"Denshatattack!" in review: "Tony Hawk" with trains - and completely insane
"Densha de Go!" is so crazy that it can only take place in Japan: The train trickshot racing game is colorful, completely bonkers, and full of surprises.
"Denshattack!" is a mix of platformer, action game, and racing game with trains, set in vibrant Japan. It impresses with quirky humor, special characters, and one of the best soundtracks of the year.
A train with skateboard tricks
My journey begins in Kyushu, where I, as a rebellious teenager, deliver ramen cooked by my family with my train. I neither stop for long nor enter my customers' homes: "Denshattack!" is played entirely from my train driver's seat.
Using the buttons on the PlayStation 5 controller, I accelerate, brake, and jump my vehicle up and down. The old tracks in my hometown offer little freedom, which is a blessing for learning the first tricks. Like in any racing game, curves are my best friends once I master drifting. I elegantly jump over obstacles and explosions, and once I'm in the air, I immediately do a spin.
With a kickflip, I quickly hop onto the adjacent track to take a turn and fly over a huge chasm. As soon as I land, I learn the next trick and jump onto a wall to continue driving there. Gravity is a physical construct that doesn't play a big role in "Denshattack!".
If I chain cool tricks, my combo meter shoots up, earning me many points with which I complete the level. Just reaching the finish line is no longer enough after a few hours of gameplay. Sometimes I have to reach a set score, perform specific tricks, or master other challenges. At the beginning, I drive alone, but later I encounter enemy locomotives on my tracks that need to be defeated.
Action-packed boss fights
Boss battles usually follow a fixed pattern. First, I have to prove myself worthy of the boss by winning train races in the district. The first phase of the final battle is against weak crew members, while their boss initially remains out of reach. I derail the cannon fodder with targeted jumps and spirited shoves to get to the head of the gang.
While the first levels consist of simple races, the boss battles become more extensive as the game progresses. Sometimes the enemy trains transform into giant mechs, and the trick gameplay changes into a tricky platformer. Now it's about dodging and waiting for the XXL attack chain to end so I can accelerate.
When I'm close enough, I can score points with jumps and tricks. Sometimes I ride my train on a Ferris wheel that breaks loose from its moorings and drives with me through the water; elsewhere, I play bus driver for pedestrians.
"Denshattack!" is as versatile as it sounds. For even more variety, I can customize my train. However, the selection of design options is very rigid. There are different train types and pre-made stickers, as well as patterns and color combinations. However, I cannot freely place the individual elements on the train.
No game without collectibles
In each race, I can collect video footage, photos, and other items. If I find all the hidden items, they appear as memories in my photo album, which is structured like a magazine. Here I immediately see what material I'm still missing and in which section I can find it to complete the album.
Each level can be repeated as often as desired in the hunt for items and the high score. Since most tracks offer various routes with different challenges over time, the replay value is enormously high. And if I don't like a level, I continue directly in the story after completing it.
Profound story, packaged in colorful trains
The story of "Denshattack!" is humorously written and integrates the fast-paced gameplay well. Privileged people live their lives after a catastrophe under sealed fresh-air domes and hardly notice the outside world. There, the world is in order, in stark contrast to the areas outside these walls. The residents live in a destroyed environment and fight for their survival on crazy tracks. All of this is the responsibility of the evil Miraido Corporation, which I intend to stop.
"Denshattack!" is no Shakespeare, but an interestingly written story about outsiders and a two-class society that makes you think. The story never feels heavy or tragic. This is ensured by the brightly colored manga look with rich colors and detailed representations.
Matching this is a fantastic soundtrack that ranges from electronic tracks with catchy beats to J-Pop songs, creating a captivating soundscape. The first levels are musically relatively calm, but later I experience poppy songs with guaranteed earworms. The soundtrack is varied and perfectly matches the different areas and enemy train drivers in the game.
How my own train crew grows
The battles are not about injuring my enemies with the train. The focus is on preventing them from performing tricks and scoring as many points as possible myself. Once I defeat the boss of a gang, my quirky group expands with new characters. From that moment on, they become part of the humorously written, but unfortunately not voiced, cutscenes. However, I don't get alternative drivers or train operators this way.
Every gang I fight in "Denshattack!" has its own style. From a dark underground look to a colorful Gyaru style, many substyles are represented. It seems as if the developer studio "Undercoders" was inspired by the street style hotspot Takeshita Dori in Harajuku.
"Denshattack!" will be released on July 15, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. The game was provided to me for testing purposes by Fireshine Games for the PS5.
In a nutshell
Der Hypetrain fährt durch Japan
Ich weiß nicht, was ich von «Denshattack!» erwartet habe. Diesen verrückten Trip aber sicher nicht!
«Denshattack!» bietet eine unglaubliche Mischung an Schauplätzen und Ideen. Ich kämpfe gegen Mechs, trotze der Schwerkraft und fahre durch Kabuki-Theaterstücke, als hätte ich nie etwas anderes gemacht. Das Game ist vollgestopft mit japanischer Popkultur, bunten Farben und durchgeknallter Action. «Mehr ist mehr», scheint das Motto zu sein und das geht vollends auf.
Der Schwierigkeitsgrad steigert sich auf eine angenehme Weise, größere Spielpausen sind allerdings nicht empfehlenswert. Ich hätte mir mehr Anpassungsmöglichkeiten für den Zug und eine (deutsche) Synchronisation gewünscht, das war’s aber schon mit der negativen Kritik. «Denshattack!» spricht mit seinem Gameplay sicher nicht die breite Masse an, aber wer Lust auf schräge Plattformer-Racing-Action in Japan hat, sollte hier unbedingt reinschauen.
Pro
- stylischer Look
- charakterstarke, gut geschriebene Figuren
- abwechslungsreiche Levels mit überraschenden Herausforderungen
- easy to learn, hard to master
- fantastischer Soundtrack
Contra
- nur eine Schwierigkeitsstufe, die knifflige Levels beinhaltet
- Züge könnten mehr Anpassungsoptionen haben
I didn’t have a Game Boy or a Super Nintendo as a child, and only joined the world of gaming at 15. I’ve been trying to make up for lost time ever since. But looking at the ever-growing number of game releases each year, it seems the entire industry is conspiring against me.
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