Summary
It’s important to note how unalikeThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreandDead by Daylightare, and how few comparisons are actually prevalent when discussing both asymmetrical horror games.The Texas Chain Saw Massacreis obviously more akin toFriday the 13th: The Game, having a handful of different optional objectives that victim players can work together to achieve in order to escape. ButThe Texas Chain Saw Massacreis far different in that regard, too, since it features three killer players—out of five available killer characters—in any given match who all have their own classes and abilities for victims to contend with.
That said, the cat-and-mouse characteristics are certainly shared betweenThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreandDead by Daylightwith comparisons being inevitable in such a niche subgenre of gaming.Dead by Daylight’s unending content stream continues to help it reign supreme as the only asymmetrical horror game that players consistently flock to, butThe Texas Chain Saw Massacredoes have an advantage in areas thatDead by Daylightsimply lacks. One example is in regard to howThe Texas Chain Saw Massacreurges victims along and doesn’t encourage them to be idle or play selfishly.
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Dead by Daylightis popular for the content it is able to put out and how frequently it puts it out. Many ofDead by Daylight’s most dedicated playerbasewould still argue, though, that it has a lot of issues that balance patches cannot rectify. This is true of any asymmetrical horror game, butDead by Daylightin particular has been known to be relatively toxic in terms of how survivors and killers tend to play.
‘Survive with friends’(SWF) play is a great way to collaborate with friends and other players to help make team-based gameplay as a survivor that much more fulfilling for this reason, particularly because surviving solo inDead by Daylightcan be tedious and players end up needing to rely on their teammates anyhow.Dead by Daylightcan definitely be played solo and off comms, but believing that other players are accomplishing goals such as repairing generators or breaking totems is not always a worthwhile hope.
If they’re not, then escaping is nearly impossible, but players are not necessarily punished for doing nothing all match until an exit gate is opened, and a timer begins running down. Therefore, until the final stage of a match—if a killer does indeed let it get that far—there is no sense of urgency for survivors besides knowing they are being hunted.
Texas Chain Saw Massacre Makes It Easier to Escape, But Harder to Survive
The Texas Chain Saw Massacreputs a wonderful sense of urgency in the victims’ laps by having them gradually bleed out as a purposeful mechanic. This way, if victims are idle or hoping others will simply complete tasks for them, there is a greater chance that they will bleed out sooner. If nothing else, a victim must search for healing items or hope that another victim heals them with one. Otherwise, their chances of escaping become greatly diminished. Escaping can be much easier inThe Texas Chain Saw Massacrethan inDead by Daylightdue to its amount of exit options, but time is always of the essence.
There are many more mind games involved in a 3v4 game than a 1v4 game, andThe Texas Chain Saw Massacregives players many reasons to be on the move anyhow, though team-based play is more essential than anything if victims are to all successfully escape. The family of killers also has its own team-based element to rely upon, and pairing different classes and abilities together is paramount for a well-oiled machine to run on either side ofThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s asymmetrical gameplay.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacreis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
