Preview: Denshattack Is a Dreamcast Era Throwback Mostly Riding the Right Rails

Denshattack looks and plays like a long-lost Dreamcast game. That’s probably the greatest compliment we can pay to Spanish studio Undercoders’ latest effort, because we still have fond memories of that early 2000s era of SEGA software, like Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi.

For the uninitiated, this is a train game – but not in the same way as Train Sim World 6, which we outlined in full yesterday. It’s actually got more in common with a series like Sonic the Hedgehog, specifically the 3D era, where you’re dashing forward at breakneck speeds.

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There’s a lot going on here, and we think it could use a little refinement – or at least a steadier learning curve. But basically our demo took us through all of the systems, which we’ll attempt to recap.

So the first mechanic is your drift, which you’ll need when your train hits a bend. Braking at the right moment will bring up a meter, and if you let go of this while it’s in a green segment, you’ll get a boost. If you don’t brake, then you risk derailing your train, so it’s essential you keep a close eye out for any upcoming twists and turns.

In some sections, you’ll have a choice: do you want to go left or right? Pushing the analogue stick in a specific direction – and still performing your braking procedure, of course – will steer you down your chosen path.

Your train can also jump with the R2 button, and this is useful for avoiding hazards. But sometimes you’ll need to snap back down to the track, both for speed purposes and to avoid any other obstacles. You do this by pushing down and L2.

Elsewhere, like in, say, Ratchet & Clank, there are moments where you’ll need to switch between different rails, due to hazards and whatnot. You do this by leaping into the air and pushing a direction with the analogue stick, although we didn’t always find it to be as precise as we would like.

Then you’ve got skateboard-style tricks which, while airborne, can be performed by completing Street Fighter-style gestures; a quarter-circle will do a kickflip and a quick up-and-down will perform a pop shove-it – you get the idea.

Blend all of this together at breakneck speeds and it can feel a little bit like you’re trying to rub your belly and pat your head all at the same time. It’s hard – and while we did eventually find a flow, we reckon the full release is going to need a slower rollout of information, because this is a lot to digest.

But the game’s got an amazing sense of style – it’s all about a dodgy corporation that’s segmented Japan and the only connective tissue between the various cities are the trains. Neat anime cutscenes intersperse the action, but clearly this is going to be all about the gameplay and not necessarily the plot.

And that’s fine because there are some truly awesome moments here, like where you hop atop a Ferris wheel and temporarily go off-the-rails – literally.

While we didn’t get to experience it in our demo, one sequence in the trailer shows you going up against a giant Gundam, as you streak through a futuristic reimagining of Tokyo’s iconic downtown districts. The sense of style is off-the-charts and it’s going to make the full game hard to ignore.

We just think it could use a little refinement: snappier controls, a softer learning curve, and perhaps a more readable user interface with better feedback when you make a mistake.

There’s promise here – but an arcade outing like this should not be more difficult to pick up and play than a true train simulator. As things stand, despite its enormous promise, that’s where Denshattack is at.

Will you be stamping your ticket and leaving the station the moment Denshattack deploys in Spring 2026? Are you on board with the wild ride ahead? Honk your horn in the comments section below.