I love The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), its one of my favourite horror films and also one of my favourite films. Its a film I didn’t see until I was in my 20s but its 100% one of those films that deserves its classic status. When I heard a video game of TCM (as Ill call it from now on) was coming I was of course a little nervous. I mean there isnt too much of a plot to the movie is there, a small group of friends try to avoid being killed by the crazy Sawyer family( the family name was Sawyer in the 74 film, changed to Hewitt for the 2003 remake)  and most  (but not all) of what I love about the TCM movie is its style, and the atmosphere that the genius Tobe Hooper created for the viewer. Would that or could that transition over to the video game media? 

Well after some waiting time I can finally answer that and the answer is a Yes.  Now don’t think that I’m going to spend time comparing the movie to the game, they are different mediums, and one isn’t meant to replace the other, or anything like that. I will be talking from now on about the game, and the game only.

In The Texas Chain Saw Massacre video came you can take on the role of one of the notorious Slaughter family (another renaming I see), or their victims, we play in a third-person (so we can see the character we play as we run or chase (depending whether you want to be a killer or a fleeing victim) 

Upon installation of the game (I’m playing the Playstation 5 edition) you can set the usual things, game brightness, volume etc just so you can get yourself the best viewing experience that suits you.  Do be aware though that this game is pretty dark (not just in tone, I mean light and dark) so perhaps knock up the brightness a bit unless you are playing the game in darkness and headphones so get that full horror experience (which I do highly recommend doing) For digital buyers, Its not a huge install. The PS5 download is around 15gig, The PS4 is 12 Gig and apparently the Xbox Series S edition is bigger at 21gig. (Im not sure on the Xbox Series X version)

Also this game is purely an online game, there is no campaign so to play it you will need either the Xbox Live type access or the Playstation online access too.  But I think most people with current generation consoles will have that already – but I wanted to mention it.

So the most important thing now- whats the game like? Well So far I’m really enjoying it. As always with a new game, it takes me a little while to settle into the feel of the game, to get used to the controls and how the game itself works, what I have to do and where I have to do it. With TCM, the game does a pretty good job of hand holding you through those early stages. For the first time I opted to play as ‘the family’ and chase down victims. For that you need to make sure that you lock up all doors to stop those sneaky victims from escaping to safety and you also need to make sure that Grandpa is fed (with blood) so that he can use his sonar skills to let you know where the victims are hiding, you collect blood which drains into buckets and take it back to Grandpa when you want to (and when he needs it). Ah yes totally family gaming this one is! But its so much fun. The game is a stealthy game, its not a speed game like a Battlefield or Call of Duty and I think that once you spend a few hours with it, and get used to the location of the family house, compared with the gas station, then the game will get easier to navigate.   The Controls are pretty standard and don’t take too much working out (onscreen prompts let you know for example- which button to press to collect drained blood from a bucket)

For me, playing as one of the ‘victims’ was a far more enjoyable and immersive experience than playing as a member of the ‘family’. As a ‘victim’ stealth is of course more a key factor and this makes the game last longer. Sneaking through corridors, cutting down noise making traps which have been set, hiding in cupboards and freezers and with the ultimate goal of gaining freedom and getting away from the crazy stalkers. For me ‘the victim’ role is something I will play far more than a hunter, but that’s of course a personal preference.  This role also heightens the horror aspect of the game and once you are found (as I was many times) by one of the family members, your heart pounds! 

So all in all in these past few days when I’ve played The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I am really enjoying it. Yes I’m still in that ‘whats the best tactics for me to use’ stage of my experience, and im sure ill get used to it a bit more and become better at the game once I level up more, but all in all The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a fun experience (and terrifying experience too if you play it in the dark with headphones, which I did)   But its a well made game that will become even better if you play it with friends and form some ‘parties’