REVIEW | Denshattack!

Denshattack! is one of those games that doesn’t just catch your eye, it grabs you and hurls you straight into its wild, neon‑soaked world. Flip, trick, and grind your train through a colourful Japanese dystopia, outsmart rival gangs, and tear down a shady megacorp using nothing but skill, speed, and style. It’s all about turning a gravity‑defying train into the ultimate stunt machine while chaining huge tricks across more than sixty handcrafted levels packed with personality.

When I first saw the trailer during Gamescom last year, I was blown away by the sheer speed of the visuals and what looked like utterly bonkers gameplay. As a longtime fan of Tony Hawk’s and SSX, the stunt‑driven chaos immediately hooked me, and the bright, exaggerated style even reminded me of Crazy Taxi. Now that I’ve played it, I can say it’s even more ridiculous, more creative, and more fun than it first appeared.

So let’s hit the rails and jump into the review to see what worked and what didn’t.

Things I liked!

• Visuals | Visually, Denshattack! is a gorgeous love letter to retro‑futuristic arcade design, blending vibrant cel‑shading with high‑contrast neon tones and dynamic manga‑style halftone textures. The game looks like a playable anime, pairing the rebellious energy of Jet Set Radio and the kinetic user interface flair of Persona 5 with the over‑the‑top, high‑octane spirit of Crazy Taxi and SSX. Every level feels like it was crafted by someone who genuinely adores loud, stylish arcade chaos, and that passion shows in every frame.
  
  The menus and UI are just as vibrant, bursting with colour and personality, and I often found myself taking screenshots and saving clips simply because everything looks spectacular in motion. Even without a dedicated photo mode, the game’s rollercoaster‑like speed and crisp presentation make almost every moment feel capture‑worthy. The environments are varied, shifting from neon cityscapes to tranquil countryside, and some later chapters include a few surprises I prefer not to spoil, with so much happening on screen that it’s hard not to be impressed.
  
  Digital Foundry’s testing confirms Denshattack! runs at a locked 4K 60 fps on Xbox Series X, which matches the smooth, fluid experience I had throughout my playtime. The stable performance helps the art direction shine, keeping the momentum feeling incredibly fluid from start to finish and making every grind, drift, and stunt look as sharp as it feels.

• Gameplay | When you first start playing Denshattack!, the game introduces its controls and mechanics quickly. It can feel like a lot to take in, but by chapter two everything starts to make sense. Each chapter has its own theme and new mechanics, keeping the experience fresh. Levels mix required and optional objectives, like smashing gates or reaching a minimum score to finish. Most also include photo reels scattered around each level, often in harder‑to‑hit places, and collecting them unlocks fanzines that reveal more about the characters.
  
  Movement soon feels responsive and satisfying, especially once you learn to combine drifts and jumps smoothly. Unlike open‑area trick games, each level follows a direct track where momentum constantly carries you forward, but the environments still feel alive and full of detail. Later chapters add new ways to move, such as hanging from cable cars or wall‑riding into manuals that keep your score multiplier alive. Pulling off a tough move or clearing a tricky section feels incredibly rewarding.
  
  Gameplay is fast and chaotic, and you’ll crash often as obstacles pile up. Progress comes through trial and error, and after a few attempts you start memorising the tougher parts of each track. There’s no life system, and crashing simply sends you back to a checkpoint almost instantly, keeping the momentum high and frustration low. Each chapter ends with a boss, but those encounters deserve their own spotlight later.
  
  
• Boss Battles | Boss fights are a highlight for me. They are spectacular, genre‑bending encounters that cap off each chapter like an episodic battle anime, completely breaking away from the usual trick‑based gameplay structure. These battles are huge in scale, often pitting you against towering, screen‑filling opponents and elaborate set pieces. The game challenges you to perform high‑speed trick combos while facing over‑the‑top threats, from a giant transforming train-mecha to a moving castle armed with steam‑powered cannons.
  
  One encounter even shifts the gameplay in a completely unexpected direction creating one of the most memorable moments in the entire game. It’s a masterclass in creative game design that keeps the core gimmick from ever feeling stale.
  
