As the loading scream comes up for Screamer from developer “Milestone S.r.l”, I can’t help but start singing the “Go speed racer, go speed racer” song in my head, for those of us old enough to remember that cartoon. Screamer, from the developer’s site, is described as “High-Octane action and anime aesthetic collide in this arcade racing game”. Let’s dive in and see how Screamer performs on the Xbox and whether it can live up to its legacy name.

Upon loading, you are greeted with three game modes: Arcade (which has 6 subcategories of racing), the Tournament (Story mode) and Multiplayer. I wanted to see how an anime storyline could be tied into an old-school arcade racing game, so I started with the tournament. The storyline pits you against Anaconda Corp, who is your mortal enemy, and you enter the Screamer race to try and assassinate the leader, Gabriel. This is the only way you can get close to him: use a fake name and try to take him out on the track.

You start off playing as Hiroshi, and in your crew are Roisin and Frederic. Frederic speaks his native French tongue during the cut scenes, a theme that is prevalent throughout the game, as not all characters speak English, but never fear, you have subtitles to read. You take your car to the racing tournament mechanic, Gage, so he can install the Echo system, which is the lifeblood of the Screamer race and gives your car its power and special abilities.

The story does branch off, and I don’t want to spoil anything more. During testing, I came across over 12 characters in the tournament story, so you have some good longevity with a mix of animated cutscenes and visual anime scenes blended together. It does feel like it drags in some sections, and I did find myself clicking through the short one-liners, but as a whole, I enjoyed the storyline. I think I was just too eager to keep racing.

The cars definitely feel like they have been inspired by the 80’s and 90’s, with massive wings, big bodykits, and large exhausts; you will even find a car with a jet engine. They are all works of art, blending old-school cool with the new Japanese racing-car scene; you catch yourself staring at the bodylines and craftsmanship put into these models. As you complete the storyline and arcade races, you unlock paints, body parts, etc., so you can upgrade your car and give it your own flair. You also unlock various cosmetics to upgrade your garage in a similar fashion to your car.​

As mentioned in the storyline, the developer has implemented the Echo system into all the cars even when your not in the storyline campaign The Eco system gives you two buffs as you are racing, The first is the Sync, this is gained passively by racing, slip streaming, active shifting and clean racing or can also be gained quicker depending on which character you have chosen. Active shift is when you change gears manually. If you change gears in the optimal rev zone, you will gain good amounts of Sync, which gives you a nice boost, or you can use it to activate your shield to avoid damage from other drivers.

The second buff is atrophy, which you gain from using Sync, so they go hand in hand. The two main functions of atrophy are short but powerful shots of speed, which can destroy your opposition, or you can use it to activate your overdrive, which will make you faster. When in overdrive, you also have a shield for a short time, and you can destroy opponents when hitting them, but the downside is that if you hit the walls, you will explode. It creates a great dynamic as you all start the race with no Sync or Atrophy, but when and where you gain it and how you use it will determine where you cross the finish line.

The control inputs are also a new system, with the left stick steering your vehicle, and the right stick starting/controlling your drift, unlike other titles, where you have to try to jam on the brakes to try and get the drift going. The game slowly eases you into how to get the most out of your racing, teaching you one skill at a time as you play the storyline, so don’t panic; it may feel overwhelming at first, but it is actually very simple once you get used to it.

The graphics are one of the highlights of this title; it doesn’t matter if you are driving through the Japanese cyberpunk-inspired city, through the wharf area full of ships and shipping containers, or in the back woods, the race tracks are just beautiful and hit the mark perfectly. The electricity coming from the Echo, the smoke and old school animations coming from the exhausts, motion blur, it’s hard to express just how good the graphics are for this arcade racer. I even love it when you crash into the barriers or obstacles; the screen flashes like an old TV going black-and-white for a split second, losing reception.

The soundtrack really is that 1990’s-to-2000’s electric punk, rock, emo vibe. It just contributes so much energy to the game overall. It amps you up and gets you ready for the chaos ahead. It’s very rare that I don’t turn off a game soundtrack, but this is one of those instances. I will show my age and say put the soundtrack out on a CD album, and I will buy it!

The car sounds are also different depending on which vehicle you are driving, with that throaty gargle from a big block engine down to the turbo whistle on those little buzz boxes. You certainly hear and feel the difference while driving around with the force feedback in the Xbox controller.

Milestone S.r.l. has really put together something special here. Screamer has blended the old-school gaming vibe with an engaging anime storyline, something I didn’t think I’d say about a racing title. They have essentially created their own genre, and it works. Even the new control system method, which uses the two control sticks to steer and drift.

This is what the gaming community needs: developers who want to push the boundaries and lead, not follow what has been done before. This one is a must-play for all of you who love arcade racing games; it’s high-octane fun with a mix of classic golden-era gaming and anime.

Written by: Mike Bridge