In my first seconds with upcoming arcade racing game Screamer, I was already on the edge of my seat. Knuckles turning white from a hard grip. Neck tensed with focus. This is a game that demands your attention, and while it makes you work hard for your victory, it’s an entirely compelling, euphoric experience.
To backtrack slightly, Screamer is a new title from developer Milestone that reboots the classic Screamer arcade games for a modern era. It does things quite differently from its iconic predecessor, introducing a new anime-inspired art style, more narrative in cutscenes, and a whole new way to race. But the crux of the franchise remains: you’re racing cool cars through equally cool environment.
What makes Screamer a standout arcade racer
What really encourages you to lock in is the complexity of the game’s control scheme. I’ve played a lot of arcade racers in my time. I’ve never experienced one that demands so much concentration and input, and is so rewarding for that effort. The most obvious difference is that cars are manual, so you’ll be controlling gear shifts while trying to focus on the game’s unique power-up scheme, and while vying for pole position.
It’s a matter of balance and understanding, which requires patience. All of Screamer‘s unique systems feed into each other. No matter which racer you choose, you’ll have access to four key abilities, as well as driving and drifting: a boost, a strike, a shield, and an overdrive. In turn, these abilities push your car forward with a burst of speed, allow you to crash into and destroy other cars, shield you from being hit, and allow you to go on a continuous speeding streak that only ends when you crash or burn out.
Additional abilities allow you to build ‘hype’ for further impact, but you’ll really need to master the core abilities before you experiment with favoured drivers. It’s the timing that’s hardest to grip. You’ll need to deploy each of your car’s abilities with a firm hand, watching where your opponents are in the leaderboard, and how vulnerable you might be in a particular moment.
To deploy a strike, you’ll need to spend time boosting, with one mechanic feeding into the other. Build up enough strike power, and you’ll be able to initiate your overdrive. But you’ll need to watch the roads ahead and behind to figure out when best to boost – usually on a straight road with few corners, or in a situation where drifting comes easily. You’ll also need to figure out when best to deploy your limited-time strike, to smash into cars ahead, and temporarily push them back.
Overdrive is equally tricky, with this ability being high risk, high reward. Gripping your controller, you’re essentially thrust into warp speed as you zoom down highways, arms shaking with panic. Obstacles approach, and you must drive and drift like your life depends on it, with any misstep or misdirection causing an explosion, and a reset of your position in the race. But when it works, you can almost feel the wind in your hair. Screamer does an excellent job at capturing the sense of speed and dynamism that should naturally come with an arcade racing sim.
When you finally get your first victory, you’ll know that you’ve earned it – by keeping your cool, and demonstrating a dogged persistence. But as much as it’s difficult to come to grips with Screamer‘s control scheme, and the many hands and fingers you need to control to make it work, the game is greatly rewarding by design. You’ll feel very cool at the victory line, knowing you’ve blazed a trail and perfected all those tight twists and turns required to come out on top.
For that, Screamer has made a deep impression in my mind grooves. While the preview of Screamer I played only contained races without elements of story or insight into each stylish driver, it created immediate connection in its high-speed gameplay, and its flashy, effortless sense of cool.
Screamer is currently in active development and is set for launch sometime in 2026.
