Jet Set Radio Future was destined to be a cult classic from the moment it was released. The kinetic Xbox launch title, following up on a popular release for the Sega Dreamcast, was a vibrant blast that used a great soundtrack and fun gameplay to sneak in an anti-fascist message about the power of art and resistance. It remains a personal favorite for this writer, who has spent years hoping against hope that Sega would fully revitalize the series beyond the occasional appearance or cameo in other titles.
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While I still haven’t gotten the full new Jet Set Radio I’ve been waiting for, Undercoders’ Denshattack is the closest I’ve ever felt to getting that new adventure. The game is a bombastic blast, with slick animation and tight controls setting up an explosive adventure across a vibrantly designed world. If you’re like me and have been waiting decades for the next entry in the Jet Set series — or even if you’ve never gotten the chance to be won over by that title — then it’d be a crime to sleep on one of 2026’s most pleasant gaming surprises.
Denshattack Is The Modern Jet Set Radio I’ve Been Waiting For
Denshattack is the exact kind of kinetic and colorful racing/extreme sports game I’ve been waiting for since Jet Set Radio etched a permanent spot in my gamer heart. The game follows players as they upgrade their train in a vibrant world full of big personalities, massive cityscapes, and surprising challenges. Players make their way through each level with a mix of objectives, ranging from winning the race against more seasoned train drivers to earning enough points doing tricks to take over the leaderboard. There’s a focus on stylish moves and visuals throughout the game, with explosive flips and tricks delivering plenty of high-octane moments for players. Throughout it all, that colorful look gives it an undeniable sense of charm that makes it easy to replay levels and exciting to venture further into the campaign.
It’s exactly the same underlying tricks that made Jet Set Radio such an appealing franchise at the turn of the century, with the high-speed action and stylish touches helping lure players into a deceptively engaging experience. Just like Jet Set Radio, the thrill of blasting around a colorful map at top speeds and doing absolutely absurd stunts is a huge part of the appeal. Both games also use these elements to tell subtly effective stories about the world at large. Much in the same way that Jet Set Radio and its sequel Jet Set Radio Future use the vibrant graffiti mechanics to tell a story about fighting back against societal repression, Denshattack uses its charming characters and larger world to explore a post-climate disaster world and highlight the dangers of out-of-control capitalism. It all comes together to create an experience that’s easy to learn and hard to put down, just like with the Jet Set games — making Denshattack the game I’ve been waiting over twenty years for.
More Games Should Take Denshattack’s Vibrant Approach
Denshattack isn’t the only game to lean into the cel-shaded blast of color, but it is a nice reminder that this visual style very much has a place in the current gaming landscape. Too much of modern gaming leans heavily into painfully realistic graphics, an approach that can leave games feeling dated within a few years. Other games like Hi-Fi Rush helped generate a lot of attention and fan excitement thanks in part to their visual elements and worldbuilding, while games like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Viewtiful Joe still look great even decades after they came out because of their commitment to more colorful art design. Jet Set Radio did something similar, with the colorful design aesthetic helping the game stand out in an era where most titles preferred a more grimy approach. That’s partly what makes Denshattack stand out immediately from other games, as the art design really matches the chaotic (but precise) gameplay.
In many ways, especially on a visual level, Denshattack feels like a spiritual successor to everything that made Jet Set Radio such an instant cult classic. It’s a deceptively deep story with a genuine thematic arc about the state of the world, giving a host of colorful characters the chance to fight back against extreme versions of real-world problems. It takes all those key elements and fuses them with a more high-speed approach that uses modern graphics to their full advantage. It’s just a fun game at the end of the day, something that many games with this visual style put emphasis on. If you’re like me and have been waiting for a modern Jet Set Radio sequel, this is the closest thing we’ve ever really gotten. If you slept on the cult classic, then you owe it to yourself to try out Denshattack and see why gamers like me have spent decades yelling that this style of game needs more attention and love.
