Hi everyone! On behalf of our studio Undercoders, and ahead of the game’s launch on July 15, we’re thrilled to give you an exclusive in-depth look at the first boss of Denshattack!
Denshattack! is a frenetic trick-based action game where you kickflip, ollie, and grind… as a train! Set in a colorful dystopian version of Japan, you must rack up points, complete objectives, and race rivals to become the best Denshattacker of all time.
We took inspiration from some of our favorite extreme-sports series, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and SSX, and combined them with the energy of classic arcade hits and the fascinating Y2K, colorful, cel-shaded aesthetics seen in games like Jet Set Radio or Auto Modellista.
Denshattack!’s world is built around outsiders
Denshattack! takes place in a future version of Japan where a climate catastrophe has left the rich untouchable inside their air-purifying domes, while everyone else is forced to survive in the undomed wastelands. A rebellious movement known as Denshattack has reclaimed the abandoned legacy railroad tracks, using them to fight for recognition in underground duels of speed, tricks, and technique.
Emi, a young but skilled ramen delivery girl, discovers Denshattack when she crosses paths with a journalist and sets off on an intense journey of discovery, growth, and challenge. From the southern lands of Kyushu to the freezing north of Hokkaido, she will need to make her way across Japan, crossing the ruins of the once-powerful railway network, meeting outcasts, learning new techniques, improving her skills, and battling local gang leaders.
Gang Bosses: an epic train showdown!
When designing the game, the team had a clear vision for the story arcs: just like in a classic shonen anime, each chapter had to end with a catharsis that felt impressive, creating a challenge to put all the newly learned mechanics to the test.
In Denshattack!, each of Japan’s regions is controlled by a gang of outlaws led by a powerful fighter. Each gang has its own visual identity, personality, fashion, and musical character, directly inspired by Japan’s suburban culture. These leaders each have their own motives, signature moves and secret techniques to provide the perfect base for a meaningful boss battle.
But how do you create a boss fight with trains? Going on rails may sound like a big limitation, but when your train can defy gravity to jump, wallride, trick, or grind, it can also dodge punches, parry projectiles, stomp on a shield, or launch itself against a mecha with a force of fifty tons!
Train-to-train (or train-to-giant-machine) combat turns out to be pretty interesting. And when combined with a cast of unique characters, local folklore, and Japan’s endless source of pop culture influences and aesthetics, it opens up a lot of opportunities to create original boss fights.
Kogals Unite! Meet Yoshie from the Dashing Queens
Yoshie is an influencer from Fukuoka whose popularity became so powerful that the government branded her a threat. In reality, they simply fear her influence. Her visual design and bubbly personality clearly embody gyaru, a Japanese subculture that challenges traditional Japanese beauty standards by centering glamour, volume, and confidence. You can see this in her hair, makeup, clothing, accessories, and, of course, her train.
But most of all, you can see it in her transformation sequence. Reminiscent of classic Sentai shows or anime such as Sailor Moon, Yoshie’s train joins forces with her soldiers and morphs into a huge magical girl-esque mecha. The gyaru elements extend here too, with bows, stars, and hearts galore.
Every boss fight follows a classic structure of different phases, where players need to identify patterns, avoid damage, and look for openings to perform counter-attacks. In this fight, Emi first uses tricks and combos to access the main battle, then performs quick rail changes to avoid the punches and uses grinds and ground pounds to deliver blows to the mecha. All these techniques are introduced throughout the first chapter and then put to the test during the fight.
The level’s music reflects Yoshie too: her battle theme is a collaboration between composer Sean Bialo, leading Vocaloid producer Yunosuke, and pop singer (and real-life gyaru idol) Alice Peralta.
Onto the next station!
Our publisher, Fireshine Games, loved the duel against Yoshie when we first presented it, but raised an interesting question: if this is the first boss fight and you’re already battling a giant mecha… where do we go from here? The only possible answer was: up and beyond!
Boss fights have been one of the most fun and interesting design challenges we’ve encountered while creating Denshattack!. We’ve been working hard to create set pieces that feel intense, challenging, original, surprising, and, above all, memorable.
We can’t wait for you to play them!
Denshattack! launches on PS5 on July 15.