Scream Scrying
Released
A blind multiplayer obstacle race: the world is pitch black, and only sound lights the way.
Everyone races blind.
Scream Scrying is a multiplayer obstacle race on a course you can't see. The world is pitch black, and the only light comes from sound. Your footsteps ripple across the floor beneath you. Every hit a racer takes sends out a pulse everyone can see. And when you're lost, you can scream.
A scream lights up everything around you: the gap ahead, the lava, the crusher about to drop. It also costs you health, shows every rival where you are, and tells the Hush exactly where to find you.
How a race plays
- Line up with up to 7 rivals, in total darkness.
- Feel your way forward by your footsteps, and read the course from other racers' pain.
- Scream when you need to see. The longer you hold it, the further the wave reaches and the more it costs.
- Grab powerups, stay away from the Hush, and reach the finish first.
Features
- A new course every race. Every layout is generated fresh, and it gets harder as the match goes on: pits, spikes, lava, ice, lasers, crushers, saws, flames, sweepers, wind and collapsing floors.
- The Hush. A silent monster joins every race a few seconds after the start. It makes no sound and gives off no light, so you only see it when someone else's pulse washes over it. Scream near it and you become its target.
- Movement with depth. Perfect hops keep and build your speed, slide-jumps clear long gaps, and ledge catches save a jump that came up short.
- 12 powerups. Light up the world with a Flare, cut your rivals' sonar with a Blackout, stop the machines with Time Freeze, trade places with Swap, or end someone's race with One Shot: a gun with one bullet.
- Three modes. Classic scores points by place (first to 30 wins). In Elimination, last place is out each race. Time trial puts you on fixed courses against your own best. Mutators (Pitch black, Low gravity, Echo storm) add +10% XP each.
- Up to 8 racers online, with bots at four skill levels to fill the field, or to race against solo.
- Proximity voice chat. You hear racers near you, but talking sends out a faint ripple, so chatter gives you away.
- Replays after every race, with a director camera that picks out the highlights.
- Progression. Earn XP to level up and unlock neon colours, footstep styles and titles.
New to it?
A two-minute practice run teaches you to see in the dark: walking, screaming, perfect hops, slide-jumps and ledge catches.
Accessibility
Settings for flash intensity, colour-blind colours, camera motion, and HUD and menu size. A photosensitivity notice appears on first launch, and brightness is capped however many pulses overlap.
Controls
WASD move · Space jump · Ctrl slide · Shift (hold) sneak · Right mouse (hold, then release) scream · Left mouse use item · V talk · Tab scoreboard
Keys can be rebound in the s&box settings, and the How to Play page shows your current bindings.
Credits
Original synthwave score. Sound effects (CC0) from Kenney and OpenGameArt (HaelDB, Exewin, SketchMan3, kurt). Fonts: Monoton, Audiowide and Share Tech Mono (SIL Open Font License).