When you think of dystopian games. what do you think of? Do you think of Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout, Halo, Deus EX, Metal Gear Solid, Metro, Wolfenstein, or Detroit Become Human? When it comes to the video game industry, developers love creating games about a dystopian future.
Now, this could potentially be due to social analysis of the way the world is currently heading or is a warning as to what the world might become. In all actuality, it is easier to create a game set in the future versus something set in the past. These are some of the factors that Sumo Digital had to think about when creating DeathSprint 66.
After watching the developer showcase Stampede: Racing Royale, we met the team behind DeathSprint 66. Set in the year 2066, a new wave of brutal entertainment is looking to captivate audiences. As a clone jockey, it is your task to get your clones to the finish line in the most spectacular ways. Shoot, punch, and kick your enemies to their demise on a variety of courses.
Hands-on Death Race
Like Stampede, the developer wanted to show off their skills and how well someone can do. Obviously, jumping into a game for the first time and competing can be difficult no matter what franchise.
With DeathSprint 66, you have to watch out for enemies, grab coins and power-ups, and avoid obstacles. Players can run against walls to avoid traps, grind rails to glide over them, and slide under obstacles.
The name of the game gives you the overall premise of the game. You are in a race and even death won’t stop you from achieving your goals. If you die, you will respawn and be able to continue the race. Once someone has crossed the finish line, you are in a race against the clock. Finish or die.
The first round I played, I got absolutely smacked, literally. Right out of the initial gate, I was running and a bot pushed me right into a grinder. Thankfully the game is a bit forgiving and gives players the chance to catch up. The respawn rate is similar to Mario Kart, so it gives you a mild punishment.
Turning in the game was a bit hard so we found it important to drift. After a certain amount of deaths, the player is stripped of their special skin/clothes and they must run with the embarrassment on their shoulders.
The second course we did was a single-racer sprint to the finish. Playing solo really allowed us to work on our mechanics without the fear of death from others holding us back. Yes, sprints are fun for mechanics but racing against others and splattering them was so much more rewarding.
In the third race, we got to see what the power-ups really did in a sprint to the finish; in this race, we came across an interesting but funny bug. When going off a ramp, there was a weird kill zone that killed all the bots; after finishing the race, we got to watch all the bots repeatedly die as they tried to jump the ramp.
Overall Takeaway
Overall the core concept of both games seemed fun. Between Stampede and DeathSprint66, we could see DeathSprint 66 being more appealing to everyday gamers due to its gore and competitiveness.
Games with death, gore, and competition appeal to a wider audience of gamers. According to the developers, both games have easy entry points but are hard to master. With competition and the right community either can succeed.
With the right support, either game could be the indie game of the year. Do either of these titles appeal to you? Which game are you more likely to play? Make sure to wish list both DeathSprint 66 and Stampede: Racing Royale on Steam.
