A lot of the messaging around Denshattack! has gone to some effort to align the game with a lot of iconic 2000s extreme sports titles, throwing around hooks like “Tony Hawk with trains,” but it also bears a lot of comparison to the Jet Set Radio games. Not only in the obvious ways, like its cel-shaded visuals and soundtrack full of funky bops, but in its overarching themes and storytelling.
As a newly-inducted “Denshattacker,” protagonist Emi finds herself staring down a megacorporation known as Miraido, which has used the security its domed cities and advanced technology offer a post-climate disaster Japan as a way to exact authoritarian rule. Those still living on the outside turned to the rail as a primary means of transportation, and gangs formed around these faithful vehicles, taking ownership of the various prefectures. In order to garner the support and might needed to overthrow Miraido, Emi sets out to unite these gangs as she travels from one end of Japan to the other.
Much like JSR, these gangs develop around unique ideals and fashions, giving each a unique style and a charismatic leader that Emi must win over through the art of Denshattacking. It’s not overly complex stuff, but the shonen-esque trappings and cast of wildly varied characters keeps it hugely entertaining. The anti-corporation, anti-AI sentiment throughout, as the growing cohort of heroes and anti-heroes leans on traditionality and community in the face of cold modernity, is exactly the kind of energy we need from video games right now.
Okay, so, what is Denshattacking, I hear you ask? Well, that’s the bit with all the sick train flipping and grinding that we all came here for. It’s also highly competitive. To do well, you’ll not only need to have command of the tracks you’re rocketing across — which are built more like rollercoaster tracks than the urban flavour we’re used to — but also deftly pull off point-scoring tricks and learn to navigate death-defying, off-track obstacles. It’s all mostly on-rails (heh), but speed and finesse are the key to mastering Denshattack.
What makes Denshattack!’s locomotive lunacy great is how its level designs constantly throw new and increasingly-outlandish situations at you, and how well the controls — tied largely to the sticks and triggers on a regular controller — support navigating, and flexing on, everything that comes your way. It’s truly impressive just how much this game manages to cram into its campaign, made up of a whopping 60+ stages that all appreciably different with their own structure, gimmicks, visuals and direction. Boss battles are by far the highlight, pitting you against some terrific, motorised machinations and accounting for the most “Holy shit, I can’t believe that just happened!” moments in the game.
Adding to this, Denshattack! continues to introduce new ideas to your train’s moveset throughout almost the entire campaign, many of which take you off-track entirely for stretches of time. Aside from regular tracks and grind rails, you’ll begin careening 360-degrees through tunnels, wall-riding, hanging off of monorail tracks, soaring through wind tunnels and even drifting over multiple tracks at the same time.
To say that some of the late game stages truly test your moment-to-moment reaction speed would be something of an understatement, requiring you pick up on visual cues and make crucial decisions at ridiculous, breakneck speeds. Thankfully, you’ll spend quite a bit of time with each new mechanic before the next one is introduced, so there’s plenty of time to commit things to muscle memory. Once I found myself getting into a flow state and letting destiny take the wheel (I’m aware that trains don’t have steering wheels), I surprised myself with how effortlessly I was pulling off rapid strings of maneuvers without breaking too much of a sweat. I like to think I look quite impressive playing it, I’m sure I’ll be completely humbled once the general public gets some solid time in.
It’s all presented in the most aggressively cool fashion, mixing the beauty of Japan cities and countryside with the most anime-ass cel shaded aesthetic, an energetic, Persona-esque UI and a banger soundtrack featuring tracks from Tee Lopes, 2 Mello, Ironmouse and a catalogue of incredible Japanese artists. It well and truly lives up to its Jet Set Radio comparisons but goes above and beyond homage with a melting pot of culture, style and sound that gives it a unique edge.
Thankfully, the range of accessibility options is also nice and healthy for a game that’s as visually and audibly intense as this. There’s plenty to be done to make the experience comfortable and readable, and though UI and audio cues are rampant – and helpful when the actual in-game world moves as quickly as it does – there are few practical barriers to play. Difficulty is another thing, but you can finish everything just fine even if you’re playing “badly,” with generous checkpointing and only a dud end-of-stage rating to represent any sort of punishment.
There is so much more to unpack about Denshattack!, a game as dense with sick art as it is with gameplay systems, but the best thing I can say to keep this all nice and concise is go play it. It fucking rules.
Reviewed on PS5 Pro | Review copy supplied by publisher
Great
- Extreme sports but make it trains works better than it has any right
- Despite the sheer number, nearly every stage feels fun and distinct
- Riotous boss battles had me hooting and hollering every time
- Dazzling cel-shaded visuals and infectious, eclectic score
- Driving trains as anti-corporate, anti-AI rebellion is a winning concept
Not great
- Things occasionally come at you WAY too fast
Born into the world of video games through SEGA, and in particular Sonic the Hedgehog, Kieron’s gaming tastes now consist of the latest, shiny AAA thing, an indie darling or two, and an embarrassing number of hours of Balatro.