Nintendo Life: So first of all, Denshattack! is an incredibly unique game. How did the project get started?
David Jaumandreu: It actually came in a very childish way, I guess. We were playing with a Japanese train toy model, kind of like a finger stakeboard , you know? And then we starting thinking "oh, how would a game be about skating with trains?" Something where you're keeping the balance, grinding, jumping, and doing all of that stuff that you generally do with a skateboard.
At first it was kind of a silly idea, but it became invasive in my head and kept developing. So I started to write a design document and presented it to Àngel, and he was like "What's this stupid thing?". But then he started prototyping and felt "Wow, this is fun!". One thing led to another and it came during a time when we were wrapping up Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara , so we were very open to ideas and discussing. Then we iterated on the prototype a few times and decided "Yeah, this is the game we want to make". It's goofy, but it's fun.
Àngel Beltran: I think it might be the most fun game to develop that we've ever done. Starting with this crazy idea, it made it easy to keep building and throwing crazy stuff at it and make it exciting. So since day one, it was a very fun project to work on.
You mentioned that the toy model was Japanese. Did you always have Japan in mind for the game's setting, or did you experiment with other locations?
I think it might be the most fun game to develop that we've ever done
David: No, not really. It came kind of by association. I've been a big fan of trains, but particularly Japanese trains. The first time I visited Japan in the late '90s, I was impressed by its railway system, by the aesthetics, by different locomotives, by the high speed train — which we didn't have back then in Spain — and it was like leaping into the future. I kind of became a train aficionado, I guess.
I'm no expert, I've gotta say, just because I've been diving into the expert world of trains – I just like them a lot. I have a lot of figures and toys related with Japanese railways, etc. We've travelled, been backpacking north to south with the rail pass and it's an experience.
When we thought about story, it was always a trip throughout in Japan and particularly throughout the rural, less populated areas in Japan that have this kind of romantic feeling of train lines that are old, that still carry just a bunch of passengers, but they're still active to take people everywhere.
Have you guys ever tried catching a train in the UK?
David: Oh, I've been. I worked there, I think, as a summer intern in 2004. And I remember I was in the Surrey area near Woking, I think. So I had to transfer to London every day. And that was, yeah, that was an experience!
Yeah, I wouldn't say it's particularly good, personally!
Àngel : Here in Spain, I don't know if it's worse, but it's definitely not good either. It's like the high speed railway works really well and everything else is a complete disaster. If it's too hot, it breaks. If it rains, it breaks. There are no perfect conditions!
You've also got a post-apocalyptic vibe going on in Denshattack! with domes over Japan's cities. What was the approach there?
David: It was kind of imagining what a possible near future would be like if we looked ahead few years from now. And as we said, we are captivated by the local train lines, which are getting used less and less because people are moving to the big cities, the countryside is getting unpopulated.
The first time I visited Japan in the late '90s, I was impressed by its railway system, by the aesthetics, by different locomotives, by the high speed train
So we played with that idea, looking at what the world might be like 20, 30, 50, 100 years in the future. Why have these tracks been abandoned? How people are using that to make this underground race using trains, etc. And it kind of provided an interesting setting to explain a story. So yeah, that was kind of how we connected things.
Can you touch on the game's characters? We meet a couple in the demo, but I imagine there must be plenty more we haven't met yet.
Àngel : So if you played the demo, you know Emi. She's the protagonist, kind of the one that's always looking for adventure and will join any train that passes – no pun intended. And I think she's a really interesting character because Emi is supposed to be you in this universe, always looking forward to discovering new things and travelling through Japan.
She's always lived in this very rural area of Japan, in Beppu. So she's really excited to get to know the rest of Japan, to know all these different characters and gangs and this universe. And then you have Fernando, who isn't so much a mentor, but someone who helps her get into this Denshattack mod, who introduces the concept of the different gangs and regions and all of this. We love them very, very much.
But this is just a sneak peek of what's to come. We took a very character-centric approach to the game. much like fighting games or any sort of Shōnen anime. It's actually inspired a lot by classic adventures like One Piece where you keep meeting new characters and each one has their own traits and characteristics and motives. There's also a lot of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure , even.
In the first world in particular, I don't know if you remember when Yoshie is mentioned, she's like the first gang leader you get to know. And the idea in this world is that the rural areas of japan have been abandoned so these crazy guys have taken over them. So you get to know some of the minions, the characters of the gang, but it's not until closer to the end where you actually meet the gang leader. Sometimes you fight with them and maybe you convince them to join you.
It's interesting that Denshattack! is so story-focused. You've mentioned the Tony Hawk games as a big inspiration in in the past – was there any temptation to just make the game a simple score attack experience with no story?
David: I think it always came with the story, right Àngel?
Àngel : Yeah, as we were playing in Japan, we wanted to travel through the country as it was crying for an adventure, so I don't think it would have made sense to just be like one level after another with no context. So we focused on why are we travelling, who are we facing or who's controlling this area, so I think it was very natural.
We certainly don't want the story to get in the way of the fun, very Nintendo style, you know – gameplay first, right? It's not that the story isn't important to us, we want you to experience it alongside the gameplay. We always had this idea of wanting Denshattack! to feel like an adventure. And we needed a story for that. We were also very invested in the aesthetics and the setting and so that kind of led from one thing to another.
We certainly don't want the story to get in the way of the fun, very Nintendo style, you know – gameplay first, right?
So whenever we thought about gameplay, we thought a lot about Tony Hawk , of course, OlliOlli World , which we loved, Skate , and we even took some references from games like Thumper , which is very, very 100% gameplay oriented. But then we also had Jet Set Radio , which was also one of the big references. The great thing about the game is that it blends together the aesthetics, the setting, the characters, all of it really well.
