If you’ve ever played a Tony Hawk game and said to yourself, “I wish I was on a train instead of a skateboard.” Boy, do I have the game for you. Denshattack! is a brand-new high-speed (sports?) game, putting you in the shoes of an up-and-coming train operator who starts competing in a series of trick-filled competitions. It looks absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible — and yes you can make a train do a flip.
Denshattack comes from Publisher Fireshine Games and is developed by Undercoders, the indie studio behind Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, Treasures of the Aegean, and more. You don’t have to look to hard to see the game’s big inspirations, namely the likes of Jet Set Radio — through its pulpy pop art style, electronic soundtrack, and trick-based movement gameplay. But there’s also liberal inspiration from the likes of Tony Hawk and Shonen anime, as well as the developer’s own years of trips taking trains throughout Japan.
“Creating the world of Denshattack has been a joy for the team. Inspired by the art, culture and music of Japan, and, of course, our love of trains and skateboarding, Denshattack is a project we’ve wanted to make for a long time,” says game director David Jaumandreu.
Every bit of Denshattack feels wonderfully over the top and wildly animated, almost like a playable Studio Trigger game — and it has a story to match.
Denshattack takes place in the far future, where the rich live in untouchable air-purifying domes, and the rest are forced to fight for the scraps in the decrepit world that’s left. In that world a movement called “Denshattack” has reclaimed the abandoned railroad lines and now uses them for dazzling battles between gangs as they vie for territory. You enter that world as an up-and-coming train driver, going head to head with colorful gang leaders that feel like they were ripped right out of Pokémon’s villainous teams.
But as much fun as the game’s story seems, the real star of the show is its undeniably hilarious train acrobatics. As you make your way through Japan, you play through over 50 levels that are all tuned to specific objectives or tricks.
It’s a little weird to describe, but essentially think of an on-rails (literally) Tony Hawk game, where you’re grinding on train tracks, hitting jumps and halfpipes, and interacting with the environment in a bunch of crazy ways, like using a Ferris Qheel to cross a river. The focus in Denshattack isn’t just on pulling off the best tricks you can, but finishing levels as quickly as possible while still being stylish.
What’s really interesting about this focus is Jaumandreu’s experience, having served as game director on the recently-released Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound — a brilliant platformer that wildly succeeds with the sheer simplicity of its controls, and the hidden depth it holds.
By all regards it looks like Denshattack might have that same philosophy. But Jaumandreu also notes that players will be able to unlock a wide array of trains that may affect the way you play in some surprising ways, from clunky old wooden clunkers to sleek bullet trains.
Denshattack is one of those crazy ideas that sounds good on paper — who doesn’t want to play an anime where you use a train a like a skateboard? But seeing the game in motion, it looks even more promising than it sounds, and if the studio can deliver on suitably wacky story, we might have one of the bigger surprises of 2026 on our hands.
