Rush Week

Rush Week is a Giallo-inspired multiplayer game mode in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which was released for early access users on September 26, 2024. Taking inspiration from the late 1970s Giallo-inspired slasher films, this 1v6 mode allows players to immerse themselves in a horror experience where they must either survive or hunt. Rush Week follows Johnny as he terrorizes a group of sorority girls at the Omega Sigma Theta Sorority House.

Players were able to gain early access to Rush Week by purchasing a Content Pass for $19.99 USD. This pass previously granted 4 days of early access to the new game mode and unlocks Execution Pack 4, offering additional content for players.

GunMedia announced on October 1, 2024, that more than 500,000 matches took place in the Rush Week game mode during early access.^[1]

Setting and Premise[]

SororityGirls — The sorority girls of ΩΣΘ

The events of Rush Week take place after the storyline of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, in the fall of 1978 in Granger Hill. Johnny, after his previous escapades, sets his sights on the Omega Sigma Theta Sorority House in Granger Hills (Texas), where six playable sorority girls must now evade him and fight for survival. The sorority house is a two-story building with multiple areas for both the killer and victims to navigate, including an attic, basement, and various escape routes like windows and ladders.

Gameplay Mechanics[]

At the beginning of each match, players are randomly assigned to one of two roles: Johnny, the relentless hunter, or one of the six sorority girls. The sorority girls' primary goal is survival, utilizing the house's environment and various tools scattered throughout to escape or delay Johnny's attacks. Johnny, on the other hand, grows stronger with each execution, becoming more lethal as the game progresses.

Objectives and Escape Routes[]

Sorority girls do not have any in-game perks but can find key items such as car keys or fuses to aid their escape. Two primary objectives allow them to call for help:

Car Keys: Players can find car keys and use them to unlock a vehicle where they can radio the police.
Fuse Objective: By finding and inserting a fuse, players can call the police using a phone inside the house.

Once the police are successfully contacted, the players have a limited time to survive Johnny's onslaught.

The attic also contains an emergency escape route through a hatch, though only two sorority girls can escape this way. Johnny can sabotage their plans by breaking the ladder leading to the attic, preventing further escapes.

Weapons and Defensive Tools[]

While the sorority girls cannot directly overpower Johnny, they can slow him down with various weapons and distractions, such as:

Wrenches: They can instantly stun Johnny by pressing "M1" when next to him without need of getting into a close encounter if he gets hit from front.

Knives: The player can use this to stun Johnny from the back with a sneaky attack by pressing "M1".

Pepper Spray: It works as Virginia's ability; when pressing "Q" for a brief moment with item selected, the player can generate a smokescreen in front of him which can blind Johnny and sorority girls if they pass through it.

Perfume: It works as Virginia's ability; when pressing "Q" with item selected, the player can generate a smokescreen in front of him which can reveal Johnny's and sorority girls' aura if they pass through it.

Fear System[]

Rush Week introduces a fear mechanic that plays a critical role in Johnny's hunt. Sorority girls with high levels of fear become easier to track, as Johnny can “smell” their fear and locate them more efficiently. To manage their fear, the sorority girls must focus on completing objectives, which reduces their fear levels and gives them a better chance of escaping.

Johnny's Progression[]

As Johnny executes more victims, he becomes progressively stronger, enhancing his hunting abilities and making it more difficult for the remaining sorority girls to survive. The longer a match lasts, the more dangerous Johnny becomes.

The effects of each kill are as follows:

1 Kill - "Johnny's Stealth has increased Significantly" - Proximity Warning Removed

2 Kills- "Johnny can now track your Footsteps" - Johnny gains access to the Hunt ability, this works like the one in the main mode but it is upgraded with the faster analysing and footprint freshness.

3 Kills - "Johnny is now faster and doors slammed on him will break" - Johnny's movement speed increases and doors that can be used to knock down Johnny for a short period of time break after being used on Johnny.

4 Kills - "Johnny now has bloodlust" - Johnny gains access to the blood lust ability. Blood Lust automatically activates and it remains active indefinitely. While activated, his damage increases and his stamina consumption on attacks is reduced.

5 Kills - "Johnny is now deadlier than ever" - Johnny's damage increases. With this upgrade, and whilst blood lust is active, it's possible to kill a sorority girl in 1 hit. This is the final upgrade.

Cosmetics[]

In addition to the default outfits—Pajamas, Cheerleader, and Nightie—players who participated in Rush Week before the October 22 patch had the opportunity to unlock two additional cosmetics for free: Towel and Laundry Day. These cosmetics are permanently available to those who claimed them during the limited-time offer. Following the patch, these items are now available for purchase in the shop for $1.99 each.

Players can choose from a variety of cosmetic options to customize the sorority girls:

Outfits[]

Pajamas	Towel	Laundry Day	Cheerleader	Nightie	Cat	Cowgirl	Devil	Nun	Witch	Winter Holiday	Homecoming

Base Outfit	DLC Outfit Towel Pack	DLC Outfit Laundry Day Pack	Base Outfit	Base Outfit	DLC Outfit Halloween Outfit Pack	DLC Outfit Halloween Outfit Pack	DLC Outfit Halloween Outfit Pack	DLC Outfit Halloween Outfit Pack	DLC Outfit Halloween Outfit Pack	DLC Outfit Winter Holiday Pack	DLC Outfit Homecoming Pack