Screamer's racing action and storytelling are impressively unique, but the game needs balancing fast

I can only commend a racing game that tries to be different. Screamer does just that, and not just with one gimmicky feature you've never seen before. A racing game with an actual story is something that sounds better than it has ever proven to be in practice. JDM did it through manga pages with reasonable effect, Need For Speed games have attempted it in the past, but I'm not sure it has ever really worked.

Screamer, however, dials up the focus on story. With full anime presentation and melodrama, the racing game's action takes a back seat for a lot of the main Tournament single player mode. Over the top characters - most of whom speak a different language to each other - dramatic rivalries, pop groups, one-note gruff businessmen, and infighting are just some of the familiar tropes that you'll encounter.

For the most part, it's implemented really effectively - in part down to the early hours focusing on the characters and their motivations, leaving the introduction of some core gameplay mechanics until you're a few hours in. It ensures you're familiar with the relationships, history, and stakes, which actually makes you give a damn.

The story isn't the only element that throws tradition to the wind, however. Screamer's actual driving mechanics are a wild left turn from what you're probably used to. Instead of braking and turning in, or using the handbrake, you need to use the right stick on your controller to drift. The left stick turns the wheels, while the right one controls the drift separately. It feels extremely strange at first, but you soon get used to it. 

Unfortunately, the drift mechanic becomes less impactful as the story mode progresses. As you drive quickly, you build up a boost ability, which in turn builds up an attack ability, almost akin to a fighting game. Since everything is moving so quickly, you need to carefully decide how and when to attack. There's a risk and reward loop to consider: you have to think, not just go fast. 

More boost equals more opportunity to attack, and you then get more boost from successful attacks. Therefore, if you perform well, you'll be quicker, but a missed attack is a real waste. It's a fun tactical side Screamer introduces to the action. You need to manage how and when you use your abilities if you want to win, somewhat leaving the actual racing and drifting by the wayside.

Screamer really turns into a game of 'maximize your boosts,' with traditional racing tactics not coming into play as often as you might hope. It's interesting, because Screamer still feels really good to play. Cars are weighty, the sense of speed is phenomenal, and the presentation is brilliant.

The balance on the track is just too far off for the unfamiliar mechanics to shine, or for progression to be particularly engaging. The difficulty tuning in Tournament mode is wildly off at points; despite being patched during the review phase, events can be anything from extremely easy to almost impossible. 

In just one event at the end of Act 1, my opponents were hundreds of meters ahead of me before I'd even reached the first corner. My only way to progress was to put the difficulty down to Easy and make sure I never missed a shortcut or messed up a boost. Even then, I only just won. Minutes later, and I was winning a race by 600 metres, without having to really try.

There's a general imbalance, mixed with so many mechanics that it feels like you need to have extra fingers on each hand, and you'll likely pull back to what you're comfortable with. That's why the boost system is so important, and becomes the backbone of most races. I'm sure that, with time and updates, the developers will be able to tweak things to bring some balance back to the whole game, not just the difficulty of individual events.

As it is, at launch, Screamer is a fun and commendably unique racing experience. While not all of the original features work as part of the larger package, you can't deny that they make the game stand out from the competition. With some tweaking to the balance I can envisage a blossoming competitive scene, but that'll take a little bit of time.