The Case for More On-Rails Gaming Experiences
It’s been an exciting time for rail-based gaming. The remake of Star Fox has successfully retained the thrilling, action-packed levels from Star Fox 64, and they remain just as enjoyable to navigate nearly two decades later. Similarly, Denshattack!, a fresh title from Undercoders, offers levels filled with meticulously designed sequences that deliver a fantastic experience. Instead of piloting a hyper-realistic anthropomorphic fox through space, you’re zipping — flipping, spinning, and grinding — across a vibrant, stylized Japan aboard a supersonic train.
Describing Denshattack! simply as a train game doesn’t do justice to the exhilarating gameplay. In this colorful rendition of Japan, you’ll race through towns and landscapes, reminiscent of a turbocharged Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. You’ll speed through levels like a bullet, drift around corners to catch boosts, and launch off ramps to perform skateboarding-inspired tricks. Picture a cel-shaded Sonic game from Sega on the Dreamcast, but with a train, and you’ll get a sense of the Denshattack! experience.
Even in its early form, Denshattack! is a blast, and as you journey through its ten worlds, you’ll gradually unlock new abilities that transform you into a gravity-defying acrobat. Before long, you’ll be grinding on rails, riding along graffiti-covered walls, looping through tunnels, catching wind currents to soar through the air, and even flipping gravity to drive upside down, often in rapid succession. Fill up your energy bar by racking up points, and you can ride a magical rainbow track that unfurls before you, reminiscent of a fantastical Rainbow Road. All of this is accompanied by an upbeat, catchy soundtrack.
I thoroughly enjoyed racing through the game’s levels, eagerly anticipating each twist and turn for unexpected surprises. Just a few highlights include grinding along a swordfish’s nose, dodging saw blades in a sawmill, and hitting baseballs back to a gang leader in her track-filled baseball stadium — only to later face her again as she piloted a sandworm train.
The on-rails design works brilliantly, allowing you to focus less on navigation and more on reacting to the game’s twists, turns, and obstacles. The track generally guides you where you need to go, so the real challenge lies in executing slick tricks with a flick of the joystick as you leap from one track to another. This design gives developers the freedom to immerse you in action-packed scenarios and tightly choreographed sequences. Each level is typically just a couple of minutes long, keeping the pace brisk.
At times, the speed can be overwhelming, requiring quick reflexes. The game provides helpful visual cues for turns and obstacles, but as you learn new mechanics, the variety of moves can be a lot to juggle. In the heat of the moment, I often found myself pressing the wrong button or crashing into obstacles. Fortunately, checkpoints are generous, allowing you to quickly retry tricky sections without significant penalties.
The game also offers flexibility in difficulty. After completing each level, you’re presented with a results screen that grades your performance based on points earned, completion time, collectibles found, and any per-level “dares” you accomplished. If you’re aiming for medals, you can pursue those challenges, but you can also choose to focus solely on finishing each level, which is what I opted for.
Like many on-rails games, Denshattack! can feel a bit repetitive at times. Each region follows a similar structure, leading to familiar level types. The story is lightweight, and I found myself skipping through it. Much like Star Fox, this game isn’t about the narrative; it’s all about the exhilarating levels.
These are minor critiques, though. The game’s vibrant design and expertly crafted levels kept me eager to see where the rails would take me next. Denshattack! is currently available on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
