When I previewed Screamer a few months ago, I was left impressed by what felt like a slick, anime-inspired arcade-racer, and I wanted to experience the full release in earnest.
Flash forward to March, and Screamer is finally here with Milestone delivering on their promise of a well-polished and fun arcade-racer. Screamer features a surprisingly deep narrative atop a fun and challenging racing experience. For the uninformed, Screamer is a heavily stylized street-racing game with an international cast of characters who compete in teams in a deadly, high-stakes battle for supremacy. Atypical of the genre, Screamer places a huge emphasis on its narrative. Story beats and exposition take place between both the introductory tutorial levels and the actual races during the game’s Tournament mode.
Cutscenes take the form of both classic cut-out character portraits against walls of text (fully voiced, mind you) and animated cutscenes that relish in their anime-inspired aesthetic. Characters feel well-realized and distinct, with a diverse, international cast that helps the world of Screamer come alive. The story primarily follows a group of racers known as the Green Reapers, but eventually jumps among a total of 5 factions that make up Screamer’s overall roster.
“Atypical of the genre, Screamer places a huge emphasis on its narrative.”
Taking place in a cyberpunk future, under the direction of an enigmatic host, racers become privy to some high-tech gadgets capable of translating their native tongue on the fly. The translation gimmick might sound like just another story beat, but what may be a first in a game uses this story tidbit to great effect by having the cast of characters in the game speak in their own language. I unfortunately found this aspect of the game very jarring, but nevertheless, it was a cool and different approach to the story that many people may find appealing.
On that note, the story as a whole wasn’t really for me, as again I found the reliance on different languages more distracting than interesting, made worse by voice acting that felt a little all over the place. Visually, I am also mixed. I adore the in-game graphics Screamer goes for, featuring shiny cel-shaded vehicles against grand vistas and neon-soaked urban environments, which have the adverse side effect of making the 2D art feel more decidedly indie and even stiff at times. Despite its efforts to ape anime, Screamer doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Thankfully, Playing Screamer is a pure joyride. With 32 tracks and 5 teams of 3, on top of a plethora of cosmetics, there is a ton of content to dive into when playing the game. Racing feels incredibly tight, particularly in its drift mechanisms, which take some time to get used to but ultimately result in some of the most fun I’ve had playing an Arcade racer. Screamer employs a unique twin-stick approach to its driving and drifting mechanics, which ties drifting to the stick rather than the left trigger, encouraging players to constantly be pushing on both sticks to maintain control. The stick-based controls might sound confusing, but actually playing the game, it feels natural and responsive.
Screamer also features some light combat elements tied to the right bumper, allowing players to build up a meter and unleash devastating attacks that can eliminate opponents, while sometimes granting them a speed boost in return. Abilities aren’t exclusively tied to aggression-based moves either, with some characters featuring defensive moves and techniques that help differentiate the cast.
All racers also have access to a boost mechanic that encourages boosting on the many sharp, winding roads in the game. Boosts can also be elevated with something called a Perfect Boost, which requires very tight timing, but rewards players who can master it with a significantly stronger speed boost, signalled by a bolt of lightning around your vehicle.
“Playing Screamer is a pure joyride.”
Now, I’m not the biggest gearhead, so there is a chance I’m just not particularly good at the game, but I found Screamer in its current state to be a rather difficult game, one that is fun enough to learn and overcome. There will be a day-one patch that addresses some of this, so your mileage may vary. Learning to master turns, boosts and offensive attacks is what gives Screamer depth.
It sets it apart from other racers, without veering too hard in either direction, making it a very fun and engaging experience overall. Powered by Unreal Engine, Screamer looks and runs great, and for those PC players who like to dip into the realm of VR, I am excited to see how the community receives Screamer, as I can see a UEVR implementation in its future.
At the end of the day, Screamer is a solid arcade racer with easy-to-pick-up but hard to master mechanics and a surprisingly rich story mode that will give fans of arcade racers a lot to look forward to. While the story in the game is well implemented, it might not be for everyone, with some even finding it as a point of friction between getting into the game proper. Thankfully, a healthy amount of gameplay modes alleviates most of these concerns, making Screamer a game worth checking out for all.
