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My train spins through the air after launching off a skyscraper-high vertical ramp, swiftly twisting onto another bolt-upright bit of track, my view smothered with speed lines, Japanese onomatopoeia, and sparks as enthusiastic allies yell encouragement. A gorgeous vista stretches out below me, Japan's countryside filled with cherry blossom trees and bright blue water.

Need to know

What is it? Trains Tony Hawk-ing around a stylish post-disaster Japan via the power of friendship

Expect to pay: $20 / £

Developer: Undercoders

Publisher: Fireshine Games, Boltray Games

Reviewed on: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5090 (laptop), 64GB RAM

Multiplayer: No

Steam Deck: Verified

VR: No

In these brief and highly curated moments Denshattack appears to be an exciting combination of Jet Set Radio's cel shaded style and Tony Hawk's tricks and challenges, with an added dash of Taito's arcade classic Densha de Go for good measure. It's an impression that sadly soon goes off the rails, any interaction longer than a social media clip's worth of action revealing a fully loaded freight train's worth of issues.

I may technically be controlling a train, but bar a token nod to not derailing on curves the metal box I'm in charge of never behaves anything like one, even if I temporarily set the acrobatics aside. There's no inertia, no weight pulling me back on steep slopes, no assistance from gravity on the way down a ramp, no careful adjusting of a virtual mascon to smoothly slow down for a corner or push for flat-out bursts of energy on a long straight.

It could be anything. A person. A dirt bike. Shadow the Hedgehog. Tracks themselves are broken into tiny chunks and discarded as often as the game's whims deem necessary, replaced with anything from half pipes to trampolines and ferris wheels.

I never expected Denshattack to play anything like a serious sim, but I did hope the train aspect of the game might involve more than letting me pick and decorate a few train-like shapes, especially as the (Japanese) word is literally in the title.

Novelty transport sections are more on-rails than the train bits. Undercoders Balance is everything on a grind rail. Undercoders Special rainbow tracks allow trains to reach new areas. Undercoders Stages are introduced with a beautiful shot of the surroundings. Undercoders Ignoring the game's self-chosen focal point entirely and pretending it's purely a futuristic trick-based score attack experience does little to improve things. There's an inescapable feeling while I play that it would be happier if I didn't get in the way. Personal creativity is constantly pushed to the side, unwelcome in spite of all the combo multipliers and flips I can do. Every stage wants to tell a story at all times, to be a wild string of events where pure-hearted people shout nice supportive things as structures crumble and wacky scenarios pop up around them: A giant mech. A laser-spewing kaiju. A kabuki play. There are even playable Rock Band and Ikaruga homages to work through.

I'm rarely trusted to make my own fun. There's always some weird quirk to work around (at the most basic, optional rainbow tracks that are completely invisible, and therefore, unable to be spotted and planned for, until a gauge fills up). I can't strategise or create combos on my own terms.

Or guarantee I'll react in time to whatever "fun" eye-catching stunt is coming up either. The game may haphazardly offer icons warning of upcoming dangers, but when a red "!" can mean anything from "obstacle on the line" to "a giant shadow monster is about to rise out of the sea" and I've got half a second at most to react, they're of little practical use. Occasional poor colour choices only exacerbate these issues, long strings of orange lanterns hanging right beside orange grind rails, lines of yellow lights near yellow track, green air currents set against a sea green background. I'm constantly fighting the stages themselves. Failure does little beyond setting me a short way back so I can try again, the rote repetition only leading to increasing irritation instead of a meaningful opportunity to learn.

I either do what I'm told when I'm told to do it or… Denshattack has no "or," too much of the game playing like a string of QTE-like gimmicks. Me being in complete control is never the game's priority.

Gravity? What's that? (Image credit: Undercoders) Attempting to make do and master what is in here is routinely thwarted by the game's wobbly sense of internal consistency, my capabilities and even plain old physics only intermittently available. My ability to race at odd angles and perform Titanfall 2-like wall runs flickers on and off like a faulty lightbulb— that bit of track, that vertical surface—and attempts to think outside the box and perform these stunts outside specific moments is brought to a crashing halt, Denshattack tut-tutting about my balance and deciding any contact with smooth perpendicular walls is a punishable offence. The water's surface must never be touched except in the occasional stages where I'm allowed to ride underneath it for extended periods of time. Crashing into things is an instant fail unless the game decides that actually crashing is OK for this bit or this particular object.

