Screamer [REVIEW] – Anime-fuelled Twin-Stick Racing Brilliance 

Developer Milestone has decided to step away from their usual racing simulation fare to resurrect a blast from the past, though honestly? I hadn’t even heard of the original game before seeing this revival. Yeah, Screamer might not be the most well-known racer out there, but believe me, this revitalised release brings back the pure, unapologetic joy of the arcade racer, ditching realism for something a lot faster, far more complex, and absolutely dripping with anime attitude. 

Check out some screenshots down below: 

Let us start with the single-player offering, because Screamer actually comes with a meaty narrative. The main attraction here is ‘The Tournament’, a massive campaign that essentially doubles as a heavily structured tutorial, with players following a variety of different racing crews who have all entered an illegal, high-speed championship to win an absurd cash prize of 100 billion dollars. The stakes are high then, and each of the colourful (and often zany) teams has their own dramatic reasons for putting their lives on the line.  

The whole narrative is framed with a heavy late-nineties anime aesthetic, blending sleek animated cutscenes with visual novel-style text boxes, which is something I loved. Sure, the story won’t be for everyone – the dialogue can be corny and the sheer amount of talking can start to grate after a while – but I found myself wholly invested in the story it had to tell, more so than any other modern racer.  

The actual racing in Screamer is absolutely phenomenal too, even IF it takes a bit of time to get your head around how it works. This is not a simple game where you just hold the accelerator and occasionally tap the brake, with Milestone implementing a fascinating twin-stick control scheme that really makes the game feel unique to play. You use the left thumbstick to steer your car normally, while the right thumbstick is dedicated entirely to initiating drifts… unusual, right? It feels incredibly alien for the first few races, but once your brain clicks with the rhythm of the game, gliding sideways around tight corners feels like second nature – almost like Milestone have cracked the code of something that you didn’t realise needed fixing. 

“Screamer is one of the most exciting and unique arcade racers that we’ve had in years, and I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent playing it.” 

Then they throw in the gear shifting, which adds a whole extra layer of strategy and skill to each racing showdown. Even if you choose to play on semi-automatic, the game actively encourages you to manually shift up a gear by tapping the bumper, and nailing that perfect shift gives you a crucial burst of speed and feeds into your boost meter. Managing all of this whilst hurtling down a neon-lit track at 200mph is intense, especially when you add in the combat mechanics, where you can use your gathered energy to deploy blocks or unleash devastating ‘Strikes’ to obliterate rival cars… it makes for a brilliant yet stressfully strategic loop of risk versus reward. Do you burn your meter to speed ahead, or save it to completely wreck the driver trying to overtake you? Screamer constantly puts you in these scenarios and it makes for a real thrill ride. 

However, it is worth noting that because there is so much going on, the learning curve is undeniably steep. Juggling both thumbsticks, the triggers for acceleration, and the bumpers for shifting and blocking can honestly lead to a bit of hand cramping during longer races, whilst the campaign has its share of difficulty spikes that’ll definitely keep you on your toes (though this was patched mid-review period, so it might be a bit tamer now).  

When you do figure things out, it’s easy to see that Screamer is pretty special. There are other things that add to the substance of the experience too, such as your choice of driver. Choosing your driver is not just a cosmetic preference, with every single racer equipped with a unique vehicle and their own distinct special ability to help them stand out on the racetrack. This injects another intuitive layer of strategy into the mix, giving the game a massive boost of personality to complement the racing. 

Check out some screenshots down below: 

Whilst the single-player campaign does feel like the star of the show, the game also features a robust suite of customisable Arcade modes for those who want something a bit more casual. You can dive straight into standard single races, team-based events, frantic time attacks, and tough checkpoint challenges, with these modes stripping away the narrative fluff and letting you just focus on mastering the phenomenal driving mechanics. It is worth noting that there is also both local and online multiplayer in the mix, allowing you to test your skills against a wider pool of players, though it’s something I haven’t had much time to play around with yet… it’s something I’m VERY excited to try more of upon launch, though. 

From a presentation standpoint, the game is a triumph. Screamer is a gorgeous blur of bright colours, slick user interfaces, and incredibly cool car designs, with the sublime blend of visual styles really making for a racing experience that looks both stylish and unique. Who needs realism when an anime aesthetic can look this good, right? Oh, and I’d be remiss not to mention that if you are playing on a PlayStation 5, the DualSense controller integration is some of the best I’ve seen in a racer… yeah, I just loved it. 

Developer: Milestone 
Publisher: Milestone 
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC 
Website: https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10012598