Denshattack! review for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch 2

If you told me this summer’s biggest adventure would be triggered because someone ordered some Doordash, I’d probably throw you the most puzzled look ever. However this is the inciting incident in the Undercoders developed Denshattack!. Aspiring photojournalist Fernando meets ramen delivery girl Emi and comments on her skills as a train conductor asking if she has heard of the sport of Denshattack, this innocent inquiry kicks off a cross country trek to become the best Denshattacker in a post-apolocalyptic (but still surprisingly vibrant looking) Japan.

Your time in the game will be spent in the conductor’s seat as you drive a locomotive that can jump, spin, grind, dive, drift and possibly more. Levels are varied from your standard point to point drives, races, mutli-objective and trick arenas. Medals for high scores, fast course completion (except in trick arenas), in-stage objectives known as dares, collectibles such as spray cans, film, and gears keeps levels you going back until you’ve achieved triple gold across the game’s 65 levels.

Each of the game’s regions, which are based in actual Japanese areas, get capped off with a boss fight with the head of the region’s Denshattack gang which are themed on some sort of stereotype (Gyaru, Sukeban, Rockabillies, Yakuza). Every one of these boss encounters are a spectacle which serves as a skill check of a mechanic introduced in the region. My only gripe with these encounters are that the cutscenes aren’t skippable at the moment (it will be patched post-release), which makes it a bit of an annoyance since you will likely need to make multiple runs before you get that triple gold medal status.

The trick system which will bring most of the fun to your experience is surprisingly easy to learn, but tough to master. Flip tricks are done purely on the right analog stick, chaining moves in a single jump requires a watchful eye and dexterous thumbs. Grinding rails require you to keep your arrow in the green and prolonged stays in the red regions will result in a derailing. The game also distinguishes itself from action sports titles with the Yukaze (Phantom Wind) which serves as a springboard which sends your train into the air and well as the rainbow tinged Yaoyorozudo, a set of tracks which appear when your trick meter is full leading to alternate paths and additional scoring opportunities.

One of the things which charmed me was the game’s world building. Denshattack exists in a Japan recovering from environmental devastation. You would think this would lead to a drab and dreary environment, however Undercoders subverted the expectations. Every stage is filled to the brim with color, sure there is debris and ruins where these tracks run, but if I wasn’t trying to snatch those medals I certainly would be doing a lot of sightseeing. The cast of characters, while they tend to lean on stereotypes, are surprisingly well fleshed out thanks to the onsen feature in the game. As you soak in its warm waters you’ll get interactions which you learn about what drives them. My only disappointment is that characters in the back half of the game don’t get the same treatment that characters from the earlier sections receive.

When I reviewed Bakeru, one of the things I enjoyed was the regional facts that were featured as a collectible, which were both educational and entertaining. Denshattack! also utilizes this in the form of their “fanzine” feature, collecting film will let you populate each region’s magazine which gives you insight to the gang, local specialties and even the region’s spin on ramen.

Denshattack! really hits all the right notes, easy to pick up, but challenging to master, with a fantastic cast and setting, as well as an earworm of a soundtrack that you won’t get tired of. You can really tell the team has a deep and reverent understanding of Japanese Culture. I think the only thing I wish the game had was some sort of leaderboard in regards to stage scores and clear times as I would love to know who truly sits at the top of the Denshattack mountain. If you enjoy titles such as Jet Set Radio, Neon White, you owe it to yourself to experience this one…hell, I’m tempted to delete my 100% save to start all over again!

Note: Fireshine Games provided us with a Denshattack! code for review purposes.