Preview: Anime-Inspired Arcade Racer Screamer Is the Genre’s Most Exciting in Over a Decade
Sometimes a game grabs you by the balls and makes you realise itâs what youâve been yearning for all along. Screamer, the upcoming anime-inspired PS5 racer from industrious Italian developer Milestone, is that game.
This is the sequel to an ancient PC arcade racer, which was notable for pushing the limits of cutting-edge graphics cards in 1995. Perhaps understanding that it needs to be cuter to standout in 2025, at a time where arcade racers are a much harder sell than theyâve ever been, the developer has been forced to think outside of the box.
The result is a vibrant, unique racer that mixes Street Fighter with Ridge Racer for one of the most entertaining hands-on experiences we had behind closed doors at Gamescom. As we told the team on the day: itâs cooking something special here.
The core tenets are a narrative focus, an anime-inspired art style, and a unique gameplay system. While we didnât get to experience any of the storyline, we can say with confidence that the latter two aspects are going to really help this game stand out.
This is a track-based racer, so thereâs no open world to deal with. That already helps separate it from the other games available on the PS5, like The Crew Motorfest and Forza Horizon 5.
But the gameplay is the real revelatory feature: you use the right analogue stick to drift, allowing you to precisely set the angle of your slide, and adjust your position in the road with the left analogue stick. Later courses will also require you to add your brake into the equation, creating for a really exciting skill gap.
Thereâs a lot more to the mechanics, though: an active gear shift mechanic, similar to Gears of Warâs active reload, will require you to âtap-inâ your gear changes as your rev meter reaches its peak â and timing it correctly will earn you boost.
The boost meter is segmented into a sequence of squares, and once filled you can exchange it for a burst of speed. Each time you boost youâll fill a separate meter, which can then be used on shields or an aggressive ram attack, which allows you to KO your opponents.
And thus creates the highly compelling tug of war in this outstandingly original racer: you need to fill your boost meter fast so that you can benefit from speed bursts and also build your defensive and offensive arsenal. Resource management becomes key when youâre out in the lead, as your strategy switches from offence to defence. Itâs a superbly executed set of risk/reward systems.
An ultra attack rounds out the offering, enabling you to drive at absurd speeds and truly pull away from your rivals. However, touch a wall or opponent while youâre in this state and youâll KO yourself, potentially undoing all of your hard work.
The tracks themselves are absolutely awesome: one takes place in a neon-lit Tokyo-style metropolis, complete with huge neon advertising hoardings and giant skyscrapers. Other tracks include a sea port, which has a more industrial flavour to it.
While we were concerned the first trailers didnât look stylised enough, this latest build âfeltâ anime to us â although weâd perhaps still like to see the presentation lean into its 90s influences more, as the image is a little bit too clean as it is.
We really like the character portraits, too, even if the designs are a little bit generic. Each character comes with a unique vehicle, which Milestone stresses is fictional but subscribes to real-world rules. Youâll know if a specific whip is using a V8 engine, for example, as itâs leaning on its knowledge of sims to ground this fantasy racing world.
While it took us a fair few minutes to get a feel for the gameplay direction, we fell in love with this. The developer pointed out that the mechanics will be introduced more slowly throughout the story, so we were thrust into the deep end. But you can already tell how this could become a highly competitive experience online if balanced appropriately.
Considering thereâs such a dearth of arcade racers on the market, this looks like one you absolutely should pay attention to. The mechanics are unique and original, but it all feels smartly designed and extremely well thought out.
We got the vibe from the team that it had real confidence in this game, and we reckon that poise is well-founded. Obviously, we have concerns about how engaging and interesting the single player narrative will actually be â but the core arcade racing, based on what we played, is exceptional. Add this one to your wishlist.
Screamerâs blend of drift finesse and anime flair feels like the arcade revival weâve been waiting for â but has it boosted its way to the top of your most wanted list? Would you like to see more racers take this bold, skill-driven approach â or, given the current climate, are you just happy to see a new arcade racer releasing at all? Slide into the comments section and let us know below..
