The new Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game from Gun Interactive was just released for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One last year, and the developers have been keeping a steady flow of updates coming ever since. Last month, we learned that a new game mode called Rush Week would be part of a Content Pass will go on sale for the price of $19.99 on September 26th – and now a trailer for that game mode has been unveiled! You can check it out in the embed above.
The game’s developers provided the following information on the new game mode: Rush Week takes its inspiration from the late 70’s Giallo-inspired Slasher films. The love for that subgenre of cinema gives you a clearer vision for the horror film that you can cast yourself in with this 1v6 multiplayer mode. Taking place after the events of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Johnny is off wreaking havoc to unsuspecting Victims. Landing at the Omega Sigma Theta Sorority House, we set our scene with Johnny attempting to break in. The goal for the Sorority Girls? Survive and make it out alive.
Johnny and six new playable Sorority Girls will be randomly assigned at the start of the match. This two-story Sorority House features multiple spots to run and hide in, including a locked basement that can be explored. Traversal is similar to the original game, with multiple windows that can be jumped out of, ladders to climb, and even an attic area with its own unique escape option. While the Sorority Girls will not have any perks, there are key items scattered throughout the house to help them escape. A pair of car keys can be found to unlock a car where you can radio to the police to get help. Secondarily, players can also complete a fuse objective to use a phone in the house to call the police, as well. If the police have been called successfully, players have a limited amount of time to survive in the Sorority House with Johnny. There is an Attic Pole that can be used to make your final escape via an attic hatch, but be warned, at most only two Sorority Girls can escape through that exit. Johnny players can also break the ladder to prevent their escapes. The Sorority Girls can buy themselves time by using various weapons and distractions like the wrench, the knife, and the pepper spray, as well as an all new mechanic using perfume that can be thrown at him to reveal his location.
Johnny’s objective is to Hunt. With each execution, he will get stronger, making him more lethal the longer a match goes. Within Rush Week there will be a Fear system in place where if a Sorority Girl has a high level of Fear, Johnny can smell that fear and find them easier. So, it’s important for the Sorority Girls to complete objectives in order to lower their amount of fear or Johnny is going to get them.
Rush Week kicks off our new era of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. With the blessing of (franchise co-creator) Kim Henkel himself, we are exploring and creating within the world of Texas while still adhering to the authenticity of our game.
The usual matches of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game pit 4 victim characters against 3 killer characters. The story of the game has the following set-up: When Maria Flores went missing, and local law enforcement seemed to stall out in their search, her younger sister Ana teamed up with some of Maria’s friends from college to pick up the trail. The game takes place before the events of director Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (watch it HERE).
Kane Hodder (who also worked on Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) did the motion-capture performance for Leatherface in the game, as well as the Grandpa character. Other motion-capture performers include Sean Whalen (The People Under the Stairs) as The Hitch-hiker; Troy Burgess (Swedish Dicks) as The Cook; Kristina Klebe (Don’t Kill It) as new killer character Sissy; and Dove Meir (Dig) as new killer character Johnny. Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) did the mo-cap for all of the female victim characters while Hunter C. Smith (Lucky) did the mo-cap for all of the male victim characters. Although Whalen did the mo-cap for the Hitch-hiker, Edwin Neal, who played the character in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, provided his voice for the game. Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night) provided the voice of Johnny, and Michael Johnston of Teen Wolf did the same for Danny. BAFTA winner Cissy Jones did the mo-cap and vocal performance for Nancy. Robert Mukes (House of 1000 Corpses) brought Hands to life. Barbara Crampton provided the voice and likeness of a character named Virginia. You can find out more about the killer characters at THIS LINK and the victim characters HERE. To learn more about the voice cast, head over HERE.
Ronnie Hobbs, Creative Director, Gun Interactive, had this to say about Rush Week: “Being able to explore our own canon in Rush Week let me answer the question, why isn’t Johnny in the first Texas Chain Saw Massacre or any of the other films? Being able to create a new time frame for Johnny to exist lets us play around with that idea. This new game mode takes place five years later and gives you a clue as to what Johnny is up to in his new life on the run.“
Wes Keltner, CEO and President, Gun Interactive, added: “The goal with Rush Week was to create a unique, and new way to play Texas, while also exploring one of the new family members. Internally we asked the question ‘If Johnny is in our game, why does he not appear in the ‘74 film? Where did he go?’ This game mode allows us to explore that storyline a bit. At the same time it allows me to selfishly incorporate a film genre I love; Giallo. If you haven’t watched a 70s era Italian horror film, please do. There’s really nothing else like it, and honestly Giallos crawled so western slashers could walk. It was fun to be inspired by that film genre, while also looking at other very early slashers and figure out a way to make it work within the world of Texas. I can’t wait for players to check it out!“
Rush Week looks and sounds very cool to me. That trailer makes me want to play it right now – or, if it was a movie, I would be wanting to watch it right now. Do you play The Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game, and will you be trying the Rush Week game mode? Let us know by leaving a comment below.