Chainsaw

WEAPON
Chainsaw
The Chainsaw in Manhunt.
Appearance(s):	Manhunt
Weapon class:	Red
HUD icon
Manhunt

“The signature weapon of Piggsy, this tool will cut through human limbs as if it were papier-mâché. Piggsy purposely leaves the blades dull so that maximum pain and damage will be incurred.”

— Valiant Video Winter / Spring catalogue, p.12

The Chainsaw is a red class weapon in Manhunt.

Description

Manufactured by Tennant, the Chainsaw is Piggsy's signature weapon. The teeth on its rotating chain was kept dull by the owner to incur maximum pain on anyone he gets its teeth on, tearing his prey apart as easily as it cuts through wood.

Following the filming of Starkweather's last snuff movie, Valiant Video sold to their members special edition chainsaws in limited quantity for $500. These chainsaws had their blades signed with an “X”, the very signature of Piggsy. They were also sold exclusively to their members for the same price with the same dull blades and limited quantity on Valiant-ent.tv's Adult Store. These were said to come with the “Signature Mark” on them, possibly also Piggsy's or even Mr. Nasty's.

Appearance/Influence

The Chainsaw has a unique design that doesn't resemble any model in real life. Its model lacks some important components, such as its starter cord handle and a trigger.

Abilities/Properties

The Chainsaw is unique because it has abilities and properties from both firearms and melee weapons. For example, it's like a gun because of the way it deals damage, its loud attack noise, and its lack of Manhunt’s melee combat system, but it's also like a melee weapon because of its close range and the ability to do a swing out attack.

Activating Chainsaw

To turn on the Chainsaw so as to use its main attack, press either the Action button or Action2 button button to cause Cash to pull its invisible starter cord handle, starting its engine. Its engine will continue to emit small pulses of noise that can instantly alert hunters within their range. However, this allows the player to use its deadly, rotating chain to quickly tear down hunters in front of the Chainsaw. To turn off the Chainsaw, press Action2 again.

Despite the Chainsaw making noise during executions, the player doesn't need to turn it on to execute hunters with it.

Chainsaw Attack

The Chainsaw's main source of damage in melee combat is its rotating chain lined with teeth to saw through flesh. After turning the Chainsaw ON with either Action button or Action2 button, press the Action button again to attack with the Chainsaw. This will cause Cash to thrust it forward and damage anyone in front of it while causing the screen to shake from its vibration. Holding down the Action button will continue the attack and repeatedly deal damage until the player releases said button to stop it.

Each instance of damage applies a mini stun that interrupts enemy actions and stops movement. Since the Chainsaw applies this damage quickly and in heaps, this helps the player lock down evasive hunters like the Hoods in the scene Time 2 Die and, if the player is brave and smart about it, stun Cerberus units in Deliverance to prevent them from shooting you as you mow them down without any interference from the hunter who's being cut down.

Attacking with the Chainsaw will emit large pulses of noise that travel instantly and will instantly alert hunters to the player if they are within these noise pulses' range.

Breaching Doors

Like how Piggsy uses his Chainsaw to destroy the lock of the door to his attic, the player can also use it to break through the locked door to Starkweather's control room in the final story scene Deliverance by sawing it, triggering two cutscenes where Cash attempts to saw through the door before he runs away from the last Cerberus squad gunning for him and another where he successfully busts through the door to face Starkweather.

If the player acquires Piggsy's Chainsaw with cheats, they can also use it to break the locked door to the attic by sawing it like Piggsy.

Indisposability

As a Red class weapon, the Chainsaw is not consumed after performing an execution, allowing the player to continue using it to execute other hunters.

Noisy Executions

A noisy weapon causes noisy executions. As a Red class weapon, all executions made by the Chainsaw produce a medium pulse of noise that can be heard by hunters within its range, instantly alerting them to the player regardless if they're in the idle or suspicious states. Pick your targets carefully.

Swing Out Attack

For the full page on this mechanic, see Swing Out Attack.

While pressed against cover and at the cover's corner, the player may perform a swing out attack with the Chainsaw. When a swing out attack is able to be done by fulfilling all of the said requirements, the player will have their Chainsaw raised up behind them when facing to the right, or they will hold their weapon to their chest when facing left. The effect of the swing out attack can change if the player's standing or crouched while behind cover. Since Action2 is bound to turning the Chainsaw on or off, it can't be pressed to do a swing out attack. The Action button is pressed instead.

