Denshattack! raises the bar for 3D Sonic-inspired games

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Denshattack! raises the bar for 3D Sonic-inspired games

Developed over time first seen 2 months ago

Polygon · 2 months ago

Denshattack!, a new indie game from developer Undercoders, has been praised as one of 2026's standout titles for reinventing the 3D extreme-sports and speed-platforming genres with an unusual premise: skateboarding trains. Set in a climate-ravaged, futuristic Japan where trains are essential for moving supplies between domed cities, the game casts players as rebellious "Denshattackers" battling a vaguely nefarious corporation, blending Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-style trick chaining with the visual flair of Jet Set Radio and the pace of the best 3D Sonic games.

The game lets players perform grinds, ollies, manuals, shove-its and kickflips on their train using Skate-style stick controls, gradually introducing new tricks so players can build them into long combo strings across levels designed like giant skate parks. Despite a fairly generic story of punk rebellion against a corporation, with light anti-AI commentary, the review highlights the roughly 10-hour game's inventive world-building and its depth of trick systems, including later additions like crane swinging and dual-track sliding, as reasons it succeeds as an ambitious and stylish genre hybrid.

  • Denshattack! reimagines extreme-sports games with trick-performing trains
  • Set in climate-changed future Japan, rebels fight a corrupt corporation
  • Praised for deep combo systems and roughly 10-hour runtime

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Denshattack! is an independent video game that combines skateboarding-style tricks with fast 3D platforming. Players ride trains through a fictional future Japan, using jumps, grinds and other moves to travel through large, obstacle-filled levels.

It draws on ideas familiar from skateboarding games, where linking moves without falling creates longer scores, and from high-speed platform games built around momentum. Its setting imagines a world damaged by climate change, in which trains connect protected cities and carry vital supplies.

The player characters are called Denshattackers and are presented as opponents of a powerful corporation. The story provides a reason for the action, while the main focus is on mastering the movement and trick systems.

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Originally published by Polygon as “Denshattack! review: 2026 finally has the best 3D Sonic game of all time”.