By KEVIN HOOVER
What happens when the arcade-stylized racing thrills of Mario Kart lean into the skid of a dystopian Running Man future, where bloodthirsty spectators get their fix from televised competitions in which death and dismemberment are all but certain?
You learn to drift really well, or you get used to dying a whole fuckin’ lot.
First announced in February 2024, DEATHSPRINT 66 is a brand new, original IP developed from Sumo Newcastle (Stampede: Racing Royale) and published by Secret Mode (Still Wakes the Deep). And what qualifies an eight-player PvP foot racer for coverage on a horror site? Limb-ripping lasers, blood crusted spikes that grind plodding players into puddles of grue and the scattered remains of anyone unfortunate enough to slip below first place littering the track – that’s what.
From the dev’s website:
Welcome to The Deadliest Show on Earth.
In the year 2066, the Bachman Media Network is yet again, set to dominate the world of brutal entertainment with the latest series of their headline show. DEATHSPRINT 66 sees challengers take on the role of a Clone Jockey with an endless supply of clones at their disposal to compete in the visceral velocity of DEATHSPRINT.
RACE
Take part in thrilling eight player PvP on-foot races across extreme obstacle courses that push the boundaries of entertainment. Run, jump, drift and slide your way through a series of deadly tracks, chaining together traversals to enter a flow state and earn HYPE. HYPE fuels a range of exiting and deadly abilities including Boost, Seekersaw, Mag-Shield, EMP Blasts and Proximity Mines. A well-deployed ability can be the difference between winning and losing, making those split-second strategic decisions vital to your race.
ENTERTAIN
Winning is not enough. Entertaining the audience on track leads to bigger rewards off it. Your FAME score is a measure of how attractive you are to sponsors, the higher the score, the more interested they’ll be, unlocking a greater variety of cosmetics for your runner. Tracks are filled with deadly booby traps, thrilling traversals and opportunities to take out your rivals meaning that each race is an unpredictable, unique and gripping experience.
SURVIVE
In the ruins of long-abandoned cities of the old world, the Bachman Media Network has built a series of deadly racetracks designed for one purpose – to keep their blood-thirsty viewers entertained. Deadly traps and difficult traversals litter each track, but with an endless supply of human clones to race with, contestants must fight a bloody battle to the finish and claim victory. Immersed in a gritty, dystopian world, DEATHSPRINT 66 explores the societal consequences of extreme entertainment.
The recent Summer Game Fest ’24 press event allowed hands-on access to the game, and considering how dialed-in the devs are with what makes a fun arcade racer that speaks to gorehounds, the early build shows tremendous promise.
DEATHSPRINT 66 is scheduled for a PC-first release later this year.
