The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of those so-called video nasties that, back when I were a lad, we always wanted to watch but just… couldn’t, basically. Sure, we could walk to the local Spar and rent Hellraiser or RoboCop or Predator, even as wee’uns with nary a whisker on our chins; but some movies were just, y’know, not on those shelves, ever. It wasn’t until I was a properly grown-up adult human man that I finally watched Tobe Hooper’s 1974 gory slasher flick and… uh yeah, it’s alright, I guess? It’s no RoboCop, but what is?
Anyway, way back when there was a video game based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It came out in 1983 for the Atari 2600 console and sold poorly as stores felt its excessive violence wasn’t something that they wanted to promote. But 1983 is a world away in terms of video game development and what audiences want to play, so it’s no surprise really to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre getting a brand-new game, given the successes of multiplayer survival/horror titles in recent years.
Revealed during the 2021 Game Awards, here’s our first look at Gun Interactive and Sumo Nottingham’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre…
A little more info? Sure, I’ve gotcha. The game is coming to us from Gun Interactive, creators of Friday the 13th: The Game, and will offer, apparently, “an authentic gaming experience based on the groundbreaking 1974 film”. Whether or not that means you categorically cannot rent it from a convenience store, remains to be seen. A post on the game’s official website gives us a little more depth as to what to expect from this one, when it releases in either 2022 or 2023:
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“Asymmetrical, multiplayer horror is nothing new to Gun, creators of Friday the 13th: The Game. But working with a team of killers? Well, that’s a whole new world. While it is true that most folks seem to think of asymmetrical gameplay as 1 vs Many, in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the family is an important part of the story to tell. How each member of the family works within the greater team, well that’s completely up to you. A deep metagame and progression system will give you the tools to pick your place at the family table.”
This is the first Texas Chainsaw game - the first official one, anyway - since that 1983 release, and Ronnie Hobbs, creative director at Gun Interactive, writes on the game’s website: “For a whole new generation, [this] will be their entry into the horror and macabre that left an impression on me so many years ago. To say this is an honour would be an understatement.” More on this one, on these pages, when we have it.
Topics: The Game Awards