Denshattack! Reviews
A tram instead of a skateboard, in Japanese style. The dizzying speed and powerful gameplay make this game impossible to miss.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Overall, Denshattack is a game that knows exactly where its strengths lie and builds the entire experience around them. While its anime-inspired story is enjoyable enough, it's ultimately the gameplay that steals the show. Excellent level design, a rewarding scoring system, high replay value, and fantastic audiovisual presentation come together to create an experience that's consistently exciting from start to finish. The only notable drawback is the steep learning curve required to master its extensive trick system, but for players who enjoy refining their skills and chasing higher scores, Denshattack stands out as one of the most entertaining indie games in recent years.
Review in Persian | Read full review
It's oozing with style and succeeds in driving home the lunacy of a kickflipping train home with a well thought-out arsenal of tricks and enough variety to make this on-rails sonata a pleasing tune of a video game. In some ways, this might be my favorite 3D Sonic game. In other ways, it's a sequel to Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. The comparisons can carry on, but Denshattack endures beyond it because it doesn't neatly fit a specific comparison or stereotype. Denshattack is Denshattack.
Denshattack! is a throwback to a time when games were allowed to be weird. A train pulling off skateboard tricks at high speeds while fending off a Voltron-style mech sounds strange even during the heights of the PSone/Dreamcast/early PS2 eras. The execution is excellent all around, and Denshattack! nails all of the familiar elements of other games while still feeling very original instead of being a homage to a particular cult title. This is a fantastic game, and the only reason to pass is if you tend to shy away from the extreme sports genre.
Proving to be more than just an innovative idea, Denshattack! manages to combine creativity with substance in a game that draws on excellent narrative and design solutions to support a well-structured gameplay system. And even though it may seem bigger than it should be, it offers a complete and diverse adventure, guaranteeing hours of carefree fun.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Proving that style is eternal, Denshattack! brings the heat and incredible tunes this summer with the best multi-track drifting this side of Japan.
A brilliant and addictive arcade game that takes old formulas for success into the unexplored world of stunt trains with outstanding execution.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Denshattack! is an excellent indie funfest that'll keep you happily doing rails until the wee hours of the morning. 🚄
It had been a long time since I’d played a game I couldn’t put down, and Denshattack! immediately became one of those games. Its gorgeous art style, charming characters, incredible music, and fantastic gameplay made it an unforgettable experience. There are only a few things I wish had been improved, such as some minor gameplay issues and the limited train customization options. Otherwise, it was a blast to play and has been one of my favorite experiences on the Switch 2 so far.
Denshattack! is one of those games that reveals far more beneath the surface than its first impression might suggest. At a glance, it is colourful, charming and almost deliberately unserious: a game that appears to have little interest in asking us to take it too seriously. But sooner or later, one question inevitably comes to mind: is this really all there is to it? Thankfully, it is not. What initially looks like a novelty built around the simple absurdity of putting a train on the rails like a skateboard gradually develops into a remarkably cohesive gameplay experience. Denshattack! has far more depth than its premise would suggest, and it rarely misses an opportunity to push either its challenge or its sense of spectacle a little further. More importantly, it has a knack for leaving us surprised by what comes next, and wanting to play one more run simply to see how much further we can take it. That is no small achievement for a game whose entire premise could so easily have remained a one-joke gimmick. Turning a train into a skateboard is an amusing idea; building an entire movement system around it is considerably harder. Yet Denshattack! makes the concept work. Tricks, drifting, manuals and alternative routes come together to form a system that feels responsive, rewarding and, above all, fun to play. The more comfortable we become with its mechanics, the more freedom the game seems willing to give us. It is at full speed, when the train is hurtling down the tracks and the game is throwing increasingly outrageous ideas in our direction, that Denshattack! feels most confident. Speed, spectacle and absurdity become inseparable, and it is precisely in that combination that Undercoders finds the game's strongest identity. There are shortcomings, of course. The narrative remains relatively straightforward, some of the bonuses attached to individual carriages have less of an impact on our playstyle than we might have hoped, and the final stages leave us wishing the story had taken one last creative risk. None of these issues, however, are substantial enough to derail the experience. The adventure maintains a remarkably consistent sense of momentum, constantly finding new ways to challenge us, surprise us or simply make us wonder what the developers could possibly do next. More