by Chris PenwellTake a cool, vibrant anime art style, Tony Hawk Pro Skater–style tricks, and the energy of Sonic Unleashed, and you have Denshattack!, a game I would have dreamed of as a teenager. The first three or four levels were available in the demo at the MCM Comic Con in May 2026. It’s energetic and the star of the show over the May weekend.
While Bandai Namco had priests hearing attendees’ sins, there existed an indie game section that wasn’t around at last year’s MCM Comic Con. Decorated with plain white walls, the Leftfield Collection showcased new and upcoming releases from indie developers. One of which is Denshattack!, which immediately made my tired feet jump off the floor.
A very unrealistic train
The first level introduces you to the basics with a well-implemented tutorial. Like Sonic the Hedgehog in the Boost formula entries like Unleashed and Colors, you can move at top speed as the train rolls down the tracks, skidding on corners. It’s very unrealistic, but who cares? The difference here is that there’s a meter attached to the drifting mechanic. If you hit the middle, you’ll get a perfect rating and gain a boost of speed. This keeps you invested in making every turn as good as possible. You’ll want a great time at the end after all.
It then gets a bit more chaotic. Similar to Ratchet & Clank, you have to dodge left to right as obstacles head your way. You also have to jump up and, in some cases, slam the train down to the ground to propel forward on the track. You really have to keep your eye on the track. Thankfully, there are checkpoints, so you don’t have to start from the very beginning, just a few seconds behind. This is likely to inspire multiple runs to get the best time.
Next, the trick system is quite elaborate. You’ll gain a better score as you combo tricks together like Tony Hawk. Once again, it looks ludicrous with a train, but it feels smooth as you wiggle the right analog stick in all different ways. That’s except for one trick. For some reason, during the tutorial, the controller wasn’t registering one particular movement. It might have been me or the controller that was available during the MCM Comic Con show.
Nevertheless, the trick system seems to be a big part of Denshattack!, as you’ll unlock more moves later on. Unfortunately, I kept pressing the slam button while performing tricks with the right analogue stick. I have no idea why. It just kept feeling instinctual to fall to the ground sharply rather than stay in the air.
Denshattack! has so much style!
This indie title by Undercoders is grooving with style. It showcases a Japanese-inspired dystopia with vibrant, gorgeous art. You would think that would be an oxymoron, but it reminds me of Jet Set Radio and works perfectly for the concept. It also goes absurd in the demo as you ride a Ferris wheel through a river or the ocean, trying to break all of the objects in the water.
Furthermore, the art style takes its wacky concept and feels frenetic with its motion and anime-inspired graphics. One screenshot shown above displays a giant baseball chasing after the train. I hope Undercoders goes as nutty as possible to make Denshattack! really stand out.
Something that completes its anime inspirations is the cutscenes. So far, the voice acting is stellar, and I’m already invested in the main characters. The art behind them is also solid, with designs that suit their personalities.
I cannot wait to see the absolute whackiness of Denshattack! when the full game launches on June 17, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
Denshattack
