Denshattack! – Review

Overview – developed by Undercoders and published by Fireshrine games/Boltray Games, Denshattack! is a train action game set in a colorful Japanese dystopia. As Emi, take to the tracks on your special train as you ride the rails, performing tricks and hitting grinds to be the best in the underground sport of Denshattack!. This title is available for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox series and Steam, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.

Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank JF Games PR for providing the copies of Denshattack! that were used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.

Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. Please be aware, I will only be covering the core elements of the game, as there I don’t wish to spoil the excitement and surprises that this game holds for players. Please note, all images used are from the Nintendo Switch 2 version early in the game to prevent major spoilers.

Story – In the future, a climate crisis pushed many into domed cities across Japan. But on the outside, people survived and even thrived. Emi is a Ramen Delivery girl, driving her train to get her ramen to the people on the outside. During a delivery, she meets Fernando, a photographer who tells her about Denshattack. An underground sport where the best drivers compete to be the best, inspiring Emi to want to jump in an take on the top Denshattackers.

Gameplay – Denshattack! is an interesting hybrid of racing, platforming and extreme sports, where trains hit the rails at high speeds, drift around corners and perform gravity defying tricks. This adventure is spread across multiple chapters, where the player will travel across Japan, hitting locations like Kyushu Osaka and Hokkaido. While travelling across the country, Emi will encounter a colorful cast of characters, who make up the Denshattack scene.

On each of the courses, the player will blast down the tracks at high speeds, hitting big jumps and break neck turns. To conquer each of the stages, players will need to master several skills. These include the ability to drift around the corners, maintaining the momentum and getting a boost, rail transfer where players switch tracks in the air and rail grinding. But the most important skill to learn is how to hit the big tricks while in the air.

While soaring through the air, the player will be able to perform tricks is a manner similar to Skateboarding games. Each time the player takes off from the ground by a ramp or using the gravity jump skill, the player can use the right stick to spin and flip their train. There are numerous tricks that players can pull off, with star ratings related to the skill that is being used. Easy tricks are one star with the most challenging tricks having four stars tied to them.

The tricks and skills will start of simple, only having jumps to perform the flips and spins on them. But as the adventure progresses, courses will introduce new more challenging mechanics for tricks, like rails for grinding, wall ride areas to cross gaps and vert ramps to get big air. All of the elements mix together allowing for extended trick combos, with the ability to manual on two wheels, giving players the potential for massive score combos.  

As the player makes their way through the Denshattack circuit, a special heightened power will be unlocked called Yaoyorozudo. This allows Denshattack drivers to see a special rainbow track, allowing them to ride on the air itself. To activate this power, players must fill a rainbow bolt on the side of the screen, with combo tricks being the fastest way to fill it up. It will activate automatically, with alternate paths and secret routes that will open up to players.

There will also be hazards and obstacles on these tracks, as there will be the corners that must be drifted on, stop signs and environmental hazards that will get in the way. If the player fails to drift, they will crash their train and be returned to the track. This will also occur if the player hits any of the hazards, like stop signs and fallen rocks they will also crash out. It is also possible to go out of bounds by jumping while on corners or not switching rails.  

In each of the chapters, the player will need to take on a variety of challenges and objectives, with the most common being the standard stages. Here the player will need to reach the goal in as short a time as they can, while also performing tricks to get the maximum score possible. Alongside the standard stages, there will be challenge stages, including objective based stages and score stages, where players must reach a target score to clear it.

When a stage ends, the player will get a medal rating based on three different criteria. There is the score and time targets, with three levels to them split into bronze, silver and gold. Then we have the Dares, which are special stage challenges including performing selected tricks, reaching combos and collecting special spray paint/film items on the track. The final medal awarded will be based on the average of all three end stage criteria.   

At set points during each of the chapters, players will encounter boss stages where they must engage in battles against the leader of the region. These battles stages can get chaotic, with each of the bosses having a unique mechanic tied to them, including giant mecha magical girls and a worm like chain of trains. To clear the boss, the player must survive dangerous hazards, dodge deadly attacks and stay on the track to take down the imposing rivals in battle.

Between stages, the player can access the garage where they can alter the look of their train, with colors, patterns and graffiti art that can be applied. From the start of the game, there are limited options for cosmetics, with a few options to select. However, throughout the adventure players will find castles on the overworld map, where they can access the shops. Here players can buy new cosmetics, as well as accessing the train market later in the game.

The overworld map itself is rather large, connecting all of the stages together across Japan. The player will see different details that are tied to the area they are in, with elements including the Domed Cities, Moai style statues and even a Ferris Wheel. Players can also find special printing shops, where they will be able to produce special Denshattack Fanzines. These give details on the region the player is in, showing character arts, action shots and more.

