Screamer: Hands-on Preview - Drifting With Anime Style
So, sitting down at a PC, ready to play a game I really had no idea about, I get a brief intro from one of the developers. Apparently, Screamer was a well-loved arcade title from the early ’90s that had quite the fanbase. But after a sequel that just didn’t hit the mark, the potential of a franchise seemed to disappear. That is, until Milestone decided to give it another crack, over 30 years later. It may seem odd, but why not? After all, the Arcade Racer genre seems a little light on these days and bringing a classic style into the modern era has proven a success for more than one genre. So with all that in mind, I leaned back in my chair, grabbed my controller and strapped in for some high-octane fun.
To be fair, apart from the fact that this is a racing game, I don’t think this iteration of Screamer has much to do with the original. The game presents as an Anime series focused around teams of racers, all apparently with background stories and an ongoing narrative, which I didn’t get to see. This theme does carry on to the racing, though, because I didn’t get to pick a car to race in, but a character. This might be a subtle difference, but each character has their own special features and moves which can really change the way a race pans out.
You see, Screamer is more than just another arcade racer. There are a couple of key differences that should help it stand out from the pack. The first is the combat. There is quite a deep combat system that involves players building up two different meters that are then used for things like boosting, ramming and protective shields. Each character’s individual abilities affect these meters, thus creating a unique approach to the race depending on who I choose. The game is chock full of brutal moments involving the competitors, crashing, bashing and drifting their way around and through the opposition. In fact, I would say at some points there is a little too much going on, but that could simply have been the result of my being dumped in the deep end with a press demo without having had the chance to gradually learn through earlier races.
The second key difference is something that really changes up the racing. To steer, I used the left stick as normal, but drifting is achieved by using the right stick. When I combined the two, it allowed me to really balance my drifting around corners, steer through super tight gaps and basically have a load of control as I work my way through the pack. It took me quite a few races to get the hang of it, but once I did, I quickly came to appreciate this addition. It isn’t often you see a racing game try something new like this, so I have to say it was quite refreshing, and it may just be the thing to build a committed fanbase when the game comes out. After all, people fall in love with unique mechanics, and this is about as unique as it gets in racing.
The game looks great, too. Obviously, I was playing a very early build, but it ran smoothly without any noticeable hiccups and looked a treat. There is a cool sense of style that comes from the Anime theme, and it works wonderfully in the context of the game. Some of the tracks I got to play seemed a little barren, but honestly, that just feels like they are a little unfinished, and I expect that to be fixed in the final release. In all, I am loving the graphical direction the game is taking, and it is just another element that the developers have used to help Screamer forge its own identity.
If I have one major concern, it is about balance. There is a lot going on, between drifting, combat and normal racing, so things can get hectic pretty quickly. This is made worse by the fact that the AI is a pack of ruthless bastards who thought nothing of running me down with impunity. I really appreciate everything the game is trying to do, but I suspect that the devs need to spend a good amount of time in the lead-up to the release, playtesting and balancing all the features so they feel fair, without diluting what they are trying to achieve. If they can nail that, well, Screamer really could be a winner.
In all, I enjoyed my time with Screamer. There is a lot of potential here, and I am loving how Milestone is striving to stand apart from its competitors by including a host of new and exciting mechanics. I worry about how it will all come together as an adhesive whole, but if they can nail it, there is no reason that Screamer can’t be the next king of arcade racers.
Screamer arrives sometime in 2026.
