It’s rare that we get something that’s genuinely new in video games nowadays, but Denshattack! from developer Undercoders is unlike anything else. You can obviously feel and see the games and anime it takes inspiration from, but it makes it all its own with unending maximalist energy that never loses its heart. It’s endlessly creative, with each new level unlike what came before, and unafraid to go so off the rails that you can never predict where a level will go when it starts. It’s fantastic and a creative force, a reminder of how much obvious love can be poured into a game. Denshattack! is a nonstop, bombastic thrill ride that I never wanted to end.
Def(Eat) The Rich
Denshattack! takes place in a Japan that’s surviving the aftermath of an environmental catastrophe. The rich and powerful live in comfort in giant domes, protected from the harsh realities of the world outside, connected by high-speed rail lines. Everyone else outside makes do, with Emi, our hero, running deliveries on the local lines to try and help her community. Before long, she learns of Denshattack, train battles rife with tricks and giant personalities, as she sets out to take on the gangs that control each area of Japan.
The story here is great, very shounen in its aspirations and delivery. Emi is easy to love, with her infectious energy and belief in something better being foundational to who she is. Eri adds to her budding gang as she goes, turning enemies into friends and focused on the well-being of those around her. It starts out as simple, but quickly goes full anti-capitalist and anti-corporation, with Emi fighting to free everyone from the mega corporations that rule over Japan. It’s bombastic and loud, wearing its heart on its sleeve as it talks about the power of community and love. Can it be a bit cheesy? Sure, but it’s so honest and earnest in its message that you can’t help but smile even when you know what’s coming. Even in all the explosions and giant moments, Denshattack! firmly grounds itself in Emi and her supporting cast.
Train-ing Arc
While the narrative is a lot of fun, the star of the show in Denshattack! is the train battles at the core of it’s design. Every level is separated into one of five types. One type has you getting to the end of the level, another chases high trick scores, the third being races, another has multiple objectives and routes, and the last are boss battles. Every single one of these levels are creatively woven and designed, with each one a total blast to fly through. Whether it’s grinding rails, drifting around corners, doing huge tricks in the air and chaining together combos, or fighting massive bosses, each with their own unique mechanics, every level is so much fun to move through. There’s not one moment of frustration or annoyance, no broken mechanics, everything feels tightly designed and like it belongs exactly where it’s supposed to be.
You never know what you’re about to see as you dive into a new level, each one a surprise box of creativity. One may have you landing atop a giant Ferris wheel, breaking it free of its bindings and riding it through the bay. Another sends you crashing through enemies before taking on a giant boss that throws baseballs at you. Denshattack is never afraid to really push its own limits, even flying off the track when the situation calls for it. There are so many tricks and techniques, new ones being unlocked and taught to you with every new chapter, adding layer after layer of complexity and momentum. Things may start simple, with a grind and jump, but before long, you add wall riding, manuals, and plenty more to help you traverse the rails. When the rails aren’t enough, you can even detach entirely, go underwater, turn into a cable car – Denshattack! is more interested in making you feel like an unreal train god than tying itself to the ground.
Tricking All The Way To Rainbow Rails
That’s not all, either: even in levels that aren’t focused on your trick score, your score still matters. Tricking enough builds up a meter that, when full, adds new rainbow rails to the level, opening up new pathways and shortcuts. Some of the additional level objectives are hidden behind these glowing, colourful avenues, making you focus on the next 180 trick as much as on the path forward. These objectives give plenty of life to each level beyond their story focus, and some will take multiple playthroughs to find everything hidden along their rails. It gives you a reason to rip through cherry blossom-laden hilltops, quiet towns, electric cities, and snow-capped mountains all over again to try and run down what you missed.
These collectibles are important, too, serving as a way to unlock new cosmetics and trains. Each area has its own stickers to collect and magazine pages to fill out, with the stickers used as decals on your trains. They look fantastic, each area bringing its own style to your train. Whether it’s spider-webs from the yakuza, or baseball coverings from a gang obsessed with power, I couldn’t stop buying new stuff just to see how it’d look. This extends to new trains as well, each with its own pros and cons. Denshattack! doesn’t get weighed down in numbers and stats; instead, it’s as simple as one train giving a bigger grind boost but a smaller window to do it in. Another may give you higher points for tricks, but the trade-off is that it tricks more slowly. It’s easy to understand and play around with, and some trains are genuinely better suited to certain tracks, especially if you’re chasing high scores.
Visual Assault
One of the best parts of Denshattack! is the huge set-piece boss battles against the other gang leaders. Each one is wildly different from the last and incredibly creative. The first boss fight is one against a giant Gundam-style mech that culminates in you riding its own fist back into its face. Another fight turns into a bullet hell, where another has you flying through the air on debris to get closer to them at the center of a giant tornado. Each one is an absolute shining moment in a package full of fun, capping off what feels like an arc of a battle anime as your skills are put to the test against massive foes.
It’s not just that Denshattack! plays incredibly well, it also looks and sounds fantastic. The cell-shaded art style keeps the environment bright and engaging, while the trains and character designs are colourful and memorable. The music is incredible, with electric, upbeat synths that are a joy to listen to, energizing the player with every drift and trick. It all comes together to create an experience you can’t help but gawk at. It also runs like a dream on Steam Deck, with absolutely no performance issues whatsoever.
Verdict
I was already excited about Denshattack!, confident that the experience we’d get from Undercoders would be enjoyable. What I wasn’t expecting was one of my favourite games of the year blasting across the screen at full speed. Denshattack! is so much fun to play, a blast to look at and listen to, and entirely original. I never expected to be drifting a train around a tight corner through the streets of Tokyo, but I’m sure glad Denshattack! delivers on that promise. From the creative level designs, to each boss being different than the last, Denshattack! is a creative force that I can’t put down.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: Steam Deck
