A Catalan video game causes a sensation at Gamescom in Cologne.

Video game designer David Jaumandreu came up with the idea while playing with a toy train with his two young daughters. What if, instead of staying glued to the track, the car could jump and do flips in the air? That's when the lightbulb went off. Two years later, that idea has become Denshattack!, a video game that combines two very different concepts: the world of railways ( densha means "train" in Japanese) and extreme sports. Its originality has made it a huge hit at Gamescom, the largest electronic entertainment trade show being held this week in Cologne.

“We're very excited,” says Jaumandreu amid the deafening din of one of the pavilions at the convention center in this German city. “When you present such a different proposal, no matter how validated you feel by your video game publisher, you never know how the public will react, and in a setting as competitive as Gamescom, there's always the question of how they'll respond,” explains the game director.

Judging by the queues constantly forming around the three screens where you can try out Denshattack! , it's easy to tell it's a hit; but what this veteran developer and his team perhaps didn't expect is the impact the title is having among media outlets and content creators around the world. Announced during the Gamescom opening ceremony, a broadcast watched by over a million simultaneous viewers, Denshattack! shared the spotlight with digital entertainment giants like Resident Evil and Call of Duty , and despite being a much more modest production, it managed to stand out thanks to a vibrant trailer that showcases its crazy offering in all its splendor. The game—slated for release in the spring of next year—is the result of a curious mix of genres, but above all, it's a love letter to the iconic Japanese railway network and the culture of that country.

Set in a dystopian world, the game combines Japanese train culture with extreme sports.

“Since my first trips to Japan in the late 1990s, one of my obsessions has always been traveling across the country by train,” says Jaumandreu. This is evident from the moment you discover that the game map is based on the real-life railway network, and that as you advance through its frenetic levels, you are actually traveling through every corner of Japan, from the rural areas of Kiu-Shiu to the snowy mountains of Hokkaido, not to mention the castles scattered throughout the country and major metropolises like Tokyo and Osaka.

The plot premise also stands out for its originality: in a post-climate disaster world, Japan's local train network has been abandoned and taken over by urban gangs who compete against each other while fighting larger enemies. "The goal is to travel the country from station to station without derailing," says producer Àngel Beltrán. However, he points out, there's another important factor: "It's not enough just to reach the end of each level; you have to do it with style." This is precisely the twist that takes Denshattack! from being one of those train simulators so popular in Japan to a crazy arcade game in which the cars, like skateboards, glide along the tracks at full speed while performing tricks in the air.

Undercoders, the Barcelona-based development studio behind this unusual video game, was founded in 2005 and has since been a mainstay of the independent development scene in Catalonia. Founded by Jaumandreu himself, it has been releasing games for two decades that subvert traditional genres with a critical and humorous twist. Its many titles include Conga Master (2017), which is indeed based on this popular dance; SuperEpic (2020), an adventure in which a raccoon and a llama face off against the large—and perverse—mobile gaming corporations; and Treasures of the Aegean (2021), an exploration title set among the remains of the Minoan civilization. In all this time, none of this company's productions had managed to attract such attention, and so this enthusiastic reception has come as a relief to the team of approximately ten professionals who have brought this new project to life over the past two years.

In addition to creating queues at the fair, the title has resonated with media outlets and content creators around the world.

Despite the sudden success, Jaumandreu is well aware of the complicated situation facing the sector. “There's a sense of uncertainty, because, obviously, the developers who are here are those who are still active after many companies have closed,” he comments. “Everyone is anxious about being the next one, and despite that, this year the indie zone is even larger than in previous editions.”

During these days at the fair, David, Àngel, and the rest of the team members take turns watching attendees play their video game and taking notes on elements that need to be improved before launch. Their next stop is in a month, when they will showcase Denshattack! at the Tokyo Game Show to a key audience like Japan. Ultimately, this is one of the unique features of the interactive medium: that works are built, in large part, through the experience of the players themselves.