“Let’s make a better world”: Denshattack’s developers on counterculture, biker gangs, and the optimism of fighting a mecha with a train
Denshattack is an upbeat train-driving game with a deliberately rebellious spirit, pitting players against a rogue technology corporation responsible for inequality, surveillance, misinformation, police violence and AI-driven loss of craft. Its developers at Undercoders say the game’s politics were not planned as a statement, but emerged naturally from building a near-future Japan inspired by contemporary anxieties and countercultural skateboarding influences.
Director David Jaumandreu and producer-designer Àngel Beltran said development began with a prototype in 2022, before AI and data centres became such prominent concerns. They connect the game’s outlook to a desire to reclaim and reshape the world, while noting that their earlier satire SuperEpic: The Entertainment War also became more relevant after release as microtransactions, cryptocurrency failures and games-industry layoffs intensified its themes.
In short
- Denshattack turns anti-corporate concerns into optimistic train-based action.
- Developers say its political themes emerged organically.
- The game reflects growing anxieties around AI and surveillance.
Explained simply
Denshattack is an upbeat train-driving game in which players operate a locomotive to fight against a rogue technology corporation responsible for inequality, surveillance, misinformation and police violence. Set in a near-future Japan, the game incorporates countercultural influences in both its style and its vision of a better world.
The game was developed by Undercoders, led by director David Jaumandreu and producer-designer Àngel Beltran. Development began with a prototype in 2022, and the team has said that the game's political themes emerged naturally during creation rather than being planned from the outset.
Undercoders has previously made games that take political stances, notably SuperEpic: The Entertainment War, which satirised the video games industry. As cryptocurrency failures and industry layoffs later occurred, the game's critique gained additional relevance.