One game that caught a lot of eyes during the many trailers of The Game Awards in 2024 was Screamer. A reboot of a 30-year-old DOS racer, this iteration turned heads thanks to its anime-inspired presentation, a stark contrast from the gritty realism that most modern racers seek to capture. While Need for Speed Unbound and Wipeout have brought about stylistic racing in years past, the vast color palette of Screamer is looking to be a visual treat on modern hardware. Does this reboot rev our engines?

The fundamentals of a strong racer can’t be captured in its first few minutes. This is a genre where the skill ceiling breaks the stratosphere. The most adept racers will have to master a few things in the majority of racing games: turning, braking before turning, drifting, and denying passes. Screamer has all this, but also throws in semi-automatic gear shifting, allowing you to shift gears opportunistically to generate boost, or let the gears turn if you’re too focused on the race. Mastering this balance will cut the crop of those just looking to pedal to the metal the whole time, as this is an engaging arcade racer.

The issue with the racing component of Screamer is that the game gives you all the tools to succeed, but throws roadblocks and obstacles at you that are completely out of your control. Several tracks’ turns are either too short to get a drift off, or too long to where you will ride the wall – the near one if you drift a centimeter too hard, or the far wall if you haven’t committed to a drift. Bear in mind, though, that the “fighting” mechanics the game rolls out tend to negate these nitpicks. Drive smart, and you’ll build up Sync. At this point, it’s up to you to determine whether to boost/shield yourself, or go on the offensive and attack that racer that’s riding your tail. It’s a thrill to juggle jockeying for the top spot whilst strategizing against a rival.

Past the aggressive racing, you’re introduced to a melting pot of international characters in Screamer, all speaking in their own native tongue. Credit to the multinational voice actors for passionate performances, as some characters are truly compelling. It’s surprising to see an M-rated racing game that isn’t Twisted Metal, but the edge is there in the Tournament plotline. The soundtrack also deserves props; the breakcore, heavy-metal tracks are simply divine when paired with hitting your sixth shift and activating a perfect boost.

I’ve always been mixed on Milestone’s racers; Hot Wheels Unleashed was awesome, Monster Energy Supercross, not so much. Screamer is pretty middle-of-the-road when it comes to conventional driving, but it’s held together well by the fighting mechanics, and it felt great to start improving my drifting and shifting. Racing savants will savor the challenge, as several other reviewers have brought up the steep difficulty, but newcomers can work their way up the difficulty levels with ample practice. Releasing at $59.99, it might be worth checking out Screamer on sale, should it pique your arcade-racing fancy. Certainly a must-buy for Blur fans, though.

A PC review copy of Screamer was provided by Milestone S.R.L. for this review.

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Screamer

$59.99

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Solid Visuals
• Excellent Soundtrack
• Interesting Cast
• Great Fighting Mechanics

Cons

• Miserable Drifting
• Wallriding Most Turns
• Hit-or-miss Dialogue