Denshattack! Review – Balls To The Wall Thrills

Denshattack! is an assault on the senses in the best of ways. This train-driving roller coaster has to be played to be believed.

In a podcast appearance, Tony Hawk talks about how, at 44 years old, he is feeling as spry as ever. Learning new tricks often, he goes on to say how his passion has never wavered throughout his life. Skateboarding is an incredibly risky yet rewarding endeavor that the people who do it love more than anything. Even if they fall. Taking a page from that extreme sport, Denshattack! tells the story of a young rookie fighting against the odds with her gravity-defying train.

The premise of Denshattack! is ludicrous, yet somehow it all works perfectly. You control a train, hastily riding on tracks in a ravaged world after a climate catastrophe. Heavily inspired by anime, skateboarding, and classic action-platformers like Sonic Adventure and Jet Set Radio, it wears its influences on its sleeve. Set to the tune of an impossibly groovy soundtrack, what glues it all together is how every course is inventive and, most of all, fun. Anyone who craves a high-octane experience should look no further.

An Assault On The Senses

Set in a not-too-distant future in Japan, you play as Emi Araki. Delivering ramen in a train around her small island, she lives a modest life. In this eerily prescient plot, a corporation called Miraido has built domed cities across the land after a climate collapse. Rebelling against this dystopian society, gangs of train drivers that go by Denshattackers race against each other while helping out their communities. To be sure, it is a touching narrative that goes to unexpected places as Emi accepts to defeat every other Denshattacker, and just maybe, topple the system in the process.

Denshattack! is loud, brash, and over-the-top. Its moment-to-moment gameplay is intoxicating. And it all starts with how the train moves. As soon as the Japanese-accented “3, 2, 1!” countdown ends, there is nothing else in the world apart from you and the track. Being able to jump, wall run, and grind, this is no ordinary train. You can also stop mid-air should an obstacle try to stop you in your tracks (heh). The fact that it sets a baseline to make you expect certain things and upend it soon after makes it enjoyable throughout.

Purposeful design choices are made to feel every course snappy at all times. Each couple of seconds, a turn, drift, tunnel, or obstacle to avoid will change the scenery. As every level lasts about three minutes, these go by so quick it does not ever feel like a drag. For instance, falling off the track could often happen, but checkpoints are generous and fast to reload. A funny “You’re doing great, sweetie!” line pokes fun at your blinder. Of course, the sense of speed is just right.

Creative Genius

Because there is a deep focus on getting a high score to earn a gold badge, replayability is all but guaranteed. There are four types of races. A normal level constitutes getting from point A to point B. Another is racing against 30 or so other trains. Moreover, there are objective-based levels in which you explore different parts of a city to complete certain objectives, like destroying a poisonous factory. Finally, there are the boss fights, each with its own gimmick and unique storyline.

Across 9 regions, each culminating in a bombastic boss fight with a gang’s leader, Emi earns everyone’s respect with her relentless passion. In between each adrenaline-fueled course, anime-style cutscenes develop Emi’s tale of hope and community in a hostile world. To illustrate, learning about the Rockabillies, a group of classic rock-listening, leather-wearing “geezers,” lets players know of the deeper world-building concepts in-game. However, Denshattack! knows you are here to get your thrills, making these heartfelt moments few and far between, but impactful nonetheless.

Featuring some of the grooviest sounds ever put to a video game, every course is special. No two levels are repeated. In one stage, you might drive your train on top of a Ferris wheel. In other, you will fight a Gundam-esque robot. Or eaten by a giant shark. You will never know what Denshattack! will throw at you next. And that’s emphatically the beauty of it. Always keeping you on the edge of your seat, the creativity on display is splendid to witness. It also helps that it is deeply unserious at all times.

Conclusion – Denshattack!

It is not hyperbole when I say that every single level introduced a new creative idea to keep things fresh. Telling a cautionary tale of climate change and ruthless corporations juxtaposed with human ingenuity, it is imbued with an undeniable charisma. I cannot underestimate how much love is put into Denshattack! With deep reverence to classics like Sonic Adventure and Jet Set Radio, it built on those foundations to create one of the most endlessly fun games of the year.