The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game has burst onto the scene, with critics and fans alike raving about it. Gun Interactive has struck gold again, following up the success of Friday the 13th: The Game, with another immersive asymmetrical survival horror game based on a classic horror movie.
Jason Voorhees made his debut appearance in the gaming world back in 2017 when Friday the 13th: The Game was released. Huge success followed, with the game pitting camp counselors, controlled by the players, against the iconic hockey-masked serial killer. Due to licensing issues, the game is set to be delisted on December 31, 2023, with the servers also due to be shut down, which will leave players unable to join online multiplayer matches. It's a disappointment to many fans, but when one door closes, another one opens, and Leatherface is the one on the other side of that door.
7 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Better Characterization For Survivors
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game features 5 survivors to play with. The survivors are Ana, Connie, Leland, Julie, and Sonny, and on first impressions, all of them seem to be well-developed characters. A lot of this could be to do with the involvement of the original writer, Kim Henkel, in the production of the game.
All the characters have unique abilities which help the player get out of trouble when chained up in the many different locations. The survivors in Friday the 13th: The Game don't always feel as well-developed; they are just camp counselors the player assumes to fight against Jason. There are improvements the player can make to them, but none of these consist of character traits.
6 Friday the 13th: Motion Capture
Both games feature extensive motion capture in their respective products, and there's an interesting link between the two. Kane Hodder is a horror icon and has played Jason Voorhees in many of the Friday the 13th movie sequels, and he was asked to reprise the role through motion capture in the game version of the movie. He adds the authenticity that fans require from the role.
Gun Interactive also approached him to play Leatherface in the Texas Chain Saw Massacre game, as he previously did stunt work on Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 and ended up playing the titular character in a few scenes. He also played him in the most recent sequel in the franchise, so he was the natural choice to do the motion capture in the new game. But to have the most popular movie actor play Jason Voorhees in the game version gives Friday the 13th the edge.
5 Texas Chain Saw Massacre: More Killers
Imagine what would happen if Leatherface came up against Jason Voorhees? Who would win? The player has the option to play with a choice of 5 different killers in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but only one in Friday the 13th.
Leatherface, in the game version, is only based on the iteration of the character that fans saw in the original movie, whereas the game version of Jason Voorhees is available in six different versions from movies in the franchise. This gives the player the option to play with the iteration of the character they love the most. The makers of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre game only have the rights to the original movie. If the game continues to be a success, however, fans might get to see more versions of the masked killer if they obtain permission to do this.
4 Friday the 13th: Better Locations and Maps
Camp Crystal Lake is an eerie setting, and it's captured well in the game version of Friday the 13th; likewise, the location of the family home farm in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is expertly crafted, making it feel like the player is actually in the movie.
As for maps, there is a slaughterhouse, gas station, and family home map that the player must escape from in order to survive in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. These locations are amazing in terms of scope and attention to detail, and it's entertaining trying to escape from each of them. However, Friday the 13th: The Game has 5 maps to choose from, two of which just cover Camp Crystal Lake. The other maps are from different locations in the sequels, which adds more scope to the game.
3 Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Better Reviews
Friday the 13th: The Game had mixed reviews when it was released in 2017, and fans had similarly mixed opinions on it. It's unfortunate that there have been issues with the licensing, as the game would've probably carried on. Having said that, it never did hit the heights of its biggest competition, Dead By Daylight.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has had overwhelmingly positive reviews and hit over a million players on its servers in the first 24 hours of its release. The potential is there for it to grow at a faster pace than Friday the 13th and compete with Dead By Daylight.
2 Friday the 13th: Maximum Power
Gun Interactive is saying farewell to Friday the 13th: The Game in style by giving players maximum power on all of their playable characters.
Obviously, this perk will be short-lived, as the interactive game is coming to an end, but for the time being, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can't compete with this aspect of the game. Players are now boosted to level 150 and have access to Challenge skulls and all of Jason's memorable kills.
1 Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Longevity
Fans of the horror genre were first introduced to Leatherface and his flesh-eating family members way back in 1974, whereas it wasn't until 1980 when Jason Voorhees was introduced to the horror world. Having said that, it was his mother, Mrs. Voorhees, who actually carried out the murders in the first movie. Jason turned up in the sequel, and the rest is history.
Both franchises and killers are iconic, but The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has proven it has the longevity to survive in the movie and gaming worlds longer than Friday the 13th. Licensing issues have been a stumbling block to Jason Voorhees thriving in the competitive survival horror gaming market, and after 6 years, fans have already witnessed his demise. However, Leatherface lives on, and there's no sign of him going anywhere anytime soon.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is out now and available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.