The new Screamer doesn’t have much to do with the old games of the same name. But that’s not a bad thing. Because hot arcade racing is always fun!
“We needed something that would allow us to break the chains of reality!” said Federico Cardini, Game Director, at the start of the gamescom presentation of Screamer. It sounds like one of those rehearsed lines you hear a hundred times at gaming conventions, usually accompanied by empty phrases like “exciting,” “jaw-dropping,” or “when it’s done.”
But in this case, the man is not wrong. According to its developers, the new Screamer is neither a remake nor a remaster, but a “reimagining.” And the part that breaks with reality can be found in the effervescent world of anime.
Anime? Really?
The anime roots run through the entire game: it starts with the design of the six drivers, with wild hairstyles and bright colors. And it ends with their respective vehicles, which, although inspired by real sports cars and supercars (as was the case with the original Bleifuss, as the Screamer series was called in Germany), do not bear real names. Instead, they have been tuned to be cool beyond all pain thresholds.
Each car reflects the personality of its owner: Akane, one of the three drivers of the “Strike Force Romanda” racing team, is the most beginner-friendly (and was recommended by the developers as the best car for beginners to try out). Her car is as stable as an ironing board on the road, but offers only average performance in all respects.
Róisín, her competitor from the “Green Reapers,” is significantly more unstable in comparison, but can fire off multiple short turbo boosts in quick succession.
Brave new world of drifting The differences become abundantly clear when the leaders of a team enter the game. They drive particularly powerful cars, comparable to the “Bullet” from the original game: insanely fast and insanely sensitive – but once you get the hang of Hiroshi or Ritsuko’s spoiler monsters, the already fast Screamer becomes a speed monster that would make The Flash jealous.
A special feature of the game is its unusual controls: the left stick controls the car, of course. But unlike in Ridge Racer or the original Bleifuss, drifts are not initiated by pressing a button or touching the brake.
Instead, the right stick on the gamepad (or the mouse) controls the drift. This not only gives you full control over the intensity of the drift, but also allows you to combine it with functions such as braking or turbo boosts. “This isn’t a gimmick. We designed it this way on purpose so that you always have full control,” says Federico Cardini.
More energy for everyone!
Another unique feature of Screamer is its energy system. At gamescom, it was all a bit overwhelming: Echo? Sync? Entropy? Active Shift Station? At the trade fair, everything was unlocked for you to try out, but in the actual game, you don’t get these features right from the start.
You build up energy via “Sync,” for example through successful drifts, which you can then use to activate boosts. These turbos, in turn, fill the “Entropy” meter, which you need to fight your opponents. With a full Entropy meter, you can trigger the “Strike,” which not only gives you a short burst of speed, but also turns every opponent you hit into a fireball – Burnout fans will know what we mean.
Just like Gears of War pros when they hear the keyword “Active Shift.” Just as Marcus Fenix gets a boost from an “Active Reload,” perfectly timed upshifts in Screamer result in short-term acceleration and additional sync energy.
Tekken on wheels
The different drivers not only have very different cars, but also very different personalities. This is evident in their driving style on the one hand, and in the storyline surrounding the races on the other. According to the developers, this is intended to offer much more than the usual “Hey, you’re new here. Let me quickly give you a few cars!” blather of the competition.
This is also due to the fact that Milestone drew inspiration not only from other racers, but also from many fighting games.
With all the constant back and forth, the energy bars, and the many battles on the road, you might actually think you’re playing Tekken on wheels. After all, you don’t choose cars, but fighters, pardon me, drivers.
Editor’s conclusion
When the new Screamer was announced at the end of 2024, my emotional balance shifted from “WHAAAAAAAT? BRING IT ON!” to “Anime? What the hell is that supposed to be?” within the length of a trailer. My expectations for the reboot were about on par with a new installment of Fast & Furious. But then I played it myself at gamescom.
I’m still not completely cured; I would have liked a little less seven-meter spoilers and night city glamour. But it plays damn well! The concept of drifting with the right stick takes some getting used to; I spent my first ten minutes of driving mainly peeling myself out of every available barrier.
But you get the hang of the system very quickly, and suddenly I’m drifting and sliding and skidding sensitively through the nastiest corners, boosting myself to completely absurd speeds, my competitors turning into fireballs that quickly disappear in my rearview mirror.
This isn’t Bleifuss. This is Screamer, the result of a wild night between Need for Speed: Underground and Burnout 3: Takedown, who watched a few episodes of Initial D as foreplay and then played Tekken afterwards. Good mix!
