Picture lightning-fast foot races, savage battles to the death up until the finish line, lethal obstacles, and ruthless ability pickups that tear your opponents to shreds—welcome to DeathSprint 66.
DeathSprint 66 is a game in development by Sumo Digital, coming to Steam on Sept. 12, 2024.
Set in 2066, you fall into this dystopian world where the unequivocally gory DeathSprint is for "entertainment purposes only." A gladiatorial arena of sorts is graced by eight players in a race to the finish line, using any means necessary to get there. This isn't ancient Rome, although this spectator sport is not for the squeamish.
A playtest for DeathSprint 66 took place on Aug. 8-9 at set times for those who signed up via Steam.
So, shall we? Let's talk all about the DeathSprint 66 playtest!
What is #DEATHSPRINT66?
— DeathSprint 66 (@DEATHSPRINT66) July 20, 2024
Gladiatorial combat. The ultimate gameshow. Visceral. Messy.
But above all? Entertainment. https://t.co/qhiylpqz6S pic.twitter.com/Fxj81JHhe7
A world ravaged by climate change, desolate in nature but still, somehow, these cyberpunk cities stand. In the year 2066, a corporation by the name of Bachman Media Network set out to host a new headline show called DeathSprint.
Eight challengers assume the role of Clone Jockeys as they take control of an endless supply of clones (which they will need) to complete this deadly, fast-paced foot race or fall short in a gruesome demise.
Just as it was in ancient Roman coliseums, winning the race is not merely enough to satisfy these bloodthirsty viewers; you must also entertain the audience on your way to the finish line.
The art style of the world that the players are thrown into is quite stunning, even though you are running at Mach speeds most of the time. There is a sense of wonder within the world itself—how did these people get here, what led to the destruction of the world, and why on God's green earth (or not-so-green earth) is there a corporation hell-bent on a bloody death race?
Either way, the world sets the mood for how perfectly fitting it is that you are thrown in with seven other high-speed junkies, all trying to slice and dice you with everything in their arsenal just to hit that finish line before you.
Imagine this: Mario Kart on foot, an ultra-high-speed race with obstacles that will shred your clone into pieces, while also having ability pickups that can either take out your enemy (like the GIGA SAW) or boost your overall speed and demolish anything in your way with the swiftness of turning them into red mist.
With the Mario Kart example still in mind, the abilities that can be picked up are genuinely fun and uniquely balanced. At first, you think, "How can it be balanced if there is already an abundance of deadly traps on the race tracks and you are also running at 1,000 mph?" Well, it's exactly that—chaos, but controlled chaos.
As I was making my way through the race tracks, bobbing and weaving around other challengers who would also run into me (collision is a thing) and bump me off my direction, I thought to myself, "What would make this more fun? How about the fact that you can also drift and speed boost yourself?"
Who said that exploding bodies and flying limbs can’t be funny?
— DeathSprint 66 (@DEATHSPRINT66) August 12, 2024
Not the Bachman Media Network!
And apparently not those early playtesters. The sickos.#DEATHSPRINT66 pic.twitter.com/qFdvZUuTuD
Yes, you heard that correctly—you can drift around corners at any speed and then come off that corner into a little boost, as you would in many Mario Kart games. I cannot begin to describe how satisfying it was to drift around those corners so perfectly and then continue into another sick parkour move—jumping onto a wall to wall-run or hanging onto a rail gliding through the air.
It did take some time to realize that if I was running at the highest speed possible and drifted around a tight corner, I would go flying off the race track and then subsequently get ABSOLUTELY OBLITERATED BY A LASER FROM THE SKY!
Clearly, they don't want those human clones getting away.
That leads me to my final quick point. There is a learning curve, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to pick up because this game boasts a very fun, "If I lose, I lose" mentality in its gameplay.
I found myself losing embarrassingly with 12-plus deaths on occasion and still having a blast. Finally, upon coming in first place, completing a perfect run, or even racking up 10-plus kills like a maniac, you end up understanding how fun DeathSprint 66 truly is.
With DeathSprint 66 set to release on Steam on Sept. 12, 2024, you won't want to miss a single update, as there may be a beta or more playtests in the future. So don't forget to wishlist DeathSprint 66 on Steam, follow the Sumo Digital team on X for all the updates, dev deep dives, new trailers, and be sure to come back to the Indie Space Café anytime!
