Despite its pre-Alpha state, Screamer is shaping up to be the kind of atypical racing experience I look for in a genre I otherwise ignore.
When it comes to racing games, I tend to like arcade-inspired racers that forgo realism for fun. Sadly, most non-traditional racers tend to veer towards the kart racer genre, which I’m a fan of, but sometimes, you want something different, and Screamer itches that itch with its anime-inspired roster and unique battle mechanics that set it apart from others.
The early access build of Screamer consists of 9 playable characters and 9 playable race tracks or courses. For the playable characters, Screamer separates them into two camps, Members and Leaders, with the former having the bulk of your playable racers, with 4 distinct characters, while Leaders currently sits at 3. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot different between the Leaders and Members, with each character featuring a unique ability on top of the standard boost, shield and attack mechanics present in the game.
Unique abilities run the gamut from a Hype meter, which, when leading the pack or changing your active position in a race, gives the player a faster sync rate, which in-game translates to faster meter for shields, boosts and attacks. While other characters, such as Hiroshi, come equipped with a double boost, which can trigger upon a button prompt after the initial boost is activated.
Some characters, such as Frederic, have more aggressive attack-focused abilities, which allow him to get an empowered strike or attack, which grants him an additional boost to his sync gauge. Getting knocked out himself results in an AoE that can damage other racers in the vicinity.
Core abilities in Screamer are the same across the board, while unique modifiers make them feel distinct, depending on the driver you choose to race with, which ultimately results in the game feeling fun and chaotic, while not relying on typical power-up items, which is a breath of fresh air.
The racing itself in Screamer also feels like a good middle ground between realistic and arcadey, with a definite focus on drag-style drifting, often requiring the player to direct both analogue sticks in sections that feature tight corners. Although meant for attacking, the strike ability in Screamer can also effectively be used to give the player a significant boost, which is handy when you’re in first place, as the attack uses the car itself, meaning you can’t send it back ala your favourite kart racer.
“The racing itself in Screamer also feels like a good middle ground between realistic and arcadey.”
Vehicles all feel distinct. Slower, heavier cars offer better handling and greater resistance to being blown up, while others handle more like race cars, with excellent traction and higher top speeds. These make it easier to stay in the lead but leave the player more vulnerable to direct hits from behind.
A nice detail in Screamer is the Evangelion-inspired hexagonal graphic that flashes on screen when a car behind the player uses a strike move. The anime-inspired design also carries over to the racers themselves, who each look unique and full of personality despite appearing only as static PNG images with no voice-over work.
Stages so far in Screamer are also fairly distinct, although the urban stages, such as the San Francisco-inspired bridge at night, and the futuristic city, tend to look better in their current state. Other, more naturalistic environments, such as the forest, feel a bit bland in comparison, but for a Pre-Alpha build, it gets the job done. Graphically, overall, Screamer features cel-shaded vehicles superimposed onto traditionally textured environments, which helps realize that anime look the game strives for. If you’re of a certain age, you may remember the racing game, Auto Modellista, which is the vibe I got from the cars present in Screamer.
“Graphically, overall, Screamer features cel-shaded vehicles superimposed onto traditionally textured environments, which helps realize that anime look the game strives for.”
High energy and techno tunes help give Screamer its personality, which ultimately exudes an early 2000s vibe, in the best way possible. With Screamer set to release sometime next year, I can’t wait to get my hands on a more content-rich build of the game, but even in its current state, I am eager to play more and get accustomed to its unique take on car-on-car violence.