If the player successfully lands a swing out attack on a hunter while standing up, it will instantly kill them by slicing their head off. However, if the player hits the hunter with a swing out attack while crouched, it will simply stun them for 3 seconds. If the hunter was in the idle or suspicious status when they were hit by a swing out attack, the player can lock on to them within the stun duration for an execution. However, if done to a hunter in the spotted status, the player can't lock on to them since they are in the alerted status, locking the player in combat mode which prevents executions. Since the player's stance doesn't change while in combat mode with the chainsaw, it's hard to tell if the player is in combat mode and thus it's also hard to tell if the player can execute with the Chainsaw or not.

A swing-out attack that does not connect will make no noise and not turn on the Chainsaw. Otherwise, a successful hit with this attack will make a large pulse of noise (like all melee hits done by the player) and turn on the Chainsaw.

The stun of the Chainsaw's swing out attack functions the same as the stuns of Yellow class weapons. See this page to learn techniques on exploiting this game mechanic.

Surface Knocking

For the full page on this mechanic, see Surface Knocking.

Due to the Action and Action2 buttons being used for turning the Chainsaw on or off and “firing” this weapon, as well as it lacking the melee system found in Manhunt’s melee weapons, the player can't knock on walls with the Chainsaw. However, they can still knock on surfaces with it equipped while pressed against cover.

Intimidating Hunters

For the full page on this mechanic, see Intimidation.

As a Red class weapon, the Chainsaw may intimidate hunters who are not wielding a firearm. This can be seen in Time 2 Die with some of the Hoods and Deliverance with the director Lionel Starkweather if he doesn't have his gun, whether the player catches him lacking or if he runs out of bullets.

Some hunters who spot the player with a Chainsaw may run away from you, triggering their dialogue that is normally used when they're near death. If the player corners them by forcing them against a wall or a corner while blocking their path forward, they will stop and cower in place by shrinking and covering their head with their hands, which also triggers their near death dialogue if available.

Decapitation

For the full page on this mechanic, see Decapitation.

Besides its decapitating swing out attack, the Chainsaw's Hasty execution will lop off the Head of its victim for the player to use as a lure weapon.

Head Destruction

For the full page on this mechanic, see Head Destruction.

Its Gruesome execution will destroy the victim's head, making all Gruesome Chainsaw executions grant 7 points to the scene's final ratings, unlike most weapons' Gruesome executions which give 6 points. This is because destroying heads adds one point.

Executions

Type	Execution	Description
Hasty		The player swings the revved chainsaw (whose sound causes the target to face him) at their neck, decapitating them.
Violent		From behind, the player impales the torso of the target with the revved chainsaw (thus making the target convulse) and rips it out.
Gruesome		The player plunges the revved chainsaw nosefirst into the target's skull, destroying it and lodging it deep in the headless stump of their neck before tearing it out.
Versus Piggsy		After luring Piggsy towards the loose grating for the second time, Piggsy approaches the player while standing on the grating, but it begins to collapse under his weight. The grating comes loose and Piggsy, with surprisingly quick reactions, hangs on to the ledge as the grating covering the floor falls. In doing so, Piggsy loses his chainsaw as it slides towards the player who catches it with his foot. The player walks up to Piggsy and revs up the chainsaw before slicing his arms off, causing him to fall to his death.
Versus Starkweather		After dealing enough damage to Starkweather with the revved chainsaw, the player eviscerates him and the Director falls down on his knees as he holds his spilling insides back. Starkweather pleads for mercy with the words “Cash, I made you!” which falls on deaf ears as the player runs his skull through with the chainsaw, killing him. The player then revs the chainsaw and plants it on his back, standing in silent triumph over him.

Related Trophies

• Subtle Slaughter
  Perform an execution with the chainsaw.

Appearances

Manhunt

• Border Patrol (Cutscene)
• Deliverance (Wielded and dropped by Piggsy)
• Time 2 Die (Found in the locked warehouse)

Trivia

• In the Border Patrol cutscene, Piggsy is seen with a yellow Chainsaw instead of the in-game red one he uses during Deliverance. If looking closely, the model appears to be the same used for the Chainsaw in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
  • With the pre-release Prototype Version 0.69, it is confirmed that the model used in the Grand Theft Auto series is a scrapped early design of the Chainsaw used in Manhunt.