I remember when making your game as stylish as possible was a marketing imperative. Jet Set Radio. Okami. Sable. Persona. Bayonetta. Crazy Taxi. Viewtiful Joe. Devil May Cry. Muramasa. Cuphead. Metal Gear Rising. Journey. Hi-Fi Rush. Katana Zero. No More Heroes. Furi. Lollipop Chainsaw.
Style and stylishness are not always the same thing. Video games with strong visual direction, like Firewatch, BioShock, Thomas Was Alone, or Shadow of the Colossus, sport unique, often-copied, distinguishing styles that make them stand out from a crowd of copy-paste emulators and generically mainstream presentations. Truly stylish games are a memorable rarity, precious to the indie video game space, where titles like Denshattack! flourish. Packed with Y2K Sega Dreamcast energy, Undercoders’ new masterpiece recalls afternoons locked in on high scores and eclectic realities.
What is Denshattack? On paper and screen, it looks like an ambitiously stylized Tony Hawk clone, where you control gravity-defying trains tricking across a Japanese fever dream of physics-defying theme parks and railroad superhighways. Denshattack! is a creative, ambitious, no-rules take on abstract, no-holds-barred gaming experiences, beautifully uniting arcade gameplay with anime dynamics and an adrenaline-boosting musical score.
Racing Across Japan
Denshattack’s setting matters. As a ramen delivery driver in a post-calamity, post-climate, dystopian Japan, Emi delivers ramen by train between prefectures. Most of Japan’s society lives in domed cities controlled by a mascot-fronted megacorporation called Miraido. Miraido not only controls the VACTRAIN system that enables high-speed travel between the domed cities, but is also powered by an AI construct on the Moon. Denshattack! fulfills every cyberpunk, fight-the-power fantasy while also being fun and stylish as hell.
The game’s anti-government sentiment and aesthetic make it completely punk rock, setting the stage for catastrophic conflicts and epic boss battles between talented train drivers—called “Denshattackers.” As Emi and her photographer friend Fernando travel from district to district looking for other Denshattackers, their collision course crosses paths with eclectic personalities and creates a countrywide network of ambitious drivers hell-bent on ending Miraido’s control and bringing down the VACTRAIN system.
What’s more, the setting and political message aren’t incidental: Denshattack! is a blast to play but a sobering reminder of where the world is headed, showcasing a Japan completely altered by global climate change and tyrannical government overreach. Denshattackers trick their way through each prefecture in the same way that the scrappy kids from the movie Hackers rollerblade themselves from PC port to phone booth. It’s rebellious necessity by way of Rule of Cool.
As Emi continues to use her customizable, gravity-defying train across a truly impressive array of levels, Denshattack! becomes much more than an on-rails indie Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Part Jet Set Radio, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Crazy Taxi, Denshattack! adds a truly impressive array of tricks and abilities to your initial arsenal as you must race, score, and trick your way across dystopian Japan. While challenging, Denshattack! never feels overwhelming, and gradually ups the stakes, ensuring you claim the top spot as Japan’s primo Denshattacker.
As with any good indie classic, it all comes down to the gameplay. Grind rails, ride walls, magnetize to separate train lines, attach to monorails, land colossal jumps, and more as this high-speed experiment takes you through demanding gameplay variety and intensive stunts. With every failed trick and every lost race, Denshattack! wasn’t just demanding a comprehensive understanding of the mechanics—Denshattack! wants you to excel and to stay on the rails for the ride of a lifetime.
Better Boss Fights
Denshattack’s absurd velocities and breakneck speeds are glorified by magnificent boss fights that run the gamut of magical girl mechs, kaiju, labyrinthine cityscapes, cyberpunk baseball matches, and more.
The blood-pumping, train-flipping, feet-stomping soundtrack is an eclectic mix of EDM, funk grooves, breakbeat, old-school hip-hop, and Y2K punk energy.
Landing ollies and heelflips are a greater challenge when mastering the unique, silly-as-hell boss fights, and the temptation to land the highest score possible never subsides, even when faced with the sweat-tickling possibility of a combo-severing crash. While the best tricks require fighting game inputs, there are plenty of chances across the game’s 15-hour runtime to land the coolest trick-chains imaginable in the face of incessant danger. The level variety is truly awe-inspiring, and more than a little impressive. Not to mention that Emi has her own power: Yaoyorozuo, or 8 Million Roads, grants access to crazier paths via Rainbow Road-colored tracks that take you way outside each stage’s initial design.
The joy of Denshattack! seamlessly combines everything you’ve learned up to any given point, incorporating your newest abilities to take down prefecture-ending threats. It’s all important—especially when defeating a truly great Denshattacker means that the train-driving psycho will most likely join Emi’s team of lovable anime misfits. The payoff for these atmospheric boss fights is more than a new ability or a forgettable upgrade. The power of friendship has never been more real.
The Sounds of Style
Denshattack! is an action game at heart, meaning there’s tons to collect, plenty of reasons to replay levels, alternate abilities, customizable aesthetics, and secrets to unlock. What sets Denshattack! apart is its memorable soundtrack, a veritable “who’s who” of the indie composer scene (2Mello, Tee Lopes) plus easily recognizable funk and jazz masters Shoji Meguro and Lotus Juice from the Persona games.
Every level is set to an adrenaline-pumping powerhouse of a song that makes replays and crashes all the more satisfying. Since hardcore Denshattackers are scored by both time and tricks, comfortable players will master every single one of the game’s otherworldly repertoire (air currents, monorail tracks, magnet tracks, wall riding, double-track grinding) while head-banging along. The blood-pumping, train-flipping, feet-stomping soundtrack is an eclectic mix of EDM, funk grooves, breakbeat, old-school hip-hop, and Y2K punk energy.
This is an afternoon video game, a weekend video game, a delightful way to pass the time while recalling that intense, joyful experiences might just be what this medium is all about.
Music remains at the heart of a truly stylish gaming experience. Bright colors and cool protagonists only go so far when eking out the dynamics of a neophyte Denshattacker. None of this matters unless you look and sound like a badass while grinding double rails and doing 1080s in your gravity-defying railcar.
A Reason to Ride the Rails
While the average mission and level are short, there’s plenty to collect and infinite reasons to replay your favorite tracks, pushing for the high score and the shiniest medal. When not crushing each region’s ludicrous boss fights or finding that sweet secret that lets you pull into first during one of the many racing segments, Denshattack! does a great job distracting you with its most earnest feature: an anime-esque narrative full of charming characters.
Emi’s rise to power may be familiar to those savvy to JRPG and anime tropes, but Denshattack’s steep learning curve and surprising length are made easier by trick tracks alongside a breezy, enjoyable narrative of rebellion and destruction of the powers-that-be while yakuza, oldheads, nerds, and master Denshattackers fill us with the power of determination. Flamboyant character designs and vibrant personalities come together, all to remind you that maybe the apocalypse isn’t that bad when you have friends.
What developer Undercoders has created is a marvel of both video game design and old-school fun. This is an afternoon video game, a weekend video game, a delightful way to pass the time while recalling that intense, joyful experiences might just be what this medium is all about.
Is Denshattack! a rhythm game? The next great stylish action clone? A Tony Hawk-like? Does it matter? As Denshattack! throws unexpected obstacles and unique challenges your way, you won’t care. It’s an unabashedly good time that never exceeds its grasp or pulls on the brakes. It’s fast, frenetic, and fun. Denshattack! might be the biggest surprise of the year.
Denshattack! is available on PC , PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2
