Denshattack! Is Jet Set Radio For The TikTok Generation

Trains aren’t the coolest form of transportation in the world. Especially here in the UK, where it’s incredibly common to see them delayed, cancelled, or in various states of disrepair. Knowing this, you can imagine my delight when Denshattack! from developer Undercoders positions pitiful locomotives as the coolest vehicles in existence, capable of jumping, drifting, flipping, diving, and navigating its beautiful post-apocalyptic vision of Japan with ease.

Within minutes of jumping into this masterful adventure, I had a beaming grin spread across my face, filled with the same feeling of giddy excitement when playing genre classics like Jet Set Radio Future or Crazy Taxi. Every single aspect of Denshattack is tuned to perfection. Its characters are charmingly diverse, its world is packed with intrigue, and the act of controlling a supremely fast train through increasingly wild stages never, ever gets old. As I reached the end of its surprisingly lengthy campaign, I struggled to find a bad thing to say about it.

See It. Say It. Sorted.

You play as Emi Araki, a 19-year-old train driver living out her life in Oita Prefecture amidst a version of Japan that has been completely transformed following a painfully relevant global climate crisis. Large parts of the world are now situated within all-encompassing domes as a means to hide from the daunting environment and hostile gangs that have taken control of once peaceful lands.

As for Emi, she uses her old-fashioned locomotive to deliver ramen around town and provide for her townspeople. That is, until she meets aspiring photographer Fernando Tamashiro and learns about the art of Denshattack. This titular activity is about gravity-defying trains battling it out with powers that make absolutely no sense, but goodness me they're cool.

It doesn't take long for Emi to learn about the evil intentions of the sinister Miraidō corporation and how it has used the climate catastrophe to suppress what remains of society beneath its capitalist thumb. Cue a country-spanning journey that sees Emi go up against rival gangs, assemble a lovable crew of allies, and stick it to the man.

You can catch up with characters and learn more about them by visiting hot springs dotted across the overworld, or fill in zines filled with additional illustrations and details by earning collectibles. Both of these are well worth your time.

Some of your eventual friends range from a gyaru who uses her billionaire parents’ money to build a giant train mech, a baseball player whose trust can only be won by beating them in a deathmatch for the ages, and a bunch of lovable yakuza punks with funky hairstyles and big ol’ hearts of gold. Every new character you meet is a delight with sharply written dialogue or narrative motivations that, despite the absurdity of the game’s world, express true emotion. I especially adored Yamagata, a trans punk who raised his siblings from an awfully young age after his parents died. As soon as I saw his top surgery scars, I was smitten.

The exuberant visuals, unpredictable stage design, and absolutely tremendous music come together to create a world that feels larger-than-life, but also fiercely relatable if you happen to be someone in the modern world being screwed over by capitalism right now. Which, let’s be real, is every single person reading this review, whether you realise it or not. But enough about how Fireshrine has created one of the most compelling video game settings in recent memory, how do the trains drive? Oh dear reader, they drive real, real good.

Mind The Gap

Denshattack wastes absolutely no time throwing you into the deep end of its gameplay. You drive a train, and it goes ridiculously fast as it jumps between different tracks, grinds on rails, runs against walls, and even swirls around circular pipes with reckless abandon. Most of the early stages are about learning the basics, such as how to jump from the track and land on another awaiting line, or how to dodge fast-moving obstacles soaring towards you. There is also the matter of tricks, which can be performed by flicking the right analogue stick in any number of different directions.

Flicking it sideways or backwards will perform a simple flip and earn a few paltry points, but if you move the stick from the inside and twirl it all the way around before folding it back to the centre, you can earn thousands of points. Tilt the thumbstick backwards or forwards during a landing, and you will also perform a manual, which is essential for chaining together combos and making it past later stages. What I loved most about Denshattack is how the ceiling for skills is high, but you can progress through the story and feel like a badass even if you have no intention of learning skills off-by-heart or chasing high scores.

Stages themselves range from traditional start-to-finish tracks to races to high-score challenges to vast open world-esque levels with several objectives to complete.

New skills are introduced gradually throughout the campaign as well, such as the ability to grind on walls, perform tricks in gusts of wind to fly through the air, or ride monorails into a cavalcade of ruined cities. But not once do the movement options feel overwhelming, and I was frequently astonished by how they blended together seamlessly to make the vast options at my disposal all the more satisfying. Nothing beats nailing the hardest stages that ask you to go from riding traditional tracks to grinding to flying to diving underwater to soaring into the sky, all before landing back on safe ground to do it all over again.

After stumbling into a new territory with fresh characters, you will normally spend a couple of levels getting to grips with new mechanics, but it isn’t long until they’re folded into the normal formula, and you’re asked to fend for yourself. I welcomed this challenge though, eager to hit high score targets and complete challenges that result in bronze, silver, or gold medals. The game refers to these as ‘Dares’, which can feature objectives that range from collecting a few collectibles to honking the horn at nearby occupants to performing specific tricks at key times on the track. Every single one of them is satisfying to conquer, and I can already see myself going back through the campaign trying to master each level.

You can also pick from a number of different trains after reaching a certain point in the story, all of which provide different boons and shortcomings. One might offer higher score potential while grinding but also make it harder to remain balanced, while others might be heavier and have a larger profile than others on the track.

I stuck with the very first model for most of the campaign since it felt true to Emi’s character and most of the changes felt superfluous, but it is great to know the depth is there for those who want it. There’s also a bunch of stickers and decals you can purchase to plaster all over your locomotive inspired by different characters and regions. Everyone you look it feels like love has been poured into the experience.

I won’t spoil any of the boss battles here, but all of them are superb. You will go up against giant anime girl robots, mechanical sand worms, or giant missile spewing castles from the comfort of a dinky little train carriage.

Denshattack is one of the fiercest, fastest, and most lovable games I’ve played in quite some time. Once you get past the absurdity of trains jumping thousands of feet into the Japanese sky and performing the sickest tricks this side of Tony Hawk, you are met with skill-based gameplay that rewards as much as it challenges, a profoundly lovable cast of characters, and music so good it deserves to go down in history.

Undercoders has pieced together a masterpiece here that demands your attention. If you need me, I’ll be shredding down mountains to catchy pop music aiming to hit the highest score possible.