PAX East 2025: The Lacertaor Merges Manhunt-esque Atmosphere With 80s Grunge

Earlier in May PAX East 2025 came and went leaving yet another impression on the video game industry. Alongside major IPs like Mafia: The Old Country & Splitgate 2, there was also a swell of smaller teams that showcased their projects as well. On the side of DreadXP, the publisher featured games already like Vile: Exhumed & Pigface – both Rectify Gaming got hands-on with at the event.

Additionally, there are other standout titles that were also given spotlight at PAX East then as well. Developer Games From The Abyss’ title ‘The Lacerator’ was yet another game we were able to sample at PAX East: alike its counterparts that shared the DreadXP booth, The Lacerator unlocks nostalgia using atmosphere and callbacks to legacy games for its inspiration.

“It was just another erotic encounter for Max, one of the most famous porn stars of the 1980s, but things get extra hard when the job requires more limbs than usual after Max and the crew are captured by THE LACERATOR! Wriggling to survive, Max will need to risk life and limb to escape the hideout of this crazed psychopath,” the synopsis for The Lacerator reads on Steam.

In its past, Games From The Abyss has shipped titles like Taxidermy & Devil Inside Us: Roots of Evil that explores aspects that make its way into The Lacerator. From its 80s film aesthetic to the grueling and dark portrayal of the plot: The Lacerator is pieced together from experience that the Brazilian game studio acquired along the way.

The biggest comparison that The Lacerator brings to mind is Rockstar Games’ Manhunt. Not only does the VHS overtone make this evident, but the amount of violence also shares the same characteristics. What The Lacerator does different from its influence is exploring your decisions. Early on, you’ll find yourself possibly losing limbs. And while Manhunt counts that as an immediate death, The Lacerator entertains it as a new obstacle for the player to continue with.

Not only does it limit how you play when exploring this enclosed, murderer’s playground, it also influences how you progress as well. “This is a classic survival horror game – where losing your limbs… changes the path!” Games From The Abyss advertises in the game’s announcement trailer. From time with The Lacerator, this aspect came as an early surprise and further playing showed just how dark this new take on the formula can be.

Alongside the creative inspiration from Manhunt, the inventiveness also materializes in the controls as well. The Lacerator can be played in both fixed camera or over-the-shoulder third-person modes; the control scheme remains not very forgiving. Similar to titles from the 5th generation, your prompts take some interpreting that resurrects the same feeling of games from before.

You can wishlist The Lacerator by heading here.

The Lacerator is to ship sometime in 2025 for PC.