The Slaughterhouse. When you first start a round, you are tied up and must free yourself. Once you’re free, you have to sneakily make your way throughout the map, collecting items to aid your escape.

The Family

On the flipside, the three “Family” members you could play as were Leatherface, The Cook, and The Hitchhiker. Like the victims, each “Family” member has their own unique abilities and attributes:

“The Seek Ability allows the Cook to lean in and listen carefully to any strange sounds he might hear around the map. If a sound is detected, he can focus in on it, revealing the location of the Victim unfortunate enough to be making the most noise.

The Hitchhiker is handy with a pile of bones and his Trap Ability is an extension of that. The macabre artist can place traps around the map that alert him when an unsuspecting Victim steps in.

This one is pretty self explanatory. Leatherface carries the saw, the saw is the Maim Ability. He can utilize it in a variety of ways, not least of which is to dismember any Victims he might get his hands on.”

Matthew Szep

There will be two additional “Family” members when the game is fully released. They include Sissy, who has the Bane Ability, and Johnny, who has the Hunt Ability. As members of the “Family”, your goals are to secure the map, feed grandpa, and kill victims.

While playing as each type of character, it is evident that both must work as a team. This was a lot of fun, and it was especially scary playing as a “Victim.” We really enjoyed it and played it for hours! We look forward to playing the game when it is fully released August 18, 2023.

Are you excited to play The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game?