I have, for many years, been calling for there to be more on-foot racing games. And so it is such a surprise that the Jingle Jam Games Collection this year featured one. DeathSprint 66, developed by Sumo Digital, takes the theme of a dangerous sporting television show. But putting real humans in such death defying situations would just be cruel, so those seen on screen are clones.
It’s a fun bit of lore that explains why upon death you respawn and continue the race. There is a lot to be aware of to avoid death, such as all the obstacles on these tracks. The tutorial teaches about all the navigation required across ten laps. There’ll be wall-riding, zip-lining, rail-grinding, super leaps, and a whole host of lasers, rollers, and saws ready to destroy someone not fully in tune with the flow.
The controls are close to vehicle driving, with the right trigger dealing with moving forward while the left one performs a drift. The face buttons hold the surge ability, which builds up from collecting tokens and provides boost, the jump, and ability to use tributes either forward or backward. Tributes are the items of DeathSprint 66, offering up many variations of saws and a few other weapons, too. And a shield.
With the tutorial complete, I wanted to see how I’d fair against others in some practice events. This is where the rehearsals mode is very nice, since it pits me against AI players who can feel just as aggressive and thirsty for the win as the real deal. Sumo Digital have made sure if someone were to stick to just this mode, they’re not missing out on any of the fun. All the tracks available to run around and fight on for first.
For those who want a challenge, the Episodes mode provides just such a thing. Various events can be found here, each with a twist on the standard race formula. Killing Time has rings and a countdown timer, with each ring boosting that time just a small amount. Five Lives sees the standard race taking place, but with only five lives to survive it to the finish. Each event has different tracks play a part of it, with varying difficulty depending on the track and how well you know it.
And then there is Showtime, the online racing ring where everyone can have fun. Upon matchmaking into a room, eight players fight for first across all the tracks. Or however many a player wants to before they leave. Experience and awards are given after each race, with level ups from both providing cosmetic rewards such as armour colours and banners. And though the level is shown to all players, a higher number doesn’t mean they will win every race.
There is chaos at every turn, with items being launched very easily deciding a race. The first win I got came from a giant sawblade roaming the track while I ran the wall. It hit first place, allowing me to easily overtake, navigating the last few turns to cross that line ahead of everyone else. The very next race it felt like that giant sawblade was getting revenge, as I very quickly got attacked by three of them across the race.
The tracks offer variety, each with a unique theme despite all being based in urban locations. Every track offers multiple approaches, whether that be smaller ones such as taking a super jump to a higher level or using the walls or larger ones. Such as branching paths that provide a bit of respite from the chaos if you take the right one. Though not too much.
DeathSprint 66 is a very fun and chaotic time. A lot of great action, some greatly designed tracks to run around, and just as any racing game, the urge for one more race is strong with this one. As such, I can easily recommend giving DeathSprint 66 a go. And I would love to see more on-foot racers around.
If you want DeathSprint 66 and 17 other games, the Jingle Jam Games Collection is one to support. For a minimum of £35, you too can support eight great charities and get some games for doing so. Alongside DeathSprint 66 are games such as Wildfrost, Two Point Campus and Another Crab’s Treasure.
Images Taken From:
DeathSprint 66 | Steam
