Denshattack! Switch 2 Review

Denshattack! Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2

It’s not often that a game with a premise so ridiculous comes along that you simply have to try it. Denshattack! from Undercoders, has somehow managed to cook up what I can only describe as Tony Hawk’s Pro Public Transport, where you kickflip trains, fight the establishment, and take on an underground organisation of train racers across a bright and colourful post-apocalyptic Japan. What’s It Like? Get your ticket, find a seat, and prepare to go off the rails as we review Denshattack! for Nintendo Switch 2.

Surprisingly, Denshattack! has an intriguing narrative set in a post-apocalyptic Japan, where most of civilisation now lives inside giant domed cities. You play as Emi, a ramen delivery girl who lives outside the dome, delivering her home-cooked noodles to the locals. One fateful day, Emi delivers ramen to Fernando, who introduces her to the underground world of Denshattacking. From there, Emi is all in on this new adventure. Without venturing into spoiler territory, the reason I say “surprisingly” is that the story genuinely managed to pull me in. It evolves into a tale filled with tender moments, conspiracy, and friendships that I wasn’t expecting. Some of these story sequences are uncovered by finding secret paths throughout the gameplay, unlocking onsens that delve deeper into the characters’ backstories and motivations. It had me hooked from start to finish.

Not that it needed to, because the gameplay of Denshattack! is so incredibly fun that it’s hard to put down. The game starts off fairly simple, teaching you how to brake around corners and jump from track to track before introducing new mechanics like flip tricks, wall riding, and even activating Rainbow Roads that help you uncover collectibles scattered throughout each level. New mechanics are introduced every few stages right up until the end of the adventure, meaning the high-energy, fast-paced gameplay never really gets old. The levels themselves also do a fantastic job of keeping things fresh by mixing up their objectives. You’ll find standard courses where you travel from A to B, races where you’re chasing the fastest lap times, skill tracks that give you a couple of minutes to rack up the highest score possible, and my personal favourites, larger stages with multiple objectives. Free roam isn’t quite the right term, but these levels let you tackle different objectives in whatever order you choose by navigating around the city. I found these to be the most exciting. Every course feels thoughtfully designed, with subtle hints pointing you towards secret routes and hidden collectibles. It all comes together to create maps that are an absolute joy to blast through. Better still, those collectibles contribute to Fernando’s magazines, which you compile throughout each chapter, making exploration rewarding and adding to the replay value.

Performing tricks with your train works similarly to the Skate series, using the right stick to flick in different directions to perform tricks. For the most part, it feels accurate enough, although things happen so quickly that I sometimes wasn’t sure whether I’d intentionally chained together an incredible combo or completely fluked it. I actually think that’s part of what makes Denshattack! so enjoyable. It constantly makes you feel like you’re pulling off spectacular runs as you tear through each course. Mistakes rarely derail your adventure. Instead, you’re usually greeted by one of your teammates with a quick one or two-second pep talk before being dropped back at a generous checkpoint. There were only a handful of moments where I wished the checkpoints were a little closer to where I’d failed, but considering the layout of those levels, I could understand why the developers placed them where they did. Those moments mostly occurred during the game’s epic boss fights, which are grand in scale and wonderfully ridiculous. From a train transforming into a Voltron-style mech to another behaving like a giant sandworm, every boss introduces multiple phases and unique mechanics that make each encounter an absolute blast.

The spectacle is brought to life with a bright colour palette and cel-shaded art style that really pops. Comic book-inspired effects exaggerate the action, while Ben-Day style shading is scattered throughout, making it feel like you’re playing inside the pages of a graphic novel. It looks fantastic, and the visual style perfectly complements the game’s over-the-top personality. Performance is equally impressive. Denshattack! targets 60 frames per second, and throughout my 12-hour playthrough, I didn’t notice any stutters or experience a single crash. Come to think of it, I only encountered one bug where, instead of wall riding, I repeatedly fell through a billboard. Even then, it only lasted four or five respawns before correcting itself.

Backing it all up is a high-energy soundtrack that perfectly matches the game’s stylish presentation. Blending pop, Asian-inspired influences, rockabilly, and energetic electronic tracks, the music keeps the momentum going from beginning to end. It’s an impressive collaboration featuring composers like Tee Lopes (Sonic Mania), Ryo Nagamatsu (Splatoon & Mario Kart series), Richard Jacques (Jet Set Radio & Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy), and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi (Daytona USA). Together, they’ve created a soundtrack that simply oozes style and feels every part as important to Denshattack as the gameplay.

For my Denshattackers looking into accessibility, there are a few visual options here to make your time with Denshattack! more comfortable. These include adjusting camera shake, bloom, motion blur, chromatic aberration, and speed lines. You can also fully remap the controls, making the game compatible with a range of accessibility controllers, should you choose. The game does feature some darker environments, and the fast-paced action can occasionally be difficult to keep up with. As always, I recommend doing a little more research to determine whether Denshattack! suits your individual accessibility needs. Thankfully, there is a demo on the Eshop that features the first 4 levels and a trick track so you can try before you buy.

At just under $29 AUD, Denshattack! offers fantastic value for money. There’s plenty of replayability for completionists, with collectibles scattered throughout each level along hidden paths, while those simply looking to race through the adventure can expect around 10 hours to complete the campaign. Denshattack! is a concept that doesn’t seem like it should work on paper, but in practice, it’s a completely different story. Between the high-energy soundtrack, sensational fast-paced gameplay, and an art direction that oozes style and charm, everything comes together to create an incredibly fun game that simply feels amazing to play. If you’ve ever wanted to kickflip a train, Denshattack! is the ticket you’ve been waiting for.

So, What’s It Like? Denshattack is like Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, crossed with Skate.

Denshattack is a What’s It Like Certified Exceptional game.

In the Interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the publisher, but this doesn’t influence my score.

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