Denshattack!

Denshattack! was provided by Fireshine Games for review. Thank you!

There are some games that truly just hit on all cylinders as soon as the game starts, and it’s clear just how incredible it is. Some games may take some time to show how incredible they are, but Denshattack! shows it almost immediately. It’s clear as day just how masterful this game is at balancing its incredible, fast-paced skating with its gorgeous world, making this a must-have game that stands above many others.

As soon as you enter the first level of Denshattack!, you are hit by its incredible presentation that truly shines. The vibrant, cel-shaded world is truly the definition of eye candy, with colors that pop out and define the world without needing extra detail. It takes what should be a bleak atmosphere in a dystopian future and makes it look appealing and beautiful when compared to the futuristic, tech-heavy, contained cities kept inside contained bubbles.

The defining style is further accentuated with its effects and UI. From the sparks of grinding to the light strokes that follow our train as we complete more complex tricks, it all adds so much to the style that makes it difficult not to fall in love with it. It works perfectly with the soundtrack, which is just electric. The booming music during the stages, coupled with the sound effects of the grinding and tricks, is just perfect.

Before its release, I described Denshattack! as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater mixed with trains, and while there’s still some truth to that, the game really goes on its own path. Each level follows what seems to be a linear path, with different tracks to switch to, rails to grind, obstacles to jump over, and we consistently get enough air to perform tricks, which will raise our score. It’s simple to understand until you keep on playing and see so much more beneath the surface.

The core of completing each level comes from careful, spontaneous lane adjustments and tricks. There will be a lot of obstacles, and it will require switching lanes to get past them. Whether it be just moving left and right, jumping and switching to a grinding rail, or even a combination of wall riding, grinding, and slamming to avoid cliffs, you’ll have to keep your eyes open for other pathways to avoid crashing. Some of these can even offer some shortcuts once you max your combo meter out and start seeing the hidden rainbow tracks. This is probably the most difficult part of each stage, since there were a good chunk of times that I either missed the tracks completely and crashed or didn’t react fast enough to avoid roadblocks, but it didn’t happen all the time.

And to bring our score up for each level, we will utilize different tricks. This is the perfect definition of a simple system that has a lot of complexity to it. All tricks are performed with the right joystick, and it's as simple as moving it up, down, or side to side. However, it can get deeper, depending on the order in which you do it. Yes, moving the joystick down and 90 degrees to the right will make us do a Front 180, but if we move down, then 90 degrees to the right, and then back again, we can perform a Front 180 Impossible. Change that up slightly, and we can turn it into a Front Kick Impossible. Want to get crazy? Move the joystick down, then up, then 90 degrees to the left, then to the right, and we can do a Front Cancel Kick Impossible. It sounds a bit overwhelming when you’re trying to do specific tricks, but if you just understand the core concept of how it works, tricks not only become easier to perform but also much more satisfying to see play out.

I was truly stunned by how easy it was to just pick up and start going in Denshattack!, while also finding ways to improve for future levels. The more we replay, the more we get the hang of it, and it just hits harder and harder each time without ever really letting up. I can’t count the number of times I went back and tried the same level again just to see if I could get a better score by trying a different pathway or strategy to keep my combos going longer.

While I do love the gameplay, the constant action does admittedly lead to some moments where what’s happening on screen can become a little difficult to comprehend. The flashy, vibrant visuals and wildly changing camera can make some moments difficult to react to fast enough when a lot is happening at a quick pace. Going from grinding to a jump to a wall run to another grind to another grind, all with lane changes, and then needing to slam down to avoid an obstacle, can feel like a lot. Sometimes, I was able to make out exactly what to do, which is in some part thanks to the flashing indicator at the top of the screen, but there were enough times I crashed because it felt like too much was happening too quickly.

However, what really surprised me was the variety of each of the levels in visuals, mechanics, and objectives. All of the levels really felt like they had their own unique pathways and events, highlighting each of the prefectures in a new way with obstacles that didn’t show up before. Whether it be crossing over a destroyed bridge, slamming down on states of Stonehenge-like heads, grinding rails in a cave, or riding on a Ferris wheel through the ocean, there was always a little something new and different that kept it exciting.

And to complement that, we have a variety of objectives at each stage. I went into this thinking we were going to see a lot of the same, get from point A to point B, and do tricks to get a high score. However, I was instead met with races, boss battles, and even tracks where we had to circle around and complete multiple different objectives before stopping the level manually by slowing down completely. The game’s mechanics were sound enough to keep me wanting to play, but the diversity of each level elevated that further.

Boss battles followed suit, with each one finding a way to stand out from the others. Not only was each design nowhere near the others, but the entire way the battles play out isn’t remotely identical. Play off your flash down in their own rights with interesting ideas and ways for us to interact that ultimately culminate in an epic experience that requires us to use the skills we have learned and mastered. They are also filled with some fantastic cinematic

To add replayability, each level gets ranked based on how long we took to beat it and the score we got, as well as on completing the optional objectives throughout. So, there are reasons to come back and get gold medals across the board. There are also collectibles we can pick up throughout the levels, some of which give us currency to buy stickers and new trains, and others that can allow us to build out our own magazine with different pictures and captions.

There isn’t much in the way of progression, though we will be able to unlock some different trains that have unique effects to them. They usually come with one positive and one negative effect, so choosing wisely may help when it comes to different areas. It can range from positive effects like giving extra combos and better traction in tunnels to negative effects like crashing, reducing our score, or lowering manual duration. We can also customize our train with different stickers and color schemes, but apart from that, there isn’t much we can do.

There’s also a nice story in here that I didn’t necessarily expect to enjoy as much as I ended up enjoying it. We play as Emi, a ramen delivery woman, who ends up getting into hardcore train racing, called Denshattack. From there, she goes across dystopian Japan, which has been hit by a huge climate disaster, and it is said to only be truly livable inside protected dome cities controlled by AI.

Denshattack! - Steam Deck Performance

Now, I was quite impressed with how well Denshattack! runs on the Steam Deck. This is the type of game that needs a smooth 60 FPS to feel good, so I was coming in with high hopes and expectations. Not only did it hit them, but I was also impressed with how great it looked as it was able to do so.

At the default settings, the game hits 60 FPS throughout almost every level, which is a huge compliment. There’s a range of high and low settings here, and it keeps the game looking sharp, vibrant, and easily distinguishable with a solid framerate.

The only time I noticed the visuals feeling too low was in some tunnels, where the lighting got rid of any shadows (it was just too bright). There were also a few times I felt minor drops here and there, sometimes going down to 24 FPS for half a second. However, these never lasted long, and the enjoyment of playing Denshattack! this way never faded.

I’m actually very impressed with the default settings and how close it sticks to 60 FPS throughout the game, so I actually recommend keeping it at the default.

Conclusion

Denshattack! surprised me in many ways. Its constant action, accessible mechanics, and vibrant, cinematic visuals create a magical experience that can’t be found regularly. Each stage offers something new, whether it be different objectives or completely different events that change how we play it out.

And it runs like a charm on the Steam Deck, way better than I expected a game like this to run. There are some very small drops here and there, but the rest of its performance more than makes up for it.

Our review is based on the PC version of this game.

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.