From the second I laid eyes on Denshattack!, there was one thing about it that had me immediately enamoured. Was it the Dreamcast-inspired shiny, blocky colors? The upbeat music? Or the truth that you’re pulling off sick tips and grinding rails on a freakin’ prepare? Most likely all three, come to consider it.
The one sticking level was the gameplay. Would this supply depth and longevity to go together with its stellar presentation, or would it not be little greater than a glorified knock-off of Subway Surfers? Effectively, I’m pleased to say that Denshattack is a joyous time that recaptures that particular early ’00s vibe of video games like Jet Set Radio and Loopy Taxi. The draw back is that it’s surrounded by superfluous fluff that brings down the general expertise.
As protagonist Emi Araki, you’re pulled out of your menial job as a ramen supply driver to develop into a Denshattacker, thrust right into a world by which prepare drivers flip their automobiles into large, metaphorical skateboards to win races and rating massive factors. You’ll encounter a bunch of vibrant and brash characters alongside your journey, however the narrative and copious dialogue sequences rapidly outstay their welcome.
In reality, it’s a blessing that you simply’re capable of skip the dialogue sequences altogether, because it turned obvious inside just some ranges that I merely don’t care in regards to the overarching narrative. You’re given context behind the characters you’re racing in opposition to and their place on the earth, but it surely typically seems like meaningless bloat, artificially extending what would in any other case be a slick, well-paced marketing campaign.
There’s one particular degree that incorporates an goal the place it’s good to drop off passengers at stations dotted across the tracks, and regardless of the blatant nod to Loopy Taxi, this in all probability would have functioned properly because the core hook for all the recreation. Decide up passengers, drop them off, rating factors alongside the way in which – achieved. As an alternative, Denshattack! will get too massive for its boots, forcing itself to be one thing that it actually didn’t must be.
Fortunately, the gameplay itself is stellar. Ranges principally include set paths that you simply’ll routinely comply with from begin to end, and your job is to get there in a single piece whereas making it look as fashionable as doable. Beginning with the fundamentals, you’ll learn to increase round corners, bounce over obstacles, and waggle the proper analogue stick in particular methods to tug off airborne tips. As you progress, extra talents will probably be step by step launched, like grinding on rails, wall-riding, and breaking free from the tracks totally for some freewheeling mayhem.
It’s the type of expertise that you simply’re not going to nail immediately. You’ll spend a very good chunk of time careening off the tracks and right into a cliffside, ultimately winding up with an ample, but deflating bronze medal on the finish of every degree.
However that’s the purpose. It takes time to actually familiarize yourself with the mechanics, and as soon as you’re feeling you’ve obtained a very good deal with on the fundamentals, Denshattack! introduces one thing new to maintain you in your toes.
As soon as it clicks, it’s an intensely satisfying expertise that begs to be replayed again and again to bag these coveted gold medals and beat your earlier excessive rating. Stringing tips collectively completely is exhilarating, and that is enhanced additional by particular ‘rainbow’ tracks that seem when you hit a sure combo degree, letting you discover new routes and enhance your rating exponentially.
If that have been all there may be to it, repetition may rear its ugly head earlier than too lengthy. Fortunately, developer Undercoders has achieved properly to make sure that every degree has no less than one thing distinctive to set it aside. So that you may end up navigating via a volcano and avoiding fireballs hurtling towards you, using atop a dislodged Ferris wheel, or amassing costume elements and making a cameo look in a Kabuki play – yeah, actually.
It’s pleasant stuff, solely enhanced by the superb presentation. It’s clear that Denshattack! was constructed as an homage to Sega’s Dreamcast period, evident within the daring distinction of blue skies and yellow carriages, with over-the-top particular results and hanging black outlines. So far as music goes, it might have been good to get just a few licensed tracks in there to actually nail that Loopy Taxi vibe, however the unique tracks are fairly good for essentially the most half. Some tunes even jogged my memory of Splatoon, which is excessive reward certainly.
Crucially, all of it runs very properly on the Swap 2, with minimal body drops from the 60fps goal and lightning-fast restarts everytime you crash out. It eradicates any sense of frustration if you’re battling a specific degree, as you may simply maintain respawning virtually instantaneously with none sense of punishment. Clearly, your general efficiency on the finish of every degree will probably be affected, however practising and studying out of your errors has no less than been made as painless as doable.
Outdoors of the principle ranges, you’ll even be given the chance to pimp out your prepare with new colors, patterns, stickers, and extra. You’ll unlock extra as you progress, and whereas that is little greater than an aesthetic alternative, it’s good so as to add slightly character to your journey.
You’ve additionally obtained onsen ranges which function minor breaks from the motion to discover character relationships as you loosen up within the sizzling springs. This simply goes again to my earlier level by which the sport needlessly extends the general runtime (which clocks in at round 10-15 hours) with extreme bloat, however fortunately you may simply again out of those instantly should you don’t want to work together with them.
Conclusion
Denshattack! is an efficient homage to Sega’s Dreamcast period with out feeling too spinoff. Utilizing a prepare, of all issues, to tug off insane tips to extend your rating sounds totally ridiculous on paper, but it surely all works very properly. It is the type of gameplay that invitations you to play it time and again to good your runs and earn these lofty gold medals.
It is only a disgrace that the core hook is surrounded by pointless fluff that bloats the general expertise. Sure, you may skip most of it, however Denshattack! would have shone even brighter had the devs leaned additional into its arcade-style inspirations. Nonetheless, it is properly value a punt for its gameplay alone, and there is a robust basis right here to spawn a good higher sequel sooner or later.