  
• World Map and Progression | Between levels, you can access a world map set in a stylised Japanese dystopia. It serves as a hub where you can revisit any stage you’ve already completed, encouraging replay to improve scores or find missed photo reels and more. The map also includes shops where you can purchase new skins to customise your train, and various fanzine locations scattered across the map that unlock as you progress. It’s a simple but effective system that ties together progression, collectibles, and cosmetic rewards without slowing the game’s momentum.
  
  
• Sound | The sound design stands out immediately, although its intensity can sometimes be a mixed blessing. The soundtrack mixes breakbeat, arcade‑style hip hop, jazzy synth, and even some drum and bass, giving each level a strong sense of momentum. Many of the tracks are genuinely catchy, but a few of the more relentless songs can become tiring during longer sessions. One track in Chapter 6 was intense enough that I muted the music during that level. The sound design underneath the music is consistently excellent. The screech of brakes, the metallic sparks from grinding rails, and the sharp pop of a perfectly timed jump all add a satisfying weight to the action, making every trick feel impactful.
  
  
• Accessibility | Denshattack! offers a genuinely helpful set of comfort options that make the high‑speed action easier to manage. You can scale down intense screen effects like camera shake, bloom, and motion blur, which really helps reduce visual fatigue during longer sessions. The standout feature is full controller remapping. If the frantic default layout leads to accidental trigger pulls during wall switches, you can shift the entire control scheme to the face buttons instead.
  
  I stuck with the default layout because my muscle memory was already set, and changing it mid‑playthrough probably would have caused me more issues, but it is a genuinely useful option for anyone who wants a different setup. It doesn’t include deeper game‑speed modifiers, but the customisation tools that are here do a great job of making the experience more approachable.
  

Mixed & disliked!

• Controls | For the most part, the controls are great. They feel responsive and suit the Denshattack!’s fast pace, but mastering them takes real muscle memory and patience. The left stick handles track and wall switching while the right trigger charges jumps, making high‑speed sections frantic. It’s easy to pull the trigger in a moment of panic, launching your train off the rails when you meant to slide onto a neighbouring wall. The timing leans closer to a rhythm game than a casual arcade racer, rewarding precision players but likely frustrating anyone looking for a more relaxed experience.
  
  Wall switching can be inconsistent. Sometimes it works perfectly on the first try, and other times it refuses to register. One later level took me over twenty attempts before it finally worked, which made success feel more like luck than skill. As mentioned earlier, new mechanics appear as you progress, and a few cause real difficulties. The double drift, for example, requires pressing the left trigger and clicking the right thumb stick while drifting left or right, and sometimes it felt like luck when I managed to pull it off. I hope future updates make these advanced inputs more reliable.

• Story | While the story adds flavour to the world and helps tie the gameplay together, I often found myself more interested in getting back to the action. It’s good that it’s there and gives the setting some personality, but at times it slows down the momentum that makes the rest of the game so engaging.
  
  The story is told through character boards, following Emi, a train driver delivering ramen across a dystopian Japan where climate change has pushed most people into domed cities controlled by the megacorporation Miraido. After meeting fellow driver Fernando, she’s introduced to Denshattack!, a sport where drivers compete by performing tricks along the high‑speed VACTRAIN network. Fernando joins her journey and even creates zines about the sport as you progress.

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 12 Hours
• How long to beat the story? 9+ Hours
• How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 26/39 OR 530/1000G
• How long to get 100%? | 18 Hours +
• You’ll love this game if you like these | Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Hi-Fi Rush

Score: 88/100

Denshattack! is pure arcade adrenaline, messy, loud, and impossible to put down.

It’s one of the most fast, stylish, and wildly inventive racers I’ve played in recent years. Even with a few frustrating control quirks, its energy, charm, and smart accessibility options make it easy to recommend. When everything comes together, it delivers some of the most exciting moments I’ve had in an arcade racer in recent years. With a little refinement, it could be something truly special. 

Want to see Denshattack! in action? Check it out below!