(Image credit: Undercoders) It doesn't feel fair, and the lack of clarity makes it difficult to improve my own skills when what is and isn't allowed varies so drastically from one section of a stage to the next.

Denshattack doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. For a game with such strong anti-corporation/environmentalist themes—freeing Nara's famous deer is a stage-long event—it's a little odd to see so many optional challenges involve some variation of "scare the animals by honking the train's horn." Trains are surprisingly irrelevant to a story full of them. Tricking struggles to rise beyond the level of a simple distraction: Abilities gained throughout the story don't broaden my toolset or scoring capabilities, and retrying an earlier track completely disables any later abilities gained. Tricks are just a way to survive the latest set of scripted setpieces.

It isn't clear and consistent enough for serious score attack play, yet it's also far too fussy to allow the raw absurdity of moments like controlling a shark or countering giant baseballs with aerial tricks to sweep me up in a wave of comedic positivity. This train has gotten lost somewhere between two diverging tracks.

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Volvo is reportedly evaluating electric sedan and wagon models for the U.S. market.

Both models would ride on the brand’s next-generation SPA3 architecture.

A return would mark a sharp reversal from Volvo’s recent SUV-only strategy.

Volvo spent the last few years methodically trimming its U.S. lineup until only crossovers remained. Sedans disappeared, wagons followed, and the company’s strategy seemed crystal clear: Americans wanted SUVs, so that’s what Volvo would sell. Now, however, the company appears to be reconsidering that approach, and the timing couldn’t be more interesting.

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More: There’s Still Hope For Volvo Wagons After All

According to Automotive News , Volvo is evaluating a pair of electric midsize cars for the U.S. market that could arrive in 2028, potentially bringing both a sedan and a wagon back to American showrooms.

The vehicles would reportedly be based on Volvo’s new SPA3 platform, the same next-generation architecture underpinning the upcoming EX60. And since the cars are already being engineered for Europe, reworking them for American roads shouldn’t take much effort, according to a person briefed on the talks.

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Volvo

The EX60 features an 800-volt electrical system, allowing for faster charging while supporting a wide range of battery capacities, motor configurations, and performance levels. If approved, the two models would evidently revive familiar 60- or 70-series nameplates, with a rugged Cross Country wagon variant also said to be under consideration.

Read: Polestar Owners Fear A Fisker-Style Resale Collapse After US Ban

While it’s relatively rare to see an automaker adapt a European-spec vehicle for the U.S. market, Volvo believes the feat isn’t too tough to pull off in this case. That said, expectations appear conservative. Combined annual sales are said to be projected at roughly 10,000 units, with pricing expected to begin somewhere in the low-$50,000 range.

Betting On Wagon Nostalgia

If it moves forward with this change, it’s easy to see how the brand could market these cars. Sedans and, most notably, wagons are a deeply ingrained part of how Volvo got to where it is today. As we’ve seen across the industry, brands are eager to monetize nostalgia at every turn. At least this time it sounds like the enthusiasts might benefit most.

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Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury told Autonews that he believes Volvo could carve out a niche as a “counter-culture cool” electric wagon, giving buyers an alternative in a segment that has largely disappeared beneath the SUV boom.

Volvo

There’s another factor working in Volvo’s favor. With Polestar effectively retreating from the U.S. after tariffs derailed its product plans, Geely’s American portfolio suddenly has a sedan-shaped hole in it. A stylish Volvo EV could help fill that gap while keeping customers within the broader corporate family. The move would also hand Volvo retailers some badly needed fresh metal after the brand’s U.S. market share slid to 5.8 percent last year, the lowest it has been since 2019.

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Volvo ES90 sedan

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We start this week with Jason’s story about the ChatGPT flyer pandemic. They’re everywhere! Thank you to the readers and listeners who sent in their own examples. After the break, Sam tells us how Waymo snitched on kids and drove them to a group of waiting cops. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains why he bought a $3,000 suit that electrocutes your muscles. Yep.

Listen to the weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or YouTube . Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism. If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player.

⁠We Are Living in a ‘ChatGPT Flyer Pandemic’⁠

⁠Cops Say Waymo Snitched on Teens for Allegedly Drinking and Shooting a Toy Gun⁠

⁠I Bought the $3,000 Fitness Suit That Electrocutes You. I’m Sending It Back⁠