Games
Aquatic Horror Brought to the Tabletop FLOAT: FROM THE DEEP Review

Do you have what it takes to survive seven days of drifting at sea with nothing but debris to fight off whatever aquatic nightmare that circles your weathered life raft? I didn’t. But I’m not lamenting from a watery afterlife—I just had terrible luck playing Mixtape Massacre’s latest board game, FLOAT: FROM THE DEEP.
FLOAT: FROM THE DEEP tests your wits and your relationships as you and other players fight over water, weapons, and other supplies to get to dry land in hopefully one piece.
A Fast-Paced Strategy Game That Will Test Your Friendships
Aside from a global pandemic, FLOAT is every cruise enthusiast’s worst nightmare: a cruise ship sinks after a mysterious explosion, and the colorful assortment of cruisers are thrown into the choppy waters with little resources to survive. Survivors have seven days to reach an island in the distance by battling inclement weather, the creature du jour that lurks beneath, and the other survivors/players.
To kick up the danger, you’ll sometimes be able to add more castaways to your crew, each with varying degrees of utility. The other castaways include a bachelorette who is just begging to be thrown overboard, a stoner with cotton mouth that drains your water supply, a cop (blech), and a socialite that does what they do best— nothing.
Each day is separated into morning, afternoon, and night—which amounts to 3 turns for each player before you can move on to the next day. A player can complete a minimum of two actions per turn. All players need to complete their turn before moving on to the next part of the day.
The “Out of the Blue” action cards vary in extremity: some give you resources, while others have you pulling other castaways from the water or battling a sea monster. If you have an entire crew, you can complete three actions.
Each player also gets a station to monitor their crew status, health, and water. You’re also equipped with a danger meter determining if you must fight off the creature. At the end of the day, every player has to cough up their crew’s water rations and roll up to three dice to square up with the day’s aquatic demon.
It’s challenging to summarize the game in a way that does the game justice because the gameplay is so detailed. We had to consult the rulebook several times but ultimately decided to avoid being sticklers about every rule and consequence. It depends on your play style, but the game flows well when playing fast and loose with the rules.
Mixtape Massacre’s video tutorial shown above was a lifesaver and gets more into the game’s nuances. The rulebook included with the game and their website’s FAQ are also extremely helpful.
With any new game, you expect the first playthrough to be rocky as you familiarize yourself with the rules and get into a rhythm. It wasn’t until the second go around that I was familiar enough with the gameplay to strategize. The game has more moving parts than what I’m used to, and I suggest playing at least twice before passing any judgment.
A Unique Cast of Characters to Choose From
I played with my spouse James and fellow Horror Press Contributor Bash Ortega a few times. I played as “Eagle Eye” Trixie Brown, a no-nonsense photographer that reacts to situations quickly. She can avoid creature attacks if the player rolls four or more with one die.
Bash played as the adult film star Maxxine Love—no relation to MaXXXine. Maxxine can have two items equipped, while the rest of the players are stuck with one.
James played as Eloise Giroux, the overpowered assassin. Her perks make it so that other players cannot use downgrade or sabotage cards on Eloise, which makes her a tough character to beat.
The other leaders include a doctor, a pro boxer, a musician, and an army veteran.
Thoughts From Around the Table
Here’s what James and Bash had to say about the game:
JAMES: “I thought it was too punishing on average, making it difficult to even ‘win’ the game. But also, the creature attacks felt either too punishing or completely irrelevant—if you had no items or crew, you don’t even care about being attacked. What would balance out the game are 2-3 more characters, items, crewmates, weather conditions, and monsters. [The game] needs a little more variety and maybe just a couple of positive benefits to make the fights or reversals of fortune more exciting. Everybody loves a comeback!”
BASH: “I thought it was fun once we figured out the rules. I feel like not having anything to do for the dead players is a flaw. I [also] feel like they could’ve been more variety in the monsters and some of the events that happened during the game.”
I agree with James here: the game is very punishing, and I also wish there was more variety in the leaders and monsters. Mixtape Massacre does offer a booster pack with more of these, and I hope they have expansion packs planned for FLOAT. I love a game that causes absolute chaos among loved ones, so I’m looking forward to playing a few rounds with the maximum 5 players to see all the ways we can sabotage each other.
Bash offered another thoughtful critique of the game, and I did find it frustrating that dead players (always me) had nothing to do once they met their end. It would have been fun to be able to manipulate that game and sabotage the surviving players. When Trixie died, I could only pout and complain about the others keeping a Strong Black Woman down.
The game itself looks fantastic. The board, pieces, and cards have a rich color palette with hues of blue, green, and bloody red. The cards are vivid, and the creature designs are exceptionally well done. My only complaint is that the health chips and blue cubes used for water rations are on the smaller side, and I’m sure some will go missing pretty soon because of who I am as a person.
The base game includes the following:
1 Rulebook
1 Game Board
1 Calendar Tracker
3 Standard Dice
5 Player Stations
5 Danger Meter Trackers
8 Leader Cards
8 This Is The End Cards
20 From the Deep Cards
20 Daily Status Cards
20 Castaway Cards
25 Water Cubes
30 Health Tokens
102 Out of the Blue Cards
Overall, I enjoyed playing FLOAT: FROM THE DEEP and am excited to add it to my board game collection! I’m looking forward to DMing my friends the tutorial video and inviting them to play.
FLOAT: FROM THE DEEP is available to order on Mixtape Massacre’s website. Do you think you’ll play soon? Let us know if you’ve played FLOAT, and whether it was clear skies and smooth sailing or an express trip to Davey Jones’s Locker.
Interested in a less aquatic, slasher-themed board game? Then check out our review of Mixtape Massacre’s other game, Escape From Tall Oaks here!
Games
“What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?” Scream The Game GIVEAWAY
Are you a die-hard fan of the iconic Scream franchise? Do you know every detail about Ghostface, Sidney Prescott, and the events in Woodsboro? Now that Scream 7 has officially landed its director (Christopher Landon), and Funko Games has released their Scream game we’ve decided to do a small giveaway.

