Denshattack! Mixes Train Tricks and Dystopian Punk—Here’s Why It Should Be On Your Radar

Tony Hawk on Rails-Why Denshattack! Is Catching Eyes at Gamescom

When the Denshattack! trailer crashed onto the Opening Night Live show at Gamescom, my slack-jawed reaction was: “Okay, someone finally did it-they made Tony Hawk into a train game.” We’ve seen devs mess around with extreme sports-cycling, snowboarding, even goat-sim insanity—but train trick combos in a neon-lit, cyberpunk-trashed Japan? That’s as fresh as it gets in a genre often stuck on rinse and repeat.

• Unique trick system built around trains, not boards or bikes
• Post-apocalypse world with genuine narrative teeth, not just dressing
• Killer soundtrack with Tee Lopes and more high-profile music collabs
• Early 2026 release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, plus day-one Game Pass

What Stands Out: Not Your Basic Skateboard Reskin

Credit to Spanish studio Undercoders—a team that’s earned a reputation for quirky-but-smart design with games like Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara—for sidestepping the overplayed “just like [insert hit franchise] but with a twist” formula. A lot of so-called ‘extreme’ games desperately chase Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater nostalgia without nailing what made that series click. Denshattack! instead asks: What if we took the rush of trick runs, mapped them to repurposed Japanese rails, and raised the stakes with life-or-death stunts on derelict infrastructure?

Over 50 levels promise a flowstate of combo chaining, wall-drifting, and even boss fights, which frankly, is a wild direction for an arcade trick game. That alone sets Denshattack! apart from the jankier indies that slap “extreme” on generic movesets. If Undercoders can deliver on truly deep, skill-based scoring—not just flashy surface-level spectacle—this could be the most legit shakeup in action sports-likes since OlliOlli World reimagined the genre for a new audience.

A Real Dystopia—Not Just Cyberpunk Neon Wallpaper

Denshattack!’s world actually tries to back up the dystopian vibes with some substance. The play area isn’t “just vibes”—there’s a clear context: the rich sealed away in shiny domes post-climate apocalypse, the rest of Japan abandoned and rebuilt by rebellious underground gangs, and the megacorp with its sterile, vacuum-sealed VACTRAIN network. Look: we’ve heard a million stories of future Tokyo in ruins, but few indie games ground their action so firmly in this kind of social rebellion. There’s an echo of Jet Set Radio’s punk resistance here, and I desperately hope Undercoders leans into that rather than just using it as window dressing.

The trick system lines up with that rebellious energy—you make your own style, earn upgrades, and jump from gang territory to territory. That’s got legs for pop culture impact, not just for gameplay variety. If they balance the skill curve right, this could be a trick game where mastery means something beyond just unlocking cosmetics.

The Music: If This Isn’t a Banger, I’ll Eat My Controller

Let’s not kid ourselves—extreme sports games live or die by their soundtracks. Tee Lopes is on composing duties (Sonic Mania, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge), which is as close to a guaranteed bop as you get in game music. Kid Katana’s involvement as the label suggests they’re curating a lineup to match Jet Set Radio or even Skate 3 in energy—none of that royalty-free placeholder stuff. The initial track dropped in the trailer hits all the right notes, and knowing Lopes, this is just a taste of what’s coming.

The Big Question: Flash or Substance?

Here’s where I’m keeping my skeptical gamer hat on: Games promising “deep tricks” and “boss fights” can easily go off the rails (pun intended) with muddled controls or style over substance. The devil will be in the execution—does the movement live up to the promise of ‘flow,’ or will it feel weighed down by floaty physics and repetitive levels? Undercoders has creative chops, but this is way more ambitious than their previous projects, so I’ll be watching reviews and hands-on previews closely.

But one thing is certain: dropping Denshattack! into Game Pass on day one is a shrewd move. It lets the curious and the skeptical give it a spin—risk free. If the game delivers, there’s every chance it could hit cult classic status overnight among trick-combo fanatics and anyone starving for something new in the skate-adjacent space.

TL;DR: Finally, a Trick Game That Actually Feels Fresh

Denshattack! isn’t just “Tony Hawk but with trains”—it’s shooting for something bolder, with a killer sense of style and a genuine, rebellious story. If the gameplay delivers, this could be the most off-the-rails action sports title we’ve seen in years. Mark your calendars, but keep your hype in check until we see real hands-on impressions.