Denshattack!

There's a YouTuber that goes by the name DreamcastEnjoyer. He coined the phrase "big Dreamcast energy" to describe games that are clearly inspired by the type of games that can be found on Sega's final console. I feel confident in categorizing Denshattack! as a game with big Dreamcast energy. There is no question that it would have been perfectly in place among that console's library of games. It definitely has the arcade feel where the game is easy to learn, but once it sinks its hooks into you, you'll spend many hours trying to truly master it. I myself spent such time mastering Denshattack!'s tracks and had an absolute blast.

Xtreme Train Racing

You play as Emi. She makes her living as delivery driver. Except, she doesn't drive a car or a truck or a bicycle. She drives a train. She lives in a fictional Japan where a climate catastrophe has affected ecosystems and people generally live inside domes. One day, she runs into a photographer, Fer. Fer immediately sees potential in Emi and invites her to participate in the xtreme train sport known as Denshattack. Now that they're teamed up, off they go to challenge different rivals throughout the various regions of Tokyo in a quest to become the ultimate Denshattacker. Upon proving herself worthy, she directs her efforts towards toppling the Miraido corporation that has people living in domes and in slums outside of them.

Where No Train Has Gone

Yes, that's right folks! Xtreme train racing! Not only will you barrel along the rails at high speed, you will also trick, flip, and grind in places where trains aren't even supposed to go. You will ride the railroad tracks, but you will also soar through the air, grind on pipes, ride on walls, loop inside tunnels, submerge underwater, and even blast off into space. As you are navigating these tricky terrains, you will twist and flip your train as if it's a skateboard. Indeed, the names of the tricks you perform are identical to their skateboard counterparts. I am a huge Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and a massive Jet Set Radio fan. Denshattack! essentially fuses these two but on a train. I love it.

Crazy Train, Crazy Fun

Levels are fun and varied. Every region has its own identity that matches the rival gang occupying it. Every track keeps you on your toes and introduces game mechanics you may have not discovered before: manuals, turn drifts, mid-air downward slams,wall rides, off-the-rail tunnel rides, riding under water, swinging from monorails, track splitting, and attacking big bad bosses. You heard that right, folks! There's boss fights! You will fight against giant robots, train serpents, giant iron pot cannons, and many more. By leaning in to anime style wackiness and using it as a point of escalating gameplay, it turns its complete craziness into an absolute strength. Not only do I look forward to the next level, I find myself going back to previous tracks using newly introduced mechanics like the manual to obtain gold medals.

Gripes

My only gripe with this game is that, towards the end, I felt like one too many mechanics where introduced. I draw my line right at the double track drifting. Up until that point, I was able to easily adapt to abilities. Upon the introduction of double track drifting and the upside-down magnetic rails, I struggled a bit to adapt. Maybe it's my reflexes aren't what they used to be, but my brain would struggle to communicate the button combinations quick enough to perform those specific tricks in time. The magnetic rails generated a lot of confusion as my instincts kept telling me to perform a train slam while I was floating upside down and only ended in a crash.

Small Story Miss

I guess the other flaw I could point at is that, even though I'm sympathetic towards the denshattackers fight against Miraido, I never felt that Miraido was enough of a big bad threat to rage against. You get the impression that people aren't living happy lives in either the domes or outside of them, but it's never explicitly shown. It doesn't help that Molty is such a cute mascot. This is a nitpick that's not even worth bringing up. I mentioned before that I'm not a stickler for story, so Emi's quest to become the best denshattacker and subsequent goal of taking down Miraido is motivation enough for me to play through this game.

Going off the Rails

Lastly, I just want to remark on how much I love the cel-shaded graphics and art style. Jet Set Radio is the ultimate trendsetter in that respect and Denshattack! adopted that style beatufully. It's vibrant and colorful and the characters have so much personality that you will immediately be swept away by them.

This game is definitely a big win. If you care about classic arcade-style fun, this is a very highly recommended game.