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The landscape of asymmetrical horror gaming is dominated by one title: Dead by Daylight. Whenever a new game in the genre drops, people inevitably compare it to DbD. With the release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on the horizon, the cycle begins again. Will TCM be just another DbD rip-off or does the game have something new to offer fans? Only the game’s release can definitively settle the debate, but TCM‘s beta has come and gone, and we already know enough for a prediction.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre vs. Dead by Daylight Clones
A handful of hapless survivors try to escape before a masked psycho kills them. That basic premise describes Dead by Daylight as well as a legion of cheap imitations. It also describes The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and that’s not the only similarity. Running, hiding, and scavenging for useful items feature prominently in DbD, TCM, and almost every other game in the genre, after all. Both games include gory finishers and balance horror with strategic tension. Both games even include Leatherface. Does that mean they’re the same, however? The answer is no, and once you realize why, it’s easy to see that TCM is far more than just another DbD rip-off.
To start with, TCM pits a team of three killers against four victims. Unlike the many DbD clones, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre demands communication and coordination from the killers. Each has their own strength. Leatherface breaks barriers. The Cook tracks victims. The Hitchhiker follows survivors where his siblings can’t. Playing without comms is possible, but Gun Interactive’s design philosophy begs for communication. That alone sets it far apart from the many imitators. Furthermore, TCM doesn’t try to offer everything: there are no robots, vampires, or giant reptiles here. The game focuses on a single franchise and drills into its bloody core.
Hope for Horror Fans
Perhaps the most important difference concerns immersion. Most rip-offs in the genre simply aren’t scary. Even the well-made and fun ones are rarely terrifying. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is genuinely frightening, thanks to superb sound design and art direction. Moving through the killers’ house as a victim feels awful in the best way. Every creaky floorboard or slamming door could signify a victim’s bloody end. TCM is shaping up to be scarier than DbD or its rip-offs ever were. Of course, none of these facts guarantee TCM the popularity that DbD has, despite it being a hotly anticipated release. In all likelihood, TCM will be a brief but brilliant excursion into another kind of asymmetrical horror instead of the forever game that DbD aims to be. That’s okay. Horror fans will enjoy the carnage while it lasts.