There is a lot of replay value with this release, where players will be able to return to previous stages to replay them to improve scores. This can be very useful as many of the stages will have no crash challenges, where the player must make their way to the end of the stage without crashing their train. These are the toughest challenges when first playing a stage, as it can take a few attempts to get used to layouts and be able to ride the rails flawlessly.

Last to discuss is the bonus and secret content to discover. There is a special optional seasonal skin pack, offering four different looks based on the seasons of the year, for a relatively low cost. Then we have the special collaboration packs, which feature art and some voices of popular internet personalities, including Ironmouse, Limealicious and RT Game. These are activated by entering special codes in the custom shop.

The codes for these special collaboration unlocks have appeared during streams, but can also be found scattered across the internet. Having these special codes included in the game are a great bonus, blending the different elements of internet culture with the Japanese inspirations. All of these bonuses are optional, but are a great addition and provide even more depth to the content on offer for players.

Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.

Controls – There is a rather well balanced control system for this release. The control for the train moving left and right is uses the left thumbstick, with the right being used to perform different tricks, similar to games like SKATE. For the drifting and jumping the player uses the triggers, which can cause some hiccups by pressing the wrong button during tense sections. However, all of the inputs are rather easy to pick up and play.

Difficulty – In general Denshattack! has a rather gradual difficulty curve, with the occasional difficulty spike during boss battles. Thankfully, there is no real punishment for failure in stages, as you can keep replaying the stage to clear it. During my time playing the game, there were no real struggles to get through a stage, but some of the challenges can be rather tricky. But with enough patience, it is possible to get the maximum ranks.

Presentation – visually, this game is just dripping in the style of its inspirations, with a cel-shaded and vibrant graphical presentation. The different Japanese aesthetics all meld together, with Gyaru and delinquent cultures, alongside anime themes like Mechs working well together. Then we have the artwork for characters that have been inspired by classic anime, with each theme being distinctly unique. Everything just pops with color, which adds to the experience.

The sound is also very good, with music from Tee Lopes, Ryo Nagamatsu, Sean Bialo and more. These different styles offer a robust variety of sounds, with electro funk, sampled vocal big beat, heavy rock and even classic Japanese instrumentation. This makes it feel familiar, yet fresh. For the voice lines, there is English and Japanese options, with the English cast featuring the talents of Rhianon Moushall (Honkai: Star Rail), Dev Joshi (Arknights) and Tei Sussex (The Witcher).

Performance – I was able to test Denshattack! on both Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion GO S (Steam OS version), alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 and standard PC release. Using the Handheld PC systems, there were no issues in terms of resolution, with no stutters or skipping at the default game settings. Sound comes through clean, without distortion or problems at max volume. The fan speed fluctuates to match the demands of the game, but doesn’t become and annoyance.

Inputs are responsive, with no issues in terms of delay or lag in play. The screen clarity and depth of color is good on both systems, but better on the Lenovo Legion GO S compared to the Steam Deck, which may be due to the bigger screen. Text Visibility is good at default size, but relatively small which is a downside to the portable nature of the systems. Loading times didn’t feel log or drawn out, and cutscenes played with no issues.  

The handheld PC versions play as well as it does on a nicely Spec’d PC. Speaking of the PC, the game plays well, with a wide variety of adjustable settings and modifications that can be made. The game is very well optimised and performs well on a range of hardware. This is proven by how smooth and clean the Nintendo Switch 2 version works, as it offers a stable and engaging experience, both on the big screen and via a handheld format.

Final Thoughts – I am a big fan of the extreme sports genre, as well as the experimental games from Japan that would go off the rails (pun intended). So when Denshattack! was announced, I was very excited, as it evoked the feel of games like Jet Set Radio and early Tony Hawk. I enjoyed every second of this chaotic adventure, with the exciting tricks and set pieces of different tracks being a highlight. There is just so much fun to have with this game.

All of the different elements come together to create something wholly unique, which is a rarity when it comes to the current gaming landscape. Denshattack! is challenging and a lot of fun to play, with a tremendous amount of replay value, and all that is missing is some form of global ranking, but the community will take care of that. I am happy to recommend this release to everyone, as I feel it must be experienced to feel that thrill that has mostly been lost in modern days.

In the end, I give Denshattack! a final score of 5/5. This is a chaotic, frantic and thrilling mash up of extreme sports, Japanese culture and a banging soundtrack, with a fantastic amount of depth to the content and a charm that persists throughout. If you want to check this release out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.

Link to Nintendo Switch 2 version (HERE)

Link to Steam version (HERE)

Link to PlayStation 5 version (HERE)

Link to XBOX Series version (HERE)