importantly, Denshattack! knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be. There is a clear confidence behind its absurdity, and it becomes increasingly apparent that Undercoders had a very specific vision for just how far this idea could go. The result is an adventure that fully commits to its shōnen-inspired clashes between rival trains and their eccentric riders, steadily escalating the spectacle without losing sight of the gameplay that holds everything together. That confidence extends to the game's interpretation of Japan. Its world draws heavily from Japanese landscapes, architecture, folklore, traditions and pop culture, but it rarely feels like a superficial collection of references. Instead, Undercoders takes those influences and filters them through a deliberately exaggerated creative lens, creating a version of Japan that is recognisable without ever attempting to be literal. The result is playful, eccentric and surreal, but also surprisingly cohesive and, crucially, respectful of the cultural influences that shape it. Ultimately, that is where Denshattack! finds its greatest strength: it embraces the ridiculous without ever losing sight of why the ridiculous is fun. This is a wild journey through a dystopian Japan where trains become skateboards, railway networks become playgrounds and almost anything can happen once we stop worrying about the laws of physics. Boss fights escalate into spectacle, detours become opportunities, and every stretch of track feels like another invitation to see just how far we can push the system. In a landscape increasingly crowded with games trying to impress us through scale, realism or sheer technical ambition, Denshattack! offers something considerably simpler: an idea that is completely its own, executed with enough confidence to make it work. For a few hours, it asks us to forget what a train is supposed to do, ignore what physics says should be possible and simply enjoy the ride – launching ourselves down the tracks at ridiculous speeds, chaining tricks, drifting around corners, taking on eccentric bosses and discovering routes that were never meant to be taken in the first place. And perhaps that is the game's greatest accomplishment. It reminds us that sometimes the most refreshing thing a game can do is forget what it is supposed to be and simply have fun with what it could become.
Denshattack! delivers a fresh and incredibly fun arcade experience, with great controls, fantastic music, varied levels, and a strong Japanese manga and anime identity
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Denshattack is perfect for those adrenaline seekers who want the video game equivalent of chugging a dozen pixie sticks. The bright colors and split second decision making is addicting. Add in the dares for each level, and you have days' worth of content to tackle.
Like Jet Set Radio, Denshattack hits that rarefied field where the product is just as much art as it is about enjoyment. And like that aforementioned classic, it’s a game whose praises I can sing across the rooftops all day. There’s nothing quite like it out in the wilds right now and developers Undercoders have made something truly special, addictive and unique that perfectly captures the spirit of the late 90’s and 2000’s inventive arcade feel. Denshattack is more than prime Game of The Year material, it’s an instant classic that I’m going to keep coming back to for as long as I keep playing games.
For those who love racing games, fans of Tony Hawk’s skateboarding games, and anyone who isn’t afraid of layered controls that need to be mastered in order to achieve the highest scores possible. This isn’t a game that immediately rewards you on your first attempt; instead, it does through repeated runs and learning the courses.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Denshattack! is so much more than a single joke about a train drifting on two tracks. It keeps coming up with interesting and creative levels, while also being inspired by so many actual landmarks; it can serve as a guide across the land of the rising sun.
Review in Czech | Read full review
I love Denshattack! I love it a lot. In a lot of ways, it’s a throwback to a simpler time with levels, checklists, high scores, and medals. But it’s also a whole lot more, bringing old ideas into the modern era with hype-as-f*ck set pieces, an engaging anime storyline, and smooth-as-butter gameplay. Denshattack! is probably the most fun I’ve had in a video game this year, and that’s saying something. It’s just pure joy.
Denshattack is great whether you’re intending to go on one big run or attempt to become a master Denshattacker.
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.
If there is ever one word to describe Denshattack, it would be creative. Despite Undercoders’ evidently limited budget, their creative juice seems to be abundant and overflowing. Denshattack is solid, well executed and a very unique video game.
All in all, Denshattack! is the game we’ve been waiting for ever since we lost Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, SSX and JetSet Radio. A game with a strong sense of identity, a visual style that perfectly captures the speed and madness of its premise. It’s very style-focused and features a story which, whilst somewhat clichéd, does a great job of developing its characters, who are incredibly charismatic. All of this is complemented by a brilliant soundtrack that really elevates the game. It’s not a perfect game, as certain limitations are noticeable and, in particular, there are some rather frustrating sections towards the end. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Review in Spanish | Read full review