Denshattack! turns train driving into arcade stunt racing
The train action game from Undercoders sends players through a stylized Japan with boosts, ramps, rail grinds and gravity flips, The Verge reports.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Denshattack! is being presented as a train game, but The Verge’s Jay Peters says that label misses much of what players do in it. In a review published Friday, Peters described the Undercoders game as a fast, stunt-heavy arcade ride through a bright version of Japan.
The game matters for players following indie releases because it uses tight, scripted level design in a way Peters says feels energetic rather than restrictive. He placed it alongside Nintendo’s Star Fox remake as a recent example of an “on rails” structure built around planned action sequences.
A train game built around tricks
According to Peters, Denshattack! puts players in control of a fast-moving train that races through towns and scenery across Japan. The action includes drifting around corners, chasing boosts, launching off ramps and performing moves inspired by skateboarding games.
Peters compared the feel of the game to an intensified Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, with a train taking the role usually held by a skateboarder. He also said the game evokes the idea of a cel-shaded Dreamcast-era Sonic game, if Sonic were driving a train.
The game’s structure is built around staged sequences, Peters wrote, with levels arranged to move players through set pieces at high speed. That approach mirrors the appeal he saw in the Star Fox remake, which kept much of Star Fox 64’s focused, action-led design intact.
Abilities expand across 10 worlds
Peters said Denshattack! starts strong and adds more movement options as players make their way through its 10 worlds. The progression turns the train into something closer to an acrobatic vehicle, according to his account.
Those abilities include grinding along rails, riding across graffiti-covered walls, looping through tunnels and catching wind currents to stay airborne, Peters wrote. The game also lets players flip gravity, allowing the train to drive upside down during some sequences.
Peters said those mechanics can come one after another, giving the game the feel of a roller coaster built around player-controlled stunts. His review described the early portions as thrilling, while emphasizing how the later abilities build on the initial speed and trick system.
Denshattack! is from Undercoders, according to The Verge. The publication credited imagery for the game to Fireshine Games and Boltray Games.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.