Denshattack! Review
If you been around any kind of Japanese anime-related media for as long as I have, you probably have seen tropes being repeated dozens, maybe countless times at this point. Akira slides, Isekais, "Nah I'd win" type lines. It's necessarily a bad thing, at least I do not think so. I would say that it's refreshing when you see something that really takes the core of any of those tropes and really makes it their own. You hear the phrase "a love letter" when interests and passion all culminate to create a work that doesn't build off from what came before, but rather truly internalizes the core of their elements. That, to me, is the strength and beauty of Denshattack.
On the surface, Denshattack is a combination of trick games like Tony Hawk Pro Skater and something akin to Katamari Damacy with its quirkiness, charm, and ways you have to approach the environment within a timeframe. Going deeper down, it is still exactly that. This game wears what it is on its sleeve, and does so in a way where every level feels satisfying, the controls are tight and responsive (though the tracks can bug out a bit sometimes), and all the challenges all feel achievable, which makes you want to replay all these levels if you are that kind of gamer. Just don't be like me and grind the game out in one day to beat it - take your time and enjoy the sights~. There are still some levels that I'm thinking about right now that I would love to retry if I didn't have such a big backlog of games.
My only real criticism about the mechanics was in the later part of the game they introduced a new one that overwhelmed be at first, on a logical and visual and the speed of execution they expected me to have progressed through the levels themed around that mechanic. I think though if I took my time with the game I would have a better time. I think the beginning and middle part of the game they did well pacing the new mechanics, but towards the end it was a lot to take in and execute in a short amount of time. It was satisfying to really lock it down as best as I could, however, and I felt it didn't take way from the overall tightness of the gameplay.
Speaking of other games, I think one of the big things this year I'm focusing on (and all years too) are narratives and stories. There have been too many games this year I just dropped because the hook and story beats were not compelling. Sure, the gameplay might be sound or the music might be bumping, but for me that's not enough to keep me going. Denshattack on the surface has a real basic hook at the beginning, one that again if you've been around the anime block you have or will have seen this before. Main girl Emi quits her boring job to be the best in the world at some absurd action-packed activity she just learned about, eventually recruiting a team to take down the big bad at the very end that gets defeated through the power of friendship and pure will. That's it. Again, is this a bad thing?? I say - hell no. Especially when you got the style to back it up. And this game has style, from the character designs to the interactions/dialogue to the level designs and so much more. Even though I was lowkey rushing through everything, I appreciate all the little layers of narrative you can piece together from the environment and just seeing all these tropes put into these characters done in a refreshing, new way. Denshattack truly takes these ideas and spins them not necessarily in a new groundbreaking way, but you can tell this entire team has so much passion in what they do and what they want to express.
On expression, you cannot talk about this game without talking about the music. Unlike a Tony Hawk Pro Skater with its licensed soundtrack, Denshattack has its original tunes but comprised of both writers but also guest tracks as well. Every track feels consistent with the game and well-utilized whether it be an onsen track or a big boss battle. Outside the game, just listening to all these genres they managed to capture inspired by Japanese rock, funk, hip-hop rap, and fusion makes it a great one to load up on your music player of choice and just pump up your day. Experiencing the boss tracks through the context of the game was such a cool experience, so definitely do that first.
Overall, while Denshattack does have its flaws, it pales in comparison to its bold and brash execution and a memorable experience overall. I've played a lot of games this year, and this was among the best of them due to its tight gameplay and stellar art and design style overall. I don't normally grind out games to see them to the end, but I was compelled to do so with this game. It also helped that it had cool unlockables through passcodes (reminiscent of retro games where you had to enter a button combo on a certain screen) and a collab with one of my favorite Vtubers Shiori Novella, who constantly berated me on my combo abilities. That's besides the point. But a good reason to maybe get the game too.
Denshattack - Moguri highly recommends you give it a try~!!
