When it comes to genres that have some leeway to break the mold a bit and experiment, the racing genre often seems the most limited one. After all, the formula is so well established that we don’t expect anything beyond the essentials: several tracks, different vehicles to pick, a banger soundtrack, and a plethora of unlocks. Well, Screamer brings those elements, but also sets itself apart by delivering an actual plot packed with memorable characters and shocking moments. And while I have a few gripes with some aspects, Milestone S.r.l. has delivered one of the most unique racing games in recent years.
Let The Tournament Begin
The main story, or Tournament, puts you in the different seats of each Screamer character joining this competition. There are five teams: Green Reapers, Strike Force Romanda, JSI, Anaconda Corp, and the Kagawa Kai. Every team has three playable characters, one leader, and two members, all with different playstyles, but I’ll dive into that later. In any case, all of these eclectic drivers are competing in this tournament to either enact their revenge, pay off a debt, or something else.
In terms of the actual narrative, it is pretty interesting, and the one part of the game I didn’t think would hook me so much, but it did, thanks to its strong cast of characters, which I often enjoyed more than the actual story. Don’t get me wrong; the plot is terrific. Yet, due to its many playable characters, the overarching narrative sometimes takes a backseat as each character struggles with their own conflict, often bombarding you with so many story threads that the story can become tangled. Still, some of these threads manage to pay off satisfyingly and memorably.
However, the ones that take the crown are each of the playable characters. Take the Green Reapers, for instance. They enter the tournament to seek revenge after the demise of one of their members, quickly becoming rivals with another Screamer team. JSI, on the other hand, is looking for answers about an old friend and soon discovers they are somehow connected with yet another team. It is the interactions that elevate the whole narrative and make it highly memorable, and worth experiencing at least once.
In the end, I was not expecting Screamer to deliver one of the best plots in a racing game, which the genre as a whole often struggles with. Yet, the studio did a superb job at fleshing out its racers, the deadly tournament, the antagonist, and other details that don’t make the career mode feel like a side dish, but its main event. And of course, the cherry, or rather, cherries on top that end up enhancing it all even more, are the top-notch cast of voice actors and the gorgeous anime visuals that just make this fast-paced adventure one that will stick around many racers, even after they’ve crossed the finish line.
Not Your Usual Racing Game
If your cup of tea is racing, however, Screamer shines just as much in that department and leaves a couple of modern racing games in the dust.
Instead of the often overplayed formula, Screamer goes for a twin-stick racing gameplay, where the whole experience feels as if you were playing an action game due to the many inputs, abilities, and even passive bonuses each character possesses.
When driving, you’ll use your left and right sticks to drift, while your left and right bumpers will serve for braking and accelerating, respectively. The bread and butter of the game, however, is the Echo, which is something the story explains more deeply, but it basically adds some skills to your vehicles, such as a boost, a Strike mode, and a Shield. On top of that, there’s also an Active Shift feature, which rewards you with a speed boost if you execute a perfectly timed shift.
All of these elements make the hands-on gameplay extremely engaging, which, as I said in my preview, takes away all the staleness from being in a racing game. Often, being in first place turns the race from a fast-paced experience into a dull one, where all you do is take in the sights and wait for that final lap to end. But not here, as you’re always dodging other drivers who want to strike you or just looking to execute that perfect drift to fill your boost bar faster.
Another thing I loved about the suite of features was that every character had a passive skill that made each racer feel unique and suited to specific tracks. For instance, Hiroshi, the Green Rreapers’ leader, has a passive that lets you extend your boost if you tap the button again during a short window. Or Dirk, a member of Anaconda, getting a powered-up strike after taking out another driver. I will say that a few feel more powerful than others, but I liked experimenting with each one, as they made every race feel different.
Furthermore, the game also offers several game modes, some of which you’ll experience during the campaign. You have your time trials, normal races, overdrive challenges, and many more. My favorite were, hands down, the team races, where you’re paired with other members of your faction, and you all get points depending on your position during the race. While I enjoyed all these modes with CPU racers, I think they will all be much more enjoyable once more players fire up their engines.
My only gripe is that, despite the many things to do, superb tracks, fantastic soundtrack, unique characters, and gorgeous visuals, the rewards system can be a bit underwhelming at times. Each time you finish a race, you get random cosmetics for specific vehicles. And while I loved many of the parts I got, some felt a bit bland. On top of that, many rewards relied on RNG, and I would have preferred a character-specific progression system to see which rewards I’d get.
Acing the Race
It is always a welcome sight to see a studio take a crack at a formula and see how it revamps it in ways we didn’t think would be possible, and that’s what Milestone S.r.l. has done with the racing genre. Instead of sticking to the elements that have worked in other racing titles, it focuses on elevating some of the genre’s weaknesses, delivering a superb story, and one of the most engaging driving systems we’ve seen in recent times.
Ultimately, Screamer delivers an excellent, chaotic, flashy, and addictive racing experience, and one that I think will be even better once more drivers jump into it. And even if some of its features have some flaws, such as progression or the lack of encouragement to use specific drivers, Screamer has finally broken free from the formula and created something pretty impressive.
Screamer (PC Reviewed)
Screamer moves away from a somewhat stale formula and delivers one of the most engaging racing titles in recent years, accompanied by a memorable story full of excellent characters.
Pros
- Engaging driving systems
- A surprisingly good story
- Gorgeous visuals
Cons
- The rewards system can be underwhelming
