This is a Screamer review for PC and right from the bat I have to say that this one was quite the amazing game to fully experience. The nods to popular culture, the gameplay, and even the story were something very cool to experience. Its also definitely a reboot from an old racing game series that not only changes everything from the ground up, it just makes it even better than it already was. I feel like its important to delve into the specifics of what this series was in the past, and what it is now, because it can help fans of the original understand what they are getting into.
First of all, the general wacky idea of dangerous races remains intact, in the original game you could ram into cars and make them flip in the air, if you liked being a daredevil back then I bet this new entry will make you feel more excited about that. What changed primarily can already be noticed with the obvious shift in aesthetic direction, this game just became an stylized anime and also got a plot similar to one. The story about revenge and camaraderie truly resonated with me in many levels and I surely won’t forget the Green Reapers, which is the team of main protagonists.
The nods towards the anime inspiration don’t even end here, its littered with them in every corner, we even have a dog who can drive and also wears some awfully familiar glasses that definitely feel taken from Gurren Lagann. There’s a ton of things to break down from this side of things but it would take quite a while, so to put things in simple terms, story never really existed in this series before and things were more grounded aesthetically, considering this is a reboot after many decades of inactivity, I like seeing them try a new spin on the formula to make something that stands out, I personally think this version of Screamer is better.
Gameplay wise, Screamer remains kinda similar to the original ones but its deeply modernized, and online multiplayer marks a return for the series after so long, a feature that was way impressive back in the 90s but now its a given. The majority of your gameplay however will happen in Story Mode, at least it did for me, the pacing, the characters, and even the twists and turns are something to behold. There’s a huge emphasis on drifting and building up momentum to surpass the competition and reach first place, car builds are futuristic, but not quite like the ones we see in F-Zero, these are more grounded and Cyberpunk in a way.
Being an Arcade Racer rather than a simulation game, Screamer’s controls are smooth and turning is an easy thing to do, however, I highly recommend you playing this one with a controller if you only experienced racers with that method. While keyboard controls are fine for what they are, they can take a bit of time to get used to, I tried both methods but the game itself does recommend you to use a controller. As you progress through Story Mode, you end up gaining the ability to use the Echo, a powerful ability that allows you to do dangerous stunts that break space and time itself.
The Echo plays a big role in the plot of Screamer, pretty much being used as a tool to be immortal, as long as its used during the clandestine tournament that is being held by the game’s antagonist. The game is also team based, each team consists of 3 Members with varied cars and each have different handling, it is always recommended to play as the team leader for the intended experience since they usually have the better car. During races, you are able to do quick time events to boost your speed for different periods of time depending on how well you do them too, this is a feature you need to master.
This unique feature to Screamer is quite similar to the Nitro from modern Ridge Racer entries, but it has that unique quick time event touch to it that makes things feel more tense in a way, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a system like this before that focuses so much on action and timing for a racing game. If you don’t manage to get first, you don’t have to worry, you score up points that helps you classify for the next races, but ideally try to keep reaching at least 3rd place to get the points you need to not be disqualified.
Screamer’s system ensures that you always try your hardest at every race, even during story mode, providing a greater reason to always aim for 1st place whenever it is possible. Sometimes, some errors mixed with inexperience can end up knocking you down a few spots but you often learn from those, tracks are varied and there’s a lot to learn, and while the maneuvering feels very smooth you shouldn’t underestimate the difficulty of this game. Speaking of difficulty, Screamer provides the ability to pick from three different modes, one of them is the casual difficulty which is perfect for those who just want to enjoy the story without sweating too much, I went for Normal.
A very important feature of this Screamer reboot is the quality of its game modes, besides online mode, the inclusion of Team Races is a breath of fresh air that shakes things up a lot, by changing the focus towards eliminating other rival team members aside from winning the race. For those who have been seeking some sort of couch gameplay like the good old days of Screamer, this feature also makes a return with Split Screen mode. Overall its a very complete package with tons of things to do, and if you factor in online mode then that means the game can live even longer.
Screamer Review – Verdict
Screamer: Screamer pretty much revives a genre that always struggles on releases and quality. It is also a breath of fresh air for a dormant series not many may know, definitely the right way to make a reboot. The gameplay is slick, the characters and plot are memorable, and the multiple modes gives you many reasons to keep playing. The only reason it is not perfect is because of the Anti-Cheat. – Hiro
[Editor’s Note: Screamer was reviewed on PC and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.]
