Denshattack! is fast, chaotic, gorgeous, and unlike anything else I have played
How cool is it to make a train grind along rails, launch from ramps, pull off ridiculous tricks, and stick the landing while flying through a wildly stylized version of a post-apocalyptic yet still gorgeous Japan? There is honestly nothing else quite like Denshattack!. It commits to this bizarre idea so completely that a train riding on top of a rolling Ferris wheel starts to make perfect sense.
The easiest way to describe it is as a mix of Subway Surfers and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Your train constantly races forward while you switch lanes, avoid obstacles, grind, jump, drift, and use the analog stick to perform tricks. You are also chasing high scores, completing optional objectives, and trying to build a clean run. That combination works flawlessly once everything clicks.
The important part of that sentence is "once everything clicks." Denshattack! does not ease you into its systems gently. Most games introduce one mechanic, give you time to understand it, then add another. This game feels like it opens the cabin door, pushes you onto the controls, and immediately asks you to manage the entire train at full speed.
You need to hold and release the brake at the right moment to nail a perfect drift. You need to flick the left stick to switch lanes, jump at exactly the right time, perform tricks, and still position the train properly for the landing. Obstacles, route changes, ramps, and score opportunities arrive one after another. Early on, it feels like the game is asking your hands and eyes to process too much at once.
Give it time. The chaos slowly becomes a rhythm as the controls settle into muscle memory. A drift leads into a jump, the jump becomes a trick, and the trick lands on a grind. That is when Denshattack! becomes fantastic. Completing a clean section is enormously satisfying because you know how much precision it required.
The levels make excellent use of that mechanical foundation. Some are straightforward sprints where reaching the finish is the main objective. Others are races that ask you to ram rival trains, overtake them, and fight for first place. Then there are more open stages built around multiple objectives, such as disabling antennae, delivering food, or smashing billboards. These levels give you more freedom to explore routes and decide which tasks to prioritize.
Optional missions improve your final score and give competitive players more reasons to repeat stages. I can easily see the community fighting over leaderboard positions, optimizing routes, and finding ways to squeeze more points from every jump. Simply finishing a level is only the beginning if its score-chasing side gets its hooks into you.
The boss fights deserve special praise too. I will not spoil them because their surprises are part of the fun, but they are incredibly creative encounters that keep changing what the game asks from you. They turn familiar mechanics into elaborate set pieces that are a treat for your hands, eyes, and ears.
That creativity runs through the presentation. Denshattack! is gorgeous, with vibrant colors, stylish visual effects, an anime aesthetic, and Japanese environments that constantly throw new sights into the background. There is always something moving, collapsing, spinning, or exploding. One mission has you riding on top of a Ferris wheel while it rolls downhill as you destroy satellite arrays. This game is crazy, and I love it.
My only real frustration with the speed is that it makes the artwork difficult to appreciate. I was so focused on reading the track and preparing the next input that I probably missed 90 percent of the environmental detail. The game is challenging because of its mechanics, which is great, but its pace can also work against its own artists. I regularly wanted to slow down and look at the stunning world around me, yet doing that meant crashing into whatever came next.
The soundtrack matches the energy perfectly. The music is so good that it elevates the entire experience, driving each run forward and making the wildest sequences feel even bigger. Combined with the bold visuals, sharp sound effects, and constant movement, it creates the feeling of playing an impossible anime opening that lasts for an entire level. It is a game that understands how much music matters when movement and rhythm are this closely connected.
There is also a proper story tying the journey together. You begin as a hopeful newcomer trying to become the best Denshattacker of them all while taking on the Miraidō corporation. Rivals stand in your way, but defeating them gradually turns enemies into allies who join your adventure. The interactions are fully voiced and extremely well performed, giving the colorful cast plenty of personality even when you are mainly here for the action.
One of my favorite details appears during the loading screens. They show the inside of the train cabin, and as more characters join your crew, they begin appearing inside it. It is a small touch that makes the growing group feel present. Players who invest in the dialogue will find a lively cast and plenty of story detail. Everyone else can enjoy the hero's journey and get back to grinding trains.
On the ROG Xbox Ally X, Denshattack! ran perfectly for me. Performance was smooth as butter even when the screen filled with effects and the levels became completely chaotic. The vibrant colors look wonderful on the handheld display, controller inputs feel natural for the trick system, and the fast stage structure makes it a great fit for portable play. I did not encounter anything that pulled me out of the experience technically.
Denshattack! demands patience during its opening stretch, and some players may bounce off before its controls start to feel natural. It is fast, frenetic, and occasionally so visually busy that its beautiful environments become background noise. Once it clicks, though, it becomes an exhilarating arcade game with a huge skill ceiling, imaginative missions, unforgettable bosses, and a style entirely its own. There is no other game where I can launch a train into the air, pull off an absurd trick, land on a grind, and feel this cool doing it. Thanks for reading!
