Product Info

Platform

Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC

Publisher

Fireshine Games

Developer

Undercoders

Genre

Action, Arcade

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

7.9 GB

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Denshattack! is a fast-paced action adventure game where you perform skateboard tricks with trains. It’s a wild concept, and it works really well along with its vibrant world and energetic soundtrack. It’s a stylish game worth jumping into.

More Than Commute

Taking place in a futuristic city where the climate is altered, rich citizens live in domes with high-quality air as the rest try to survive outside in the wastelands. Trains that were once used as transportation are now used in daring stunts, grinding, kickflipping, and stylish moves that are similar to skateboarding as you race across abandoned legacy railways.

Meet Emi, a naive young ramen delivery girl who’s skillful with a train. Fernando, a photographer, encounters the delivery girl and encourages Emi to step into the world of underground train dueling. Hyped up, Emi travels across regions of Japan, competing against powerful gangs and their leaders to earn their respect. Emi’s love of her traits and personality brings the people close to her, even her rivals.

It’s a lightweight story, but it sets up what really matters, the unique gameplay.

Sick Tricks and Trains

The use of trains, like skateboarding, feels like a wild original concept; it feels familiar, but it’s different. Think of it like Tony Hawk Pro Skater using trains instead of skateboards. Sounds weird? That’s what makes Denshattack! visually appealing.

The game gives excellent pacing to start players off on learning to control their trains and perform basic tricks. The game gradually introduces more tricks without overwhelming you. It’s crazy to say, but when you first play, it feels very fast-paced, and just learning the controls is overwhelming, creating a learning curve as you try not to go off the rails. Players can adjust the accessibility settings to tone down some of the game’s visuals like the camera shaking and speed lines.

The popping visuals add more impact on how fast you think you are going. I’ve replayed the first couple stages just to understand the mechanics better. Afterwards, I often forget some of the skill sets needed to create styles because I focused more on surviving the course. Once I felt comfortable with the controls, I was off on my journey and didn’t look back. Players can also adjust the game’s control input, but changing one control will change a list of inputs altogether. For example, remapping the left joystick will also move wall rides, grinds, and more. It’s not set up to do specific inputs for specific moves.

When you do go off the rail, the game will quickly place you back on the rail based on checkpoints so you aren’t starting over. It’s refreshing to not have to worry about respawning, allowing you to concentrate on avoiding obstacles while adding style points to your performance. Eventually I got more comfortable and started mixing in other moves to make some stylish combos, and before I knew it I was gliding along rails with ease.

Expect to fly off the rails countless times; at times, it felt like I was pressing the right commands, but they weren’t sufficient. It felt like I was pushing the right commands, and they weren’t enough. At times, it felt like there was a one-second input lag before the system responded, but I was also unaware that I was pressing another command on the controller, which caused the initial move I wanted to perform to be overlapped.

There’s a variety of courses that differ from each other. One goal is to finish the course, while another is to place in a specific position. Some goals are common to most courses, but the courses themselves never feel the same. Boss battles are different from your regular courses. Whether you’re battling against a giant robot or facing a machine that shoots baseballs at you, these battles feel more climatic than the norm.

Cleaning the course is always the objective on the first playthrough, but replaying them to set new goals adds more replay value. There’s a variety of goals for each course, such as earning a certain amount of stylish points, beating the course in a certain amount of time, collecting spray cans and movie reels, and Dares. Dares are objectives that mostly differ per course, such as performing certain styles or no crashes. Replay them and have fun!

Spray cans you pick up per course act like currency, where you can purchase items such as stickers. Movie reels unlock illustrations per region. It’s more for those achieving 100% completion, and this fast-paced game has plenty of objectives to keep you occupied.

If there were anything to add to the wild concept of train riding, it would be the option for a co-op versus mode. Whether it’s offline or online, I think having it as a one-vs-one option would make playing more intriguing.

Making it Look Good

Denshattack! carries a wild visual style and gameplay that’s a combination of Jet Set Radio and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The visuals are very colorful, edgy, and fun. The courses you play carry some of that visual fun and vibrance. Characters are entertaining and carry unique personalities along with that edgy illustration. The user interface adopts a similar style, featuring clean visuals. The overall design and the concept of a train grinding on rails work really well, making it one of the most visually appealing indie games this year.

The game’s soundtrack is loaded with some excellent tracks that make the game energetic. The upbeat electronic music complements the fast-paced gameplay, with artists like Tee Lopes (Sonic Mania, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge), Richard Jacques (Jet Set Radio, Sonic R), Shoji Meguro (Persona series, Catherine), Harumi Fujita (Mega Man 3, Final Fight), and more. It’s a strong lineup that makes it a worthy soundtrack to play anytime.

Final Trick

Denshattack! turns trains into trick-performing thrills with stylish visuals, breathtaking arcade gameplay, and an energetic soundtrack. There are a few minor quirks and features that could make it more stylish, but Denshattack! is one of the year’s most creative and exciting indie games.

A review code was provided by the publisher for this review. Denshattack! arrives for the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC on July 15, 2026. Fans can visit the game’s official website for more information and purchasing options.