Denshattack Review

Some games sound completely ridiculous when you describe them out loud. A train doing flips, grinding on rails, drifting around corners, and performing tricks across a futuristic Japan sounds like the kind of idea that should never leave a brainstorming session. Yet that strange concept is exactly what makes Denshattack stand out. 

It’s made by Undercoders, an indie studio that’s built a reputation for unique experiences with a heavy dose of arcade influence. It’s inspired by classic action sports titles but mixes in a completely unexpected vehicle. This makes for a game that feels familiar yet brings something entirely different to the table.

Denshattack doesn’t follow the traditional formula of skateboards, cars, or motorcycles; instead, it puts you in the driver’s seat of a train, letting you master speed, movement, and style. 

This game is a love letter to the era of creative arcade games, when developers were willing to play around with weird ideas. It takes the trick-focused energy of games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and combines it with exhilarating platforming, racing, and a colorful anime-inspired world.

The result is a game built around one simple idea: what if a train could become the coolest action hero on rails? From the moment you start playing, you realize that Denshattack is not trying to justify its strange concept. It embraces it completely and builds an entire experience around making that idea work.

You play as Emmy, a ramen delivery girl living in a future version of Japan where climate change has altered how people survive. Most of society now lives in dome cities, protected from the outside world by a powerful corporation called Marido. Life outside the safe zones is harder, and people are forming their own communities away from corporate control.

Emmy’s normal life turns upside down when she finds out about Denshattack, the underground world of train riders racing through deadly courses, doing tricks, and competing to be the best. What begins as a simple curiosity quickly becomes a personal quest as Emmy quits her job as a delivery driver and dives into a world of competing riders, oddball characters, and amazing machines.

The story is narrated in a familiar anime fashion. You travel across various areas, meeting new characters, overcoming their challenges, and eventually winning them over to your cause. Many of these characters fit recognizable roles, such as the competitive rival, the energetic fashion-focused friend, and the experienced engineer who sees potential in Emmy’s abilities.

While the story is not the main reason you will keep playing, it works well as a way to introduce the world and provide each area's personality. 

The real point is the journey itself and the set of characters you meet along the way. The story is a little predictable at times, but the upbeat attitude and rebellious spirit are very much in keeping with the game's style. It may not be chock-full of surprises, but it does a good job of endowing the world with enough personality that every new place and character feels like it’s worth experiencing.

The biggest strength of Denshattack is how confidently it handles its unusual gameplay. At its core, you are controlling a train, but calling it a simple train game would completely miss the point. Your train can jump between tracks, drift around corners, boost forward, ride along walls, grind on rails, and perform tricks in the air.

Each stage is designed around movement. You are always deciding where to go, when to jump, and how to keep your momentum going. It has the feel of an extreme sports title applied to a train, creating something that feels surprisingly natural once you become accustomed to it.

The trick system is one of the most important parts of the experience. You don't press a button to do tricks; you control tricks with directional inputs on the analog stick. You can perform basic tricks with simple moves and advanced moves with more complex combinations. The deeper you go, the more it starts feeling like learning combos in a fighting game.

At first glance, controlling everything can seem impossible. You need to control speed, changes in direction, jumps, drifting, and tricks, all while reacting to obstacles coming at you quickly. But the game gradually introduces new mechanics throughout the campaign, allowing you to build your skills instead of overwhelming you right away.

There is something new in every chapter. You can learn to use different tracks, perform new movement techniques, or interact with environmental elements. The later levels will want you to string together all that you have learned so far. Each level will test your timing and control.

The level design keeps the experience fresh by constantly changing up what you are doing. 

Some stages have you rushing to the finish, while others have you doing multiple things. You might have to collect objects, achieve a score goal, win races, or take alternate paths. This kind of variation prevents the gameplay from getting boring, as every new mission offers an additional incentive to discover and try out your train's capabilities.

There are also many levels with secret passages and alternate routes. The more skilled you become, the more areas you can use. Chain tricks together and build up enough energy to unlock special rainbow-colored tracks that unlock new shortcuts and sections of the stage.

The game has a lot of replay value. You can revisit completed stages to improve your scores, find missing collectibles, complete challenges, or earn better medals. Even after finishing a level once, there is usually a reason to come back and try again.

Instead of traditional puzzles or combat systems, Denshattack focuses on movement challenges and boss encounters. The only real puzzle is working out the best way to approach each stage. There are no traditional puzzles, but you are always solving problems using speed, positioning, and timing.

There are also large-scale boss battles in the game that combine everything you have learned. These meetings are among the most memorable because they push the idea of a train-based action game to its limits. You may find yourself working with giant machines, odd train combinations, or foes that alter the battlefield in unexpected ways.

These battles work because they don’t feel like a separate gameplay experience. They don’t change the rules entirely but instead ask you to use the skills you already have in new ways. You still have to drift, jump, avoid obstacles, and do tricks, but now you are doing it against a major threat.

The challenge can be quite difficult, especially in the later stages.

You will need to memorize a lot of mechanics, and you will have to complete some parts in the second. There is a challenge here that will appeal to fans of difficult mastery-based games, though newcomers may need some time to get used to it.

Instead of traditional experience points, progression is tied to unlocking new trains and improving your performance. Each train has its strengths and weaknesses. Some can help you do tricks faster; others improve your ability to keep combos going or deal with specific situations.

Different trains work better for different play styles, so this system encourages experimentation. You can pick one train to chase high scores and another to finish challenging objectives. The customization options are a little lacking, but different train abilities add another layer of strategy.

Densha Attack's presentation is colorful and energetic, and grabs your attention visually right away. Its bold character designs and chunky visuals give the game a distinct identity. The style has a feel reminiscent of older arcade games, but is modern enough for its quick movement.

The environments are constantly changing, taking you through futuristic cities, natural environments, strange locations, and places you wouldn’t expect to see linked by train tracks. The colorful design also helps the gameplay, as the important paths and obstacles are still easy to understand when the action gets chaotic.

Another big plus is the soundtrack. The music suits the game’s rebellious spirit, with energetic songs to keep you going. Each area has its own style, and the songs add to making each stage feel more memorable. The catchy tunes stick in your head long after you finish a level, making every run that much more exciting and full of personality.

The sound design also adds to that arcade feeling. 

Every boost, trick, landing, and movement action adds to the thrill. The visuals and the music combine in such a way that it feels like you are playing a high-speed action game where it is all about keeping the momentum. Each successful move feeds into the next, creating a constant flow that keeps you hooked from one track section to the next.

Performance is also solid, with the game running smoothly even at its most chaotic moments. The whole affair is based on rapid reactions, so consistent performance helps keep the controls responsive. This stability allows you to focus on mastering the tracks instead of worrying about technical difficulties getting in the way.

Denshattack is a game that shows how weird ideas can become amazing experiences when executed well. A train-based action game shouldn’t work so well, but the makers knew exactly what made arcade games memorable: simple concepts, satisfying mechanics, and constant surprises.

The story provides enough personality to support the adventure, but the real attraction is the gameplay. Each stage gives you another reason to strengthen your skills, learn new tricks, and find better ways to move through the world.

The later sections can be a bit overwhelming and the difficulty intimidating for some players, but the game rewards patience. The more time you spend with it, the more its systems begin to click. Eventually, those complicated sequences that once felt impossible start becoming satisfying displays of skill and control.

For players who miss the creativity of older arcade experiences, Denshattack delivers something rare. It is weird, energetic, and completely confident in what it wants to be. It takes a ridiculous idea and turns it into a memorable ride.