Screamer is delivering a different kind of racing game, one that’s easy to pick up but difficult to master that harkens back to its arcade origins.
We’ve all been to an arcade at some point in our lives. Aside from the claw machines and shoot-’em-ups there’s almost always a racing game or two. These are fast-paced games that aim to deliver some short-lived fun but never ultimately anything more. Screamer is different though.
During my demo at Gamescom I got a better understanding of what kind of game Screamer is trying to be, and it’s not just a racing game, it’s basically a fighting game.
Before we get into that though the control scheme deserves a shout out. Rather than delegating tasks to different buttons Screamer simplifies its controls greatly. The left stick is how you turn, and the right stick is how you drift. While this sounds easy enough to understand in practice it took some getting used to you, as you’ve got far more control over your car’s direction compared to other racing games which again harkens back to that arcade-like feel. The physics aren’t comparable to real life and they don’t need to be, as this is a video game.
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Another great addition is the gear shift. Your car will automatically change gears like it would in any other game, though pressing the control bumper at the right time will do a manual shift and give you a burst of speed. It’s like the active reload of Gears Of War, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been done in a racing game sooner.
Onto the fighting mechanics. When you do a successful gear shift a green energy bar will fill, and once it’s filled enough you’ll be able to initiate a boost. The more you boost the more a purple energy bar will fill, and this one is essentially a meter from a fighting game. Your ultimate goal is to fill the meter enough to initiate an offensive boost, which can KO any vehicle you come into contact with for a very short time. There’s also a shield you can deploy to protect you from incoming attacks. Eventually you can initiate a superboost that’ll increase your speed to ridiculous levels and essentially turn your car into a glass cannon. In this state any car you touch will be blown up but if you collide with a wall or barrier even slightly, you’ll blow up too.
As I said earlier they’re easy mechanics to learn but mastering them is going to be a challenge, especially when you’re playing against other racers and not just AI opponents.
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At first you’ll wonder how you can ever finish a race in the top three, but after a few attempts I did start to get the hang on things, though the biggest hurdle was undoubtedly the drifting.
Visually the game was quite stunning too. It adopts a 3D anime aesthetic but doesn’t just stop at cell-shaded graphics, it goes further and exhibits a style reminiscent of Akira and other ‘80s anime. Even when I was losing races I couldn’t help but take in the environments and the clashing sparks and energies lighting up the air.
Screamer has impressed me so far, and I love the idea of combining a racing game with a fighting game. I can’t wait to play more and see what players make of it when it launches, though we’ll have to wait a while yet as it’s scheduled for some time in 2026.
Topics: Preview, Steam, PC, PlayStation, Xbox