Yeah, I'm definitely getting a late '90s / early '00s Sega vibe with the game. Did you always have this in mind for the visuals and presentation?
Àngel : I remember in your very first pitch, David, the one that you showed to me and I thought it was a bit crazy, Jet Set Radio was there. I think Persona was there also in terms of how strong the UI is and all the elements. Even in terms of music, it was also really important. So yeah, we never considered any other style. We always thought it's going to have these thick outlines and strong characters since day one.
David: It also works so well for, you mentioned like Sega, like kind of old school arcade Sega games where things happen really fast. Like Crazy Taxi , that has some navigation, has a very rich background world, etc. And they use these kind of aesthetics where there's so much going on, but you always know what you've got to do.
If we went for realistic graphics like the train simulators, then you would need to go slowly because you need to concentrate on a lot of details and it wouldn't work. If we want to push in some very cool looking characters and gangs, et cetera, then we need it to be lively. Luckily we have lots of great references from the Sega universe.
From the get-go, it was like, "we're doing it this way because it makes sense". Yeah, I can tell that you that we settled on that quickly and that's the vision of the game because it is so striking and it works so well.
I'd like to talk about the Switch 2 a bit – I was actually quite proud that I managed to predict that Denshattack! would show up at the Indie World showcase. When did you decide to bring the game to Nintendo's system?
David: We really wanted to hit the Switch 2. We were heavy Switch users and now we're heavy Switch 2 users. So we wanted to get it there ASAP. We knew that Nintendo was kind of slower than with the Switch 1 to get the dev kits out. But we had a very good run with the Switch 1, put all of our games on it, so we kind of developed an expertise.
Àngel, who is more on the tech side, for example, got Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara running at 60fps with dynamic lightning, something he's really proud of, and I think he should be.
So when Switch 2 was announced, we were going through our publisher, Fireshine Games, saying "Hey guys, this game would look great here, come on, let us have some kits!". We were lucky enough that they liked the game, so we started very happily working on a Switch 2 port.
It's like, all of the emotions at the same time.
Àngel: I think we always knew the game would end up on Switch 1 or 2 in some way. It was just a matter of time and seeing when we could start working on the kits. But as David mentioned, Switch 1 became our main target. We always developed for Switch 1 in terms of visuals, in terms of pushing the game as far as we could. And then we built the rest of platforms, which was always easier, because Switch 1 was portable.
With this one, we were planning on doing the same. As soon as we got the Switch 2 kits, I remember David told me "Okay, so the dev kids are here, please don't start working on it this weekend, there are other priorities". I came back on Monday and was like "I have the full game running on Switch 2!".
When we first announced the game, there was a lot of people asking why it's not on Switch 2. And we just really wanted to announce it. Then the opportunity for the Indie World arrived, and being the first in the event was just amazing.
Are there any major differences between developing for Switch 1 and Switch 2?
Àngel: It's pretty similar. To be honest, I like developing for it a lot — you can test it super quick because you deploy and you have it in your hands. You don't have to connect it to a TV or anything.
Of course, it's easier in the sense that it's more capable. Those struggles that have been mentioned of making our previous games run at 60fps, which is something that we always take very seriously. So in that sense, it's easier, but not much difference from Switch 1. And in terms of the tools, we are very, very used to working with them. So yeah, similar experience.
Denshattack! is such a new experience, I imagine it's tricky to gauge how well audiences might respond to it. How did you both feel in the lead up to the first reveal?
David: We get so, so nervous!
Àngel: It's like, all of the emotions at the same time.
David: When Denshattack! was announced at Gamescom last year, we had been working on it for two years already. I think the very first prototype might even be closer to three years, but with the full team for a couple of years. And that's a lot of time behind the curtain. We were eager to show it to the world, but then you start thinking like, "Oh, maybe people think this is nonsense" or "Maybe people don't like it", so you want to show it to the world and see reactions, but you're also scared as hell of... I was gonna say being rejected, but I guess being ignored is even worse.
Now that you've seen all of the positive feedback, does that add any pressure at all? Or do you feel a bit more relaxed?
all of the team would love to have a physical Denshattack!.
Àngel: It's very different to develop when the game is announced compared to when it wasn't. And I think it's always that way. Because normally when you're developing the game, especially if it's for a long time, you're always eager to finally be able to talk about it, even with your colleagues, with your friends. But at the same time, it's calmer. There's no expectation. It can go well or it can go wrong, but you are calm.
And then, especially in this case, which we were super fortunate to get some attention with the game, there's extra pressure. So, yeah, I wouldn't say we are more relaxed.
David: But we always say that we're really fortunate in the sense that it's the good kind of pressure. We're pressured because people are waiting for a game and that is the biggest thing we can aspire to.
Now it's a matter of delivering. First we announce, then people test it at Gamescom. They like it, and maybe they don't understand a few things, so we iterate the tutorial. Then we take it to the Tokyo Game Show and it's working better. Then we release the demo and people are liking it more. It's really hard to get it in front of people's eyes. And now that we have the opportunities, we're definitely committed to keeping it alive.
Finally, I have to ask, are you considering a physical release for Denshattack! at all?
David: We would love to have a physical, I have physical editions here of the stuff we did previously. I particularly am a collector of old stuff.
I guess it all depends on how well the game is received. And if we have kind of the opportunity to be able to justify a physical edition. But I know all of the team would love to have a physical Denshattack!.
This interview has been edited for clarity, Thanks to David and Àngel for taking the time to speak with us. Denshattack! will launch on the Switch 2 eShop on 17th June 2026 .