Are you a die-hard fan of the iconic Scream franchise? Do you know every detail about Ghostface, Sidney Prescott, and the events in Woodsboro?
Now that Scream 7 has officially landed its director (Christopher Landon), and Funko Games has released their Scream game we’ve decided to do a small giveaway.
Would You Like to Play a Game?
Starting August 4th we’ll be giving away two copies of Funko’s Scream The Game… With some extras…
One lucky winner will be pulled from our Instagram, and another will be picked from our Facebook Fan Group.
How can you enter on Facebook?
Step 1. Make sure to join OUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE!
Step 2. LIKE AND SHARE the giveaway post!
Step 3. Tag a friend who would play the horror movie expert in a Scream movie.
For a second chance at winning, make sure you enter on Instagram too!
So how can you enter on Instagram?
Step 1. Make sure to FOLLOW OUR ACCOUNT!
Step 2. LIKE the giveaway post!
Step 3. Tag a friend who would play the horror movie expert in a Scream movie.
The winner will be announced on August 11th and will be notified via social media. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, we will randomly select another winner.
I Don’t Need Friends. I Need Fans.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to our FB Group/Instagram page, like our post, follow our page, and tag a friend for your chance to win your copy Scream The Game!
Good luck, and stay spooky!
**Contest entries are limited to addresses in the United States.**
Games
Everything You Need to Know About ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Game

The 1974 classic is coming back swinging in a new way. Here’s what players should expect ahead of the game’s release!
The recent death sentence for Friday the 13th: The Game still wears on horror fans’ shoulders, but a new slasher legend is coming to pick up the slack. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the latest fresh meat in the co-op, player-versus-player gaming subgenre, joining the likes of tried-and-true Dead by Daylight and becoming the third piece of media in the TCM franchise to share the original film’s name.
Want a crash course on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? We have you covered!
An Assortment of Playable Victims
TCM is a multiplayer combat game following a group of college students who end up in a life-or-death chase against the now-called Slaughter family. Players can choose to be a victim (one of five characters original to the game) or a killer protecting the Slaughter’s farm. The gameplay itself will be an asymmetrical experience, with three killers pitted against four victims in every round.
The victim characters are grounded not only in classic horror archetypes and gameplay styles but also a narrative plucked straight from the fields of ‘70s Texas. Maria, a burgeoning art student ready to break away from her rural upbringing and attend university, goes missing during sunflower season in the Lone Star State. Her sister, Ana, and her friends Leland, Sunny, Julie, and Connie, head out to bring Maria home, dissatisfied by the fruitless efforts of local police.
Returning Killers, Plus Two New Family Members
On the other side of the fence, the Slaughter family features Leatherface, the Cook, and the Hitchhiker, along with two new family members named Sissy and Johnny. Sissy embodies a cult-obsessed ‘60s chick gone bad, while Johnny is a handsome, serial killer-inspired misfit. Even Leatherface’s beloved chainsaw was treated as a member of the family by developers, designed to evoke the sinister foreboding edge that comes with the TCM name.
Despite their unfamiliarity to fans, these new Slaughter siblings come straight from the brain of Kim Henkel, the co-writer of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), along with Tobe Hooper. This authenticity is at the heart of the game. Wes Keltner, President and CEO of Gun Interactive, said it best: “If you don’t have that voice in the mix, something’s missing.”
An Authentically Licensed Texas Chain Saw Massacre Experience
It’s important to note that Gun Interactive only scored licensing rights to the 1974 film, so gamers shouldn’t expect cameos from Chop Top, Stretch, or anyone else from the rest of the franchise. Even so, this roster is impressive on its own, featuring the legendary Kane Hodder as Leatherface (and stunt coordinator) and Edwin Neal reprising his role as the Hitchhiker from the original. Check out some fun behind-the-scenes of the cast killing each other in motion capture suits here.
Whether you have played Dead by Daylight since 2016 or love the thrilling discomfort of the TCM films, this new installment to the franchise seems worth checking out.
See if you can make it out of the Slaughter house alive!
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will be released on August 18 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, along with Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. Score it for $39.99 at launch or get 10% off on Steam if you preorder.