Denshattack, test: when a train ride reminds us that rail is fun

The Verge publishes an enthusiastic review of Denshattack, a rail shooter that advocates for a return to guided level design. We're rather in agreement.

What we're talking about

The Verge published a review of Denshattack on July 18, 2026, a game with a title that speaks for itself (densha = train in Japanese, attack = you can guess the rest). The concept: a shoot 'em up blending train simulator and beat 'em up, entirely on rails - literally, your carriage follows the track, you only control the gunfire and dodges. The Verge article argues that "more games should be on rails (literally)," and the team agrees.

The experience

We spent a few hours on it. The first impression: it's direct, it's enjoyable, it's Japanese in the best sense. Zero friction to start a level, immediate reading of trajectories, and an art director who understood that the visible rail (the catenaries, the shiny tracks, the passing stations) is as much part of the show as the enemies to be defeated.

Where Denshattack hits the mark is in the rhythm. The rail allows designers to script the action peak to the second - something that open-world games often forget in favor of sometimes flaccid exploration. Here, every turn announces its wave of enemies, every tunnel offers a moment of respite. It's rhythmic craftsmanship, in the manner of great Japanese rail-shooters like Sin and Punishment (Treasure, 2000 on N64), Rez (Sega/United Game Artists, 2001), or more recently Rez Infinite (Enhance, 2016), which we'll keep as the absolute reference of the genre.

What's less appealing

Two reservations. First, the lifespan: rail-shooters have the structural flaw of being short (Denshattack loops in the first run between 3 and 4 hours, count double to finish all branches). It's consistent with the genre, but if you're looking for a post-grandma's dinner adventure, move along.

Then, the replayability. The alternative branches (the train can take different paths depending on your performance at junctions) add some variety, but it's far from the depth of an old Panzer Dragoon Saga. Denshattack embraces its couch-arcade format, not much more.

Who it competes against

Against what? The rail-shooter is a genre that has been fallow since the 2000s. Recent real references are few: Star Fox Zero (Wii U, 2016) which divided opinions, Rez Infinite which reminded us that art can be made with it, and a few confidential indie games. Denshattack has no real contemporary competitor, which works in its favor but also makes comparison difficult.

What we share with The Verge's review

The point we subscribe to 200%: more games should embrace the rail. The open world has saturated AAA production, with its parade of map markers, points of interest that no one cares about, its collectionism. The rail, on the other hand, forces designers to choose - every meter is intentional. It's the difference between a novel with chapters and a notebook.

Rating and for whom

• Rating: 7.5/10
• To remember: an honest and enjoyable shoot 'em up that reminds us that a well-made rail is better than a half-empty 200 km² map.
• For whom: nostalgics of Sin and Punishment and Rez, fans of Japanese shoot 'em ups, players who want a short and intense session after work. Avoid if you're looking for a 40-hour adventure with narrative branching.

Denshattack has been available for a short time; we don't yet know the exact list of distribution platforms (to be checked on the publisher's official website), and the studio behind the game deserves to be better highlighted in the coming months.