When it comes to theme park games, Frontier Developments can be considered one of the experts in the field. Going back, it's done the recent Zoo Tycoon remake, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, both Thrillville games, and all three entries in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series. With that kind of pedigree and experience, ScreamRide could simply be an extension of what the developer has done before. Even though the game features roller coasters, that's about where the similarities end.

The game is divided into four vastly different disciplines. In engineering, you're given a set of objectives to complete, whether it's as simple as adding a loop to a track or making sure a coaster covers a specific travel distance. Several of the levels vary between having most of the track built, so you only need to fill in the pieces, and having most of it empty, so you have free reign over the design. Once you think you have everything set, you put the design to the test by putting a coaster car on the track and letting it run while you see the results.

In a way, Engineering is like the tutorial mode, since the techniques and manipulation of tools is something you'll do quite often in another discipline. Compared to the other modes, it's also more like a puzzle, since you'll figure out some creative ways to reach the primary and secondary goals while dealing with a limited amount of space and parts at your disposal. It can lead one to be creative with designs, especially since you can only fail if you create a track where a coaster flies off the rail or stalls due to lack of momentum. Sending riders off the coaster, which usually spells instant failure in other titles, is merely a stat here, so you're encouraged to let people fly if you can.

There are a few things that ScreamRide could have done better. The camera angle is probably the biggest one, as there doesn't seem to be a way to easily see if you can attach pieces together to complete a loop. There is an option to let the game do it for you, so you can relieve headaches from trying to figure it out. The building interface is a little clumsy, but you'll get accustomed to it after a few levels; it's more of a compromise on the limitations of a controller than bad design. What some players will dislike is the sharp rise in difficulty toward the latter half of the Engineer campaign. With the game shifting from being loose and forgiving to demandingly precise, some players may lack the patience to finish it all.

Screamrider is the second discipline, and it will satisfy adrenaline junkies. You're given a completed track and asked to ride it from beginning to end, sometimes for multiple laps. Instead of sitting back and enjoying the ride through a third-person camera, you take control of the coaster's various aspects. You control the acceleration and braking speeds as well as the ability to use turbo for an extra speed kick. There's also the chance to bank the coaster, let it hug sharp turns, or throw caution to the wind as you ride the rail on two wheels for extra thrills. Since you're in full control of the coaster, you can derail and throw everyone off, but that is more like a time penalty instead of immediate track failure. This gives everyone a chance to ride each track from beginning to end without requiring much skill.

The mode is exciting because it feels like a blend of Trials and any high-speed racing game. Learning to manage turbo for boosting at the right times makes a big difference in terms of how you approach the sudden turns, and there is the constant temptation to go on two wheels. The reaction times needed to ensure you get the most out of your boosts are designed so you aren't accelerating all the time. The addition of things like jumps and collapsible rails adds a touch of danger to the proceedings. Though you aren't worried about environmental dangers, there are enough twists and surprises on the track that being vigilant is the only way to get a high score.

Demolition is the third discipline, and it's pretty unexpected. It plays out like a 3-D version of Angry Birds in that you fling your craft into buildings to take them down. You start out with a simple steel ball in a swinging mechanism, but you soon graduate to a modification of the ball, with parts that spread out at the press of a button and a coaster with an added rocket thrust. No matter which craft you choose, you have the benefit of aftertouch to tweak your direction. You also have plenty of other environmental aids at your disposal to maximize damage, such as trampolines, hoops that give you speed boosts, and magnets that change your direction.

The simple act of destroying stuff is fun. It's always great to see the various structures collapse when you crash into that sweet spot, especially when the debris hits explosives and causes even much more destruction. The initial point threshold for passing stages is rather low, so you can easily pass stages without really trying, but the multitude of secondary tasks at your disposal ensures you'll chase scores for a while.

The campaign mode encompasses the three disciplines, but it doesn't force you into playing all of them. You can boot up the game, go through all of the levels in one stage's discipline, and move on to the next stage without worrying about the two skipped disciplines. With only six stages and a few levels for each type, you'll run out of content rather quickly unless you make an effort to play through all of Demolition, Engineer and Screamrider. Then again, this may not be a bad thing, since the levels start to feel the same even with a steady amount of additions thrown in per stage. Plowing through them in one sitting can be fatiguing, but tackling them in small chunks makes the experience more enjoyable in the long run. The game provides leaderboards and bonus challenges to urge you to replay the levels, so high score chasers and perfectionists can continue to enjoy the campaign.

The fourth discipline is Sandbox mode, which feels like a mix of the three other disciplines. Using the same interface as Engineer, you're given all of the necessary tools to build your own level, and the only restriction is the amount of space in your chosen environment. Whether you choose to drive a coaster or aim rider crafts at buildings, you can determine the values for up to five different goals per stage for the player to accomplish. You can also create custom items, such as building types or island platforms, so your creation isn't simply standing in the free ocean.

The community aspect of this mode really gives it life. Everything is shareable, from Destruction levels to Screamrider stages and island blueprints. It's easy to search for any of these things, and the load times for each menu is fast enough that you'll spend more time browsing than waiting. The download speed is fast, so it's easy to try everything rather than go by ratings and descriptions. There are a good number of levels covering Demolition, Engineer and Screamrider, and there are lots of high-quality blueprints on the marketplace, and the uploading of new content seems to be steady.

However, there are a few bothersome items associated with this. Unlike the other modes, there is no leaderboard here, so you won't be able to see how you've done against other community creations. While you can immediately jump into the creation system from the start of the game, you won't be able to play with the really cool pieces unless you complete all of the campaign levels. You can access some community creations and build something good, but some of the locked pieces are both essential and fun, so completing the campaign can feel like a chore for players who are only interested in creation.

Graphically, ScreamRide is fine. The character models animate well enough, and their overall look is more cartoon-like than realistic. The environments are detailed nicely, and the game moves along at a very solid 30 frames without any drops, unless you destroy a very dense area of buildings. Building destruction is sublime, with individual blocks singled out as buildings collapse and shatter into various chunk sizes. Overall, this doesn't do much to make it look like a newer-generation title. Save for the choppy waves of the water and some building destruction, everything looks like it was taken from the 360 game and upscaled a bit.

The sound is rather well done. All of the effects — from collapsing buildings to the coaster gliding along metal rails — are perfect, and the music is a nice blend of calm and thumping electronic beats. The voice work really sells the game, as the sounds of radio chatter and the PA system work due to the subtle humor. The same goes for the narrator, who seems to have cloned the inflections and nuances of GLADoS from the Portal series, right down to the dryly delivered quips.

In the end, ScreamRide proves to be fun in short doses. The four modes are quite entertaining if you love some chaos with your fun, though Engineering has some nasty difficulty spikes toward the end. The game is light on original content, but the leaderboard and many extra quests help give it legs, and the user-made creations give it some longevity. The presentation may be a little underwhelming, but few will mind since it provides such a distinct experience on the console. Gamers who are looking for something just a little different should check out ScreamRide.

Score: 8.0/10