Surely PS5 Anime Racer Screamer Needs to Be Cel-Shaded?

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Screamer is a vintage racing franchise from the 90s that Italian outfit Milestone is bringing back.

Originally, it bore a strong resemblance to Ridge Racer and showcased impressive graphics for its era. The upcoming edition aims to distinguish itself through incorporating an anime aesthetic, a move that might prove successful.

But watching this trailer, we’re not quite sure we understand what the developer is trying to do.

The video presents one of the fictitious racing gangs launched in this version, the Green Reapers. Although their designs appear quite ordinary, they certainly look appealing.

There’s a significant mismatch when the trailer transitions to gameplay. The car designs have a touch of stylization, but the racetracks appear rather dull and typical of video games. It seems like the entire scene would benefit from being rendered in a cel-shaded style or similar approach.

It’s unclear if we fully grasp the concept of this transition towards an anime aesthetic, as it’s a path that Need for Speed Unbound has chosen as well.

It’s unfortunate that we’ve admired how cel-shaded racing games like Auto Modellista resemble illustrations straight from Initial D comics so much.

We’re hoping that Screamer turns out well, and we’re looking forward to seeing some additional arcade racers unveiled. However, it seems as though the developers have played it safe in this release, which is disappointing.

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2025-07-24 22:36