Denshattack Guide: Gold Medals, Dares, Collectibles, and 100%

Denshattack! is much easier to finish when you stop trying to finish a track in one perfect run. A fast line, a high-scoring trick line, a collectible detour, and a no-crash Dare often ask for opposite decisions. Learn the route first, then give each replay one job.

Give every replay one job#

Use four passes as a planning model, not as a compulsory rule. Combine objectives when the line is obvious; split them as soon as one objective makes another unreliable.

1. Discovery run: finish the story objective, read the track, and notice branches, signs, interactable scenery, race patterns, and where the camera changes. Pick up anything directly on your line, but do not restart for a missed can.
2. Route run: chase Spray Cans, Film Rolls, Gears, secret exits, and Dares tied to specific objects or side paths. This is the run for slowing down mentally and learning what each fork contains.
3. Score run: protect the combo, vary tricks, and use the parts of the course that provide safe airtime, grinds, wallrides, and transfers. A beautiful shortcut is worthless here if it ends the multiplier.
4. Clean run: pursue the time medal, race win, or no-crash requirement with unnecessary detours removed. If the level asks for both speed and safety, learn the fast line first and add the no-crash condition only after it feels repeatable.

The full-release route reference reports that collectibles and Dares can be cleaned up through replay and that none of its listed items are missable. That removes the pressure to reset a good story clear because one object flashed past. It does not remove the need to verify that the result saved: after each run, return to the level card and confirm the medal, Dare, or collectible counter actually changed.

Read the level card as three different problems#

A Denshattack level can contain medals, Dares, and collection progress at the same time. Treating them as separate systems makes the remaining work much easier to diagnose.

Medals

These measure the run itself. Where the level presents time and score targets, a route optimized for one is not automatically good for the other. The official achievement list ends with Golden for winning all Gold Medals.

Dares

These are discrete conditions: use a particular trick, hit or avoid an object, take an alternate line, collect a set, finish cleanly, or reach a performance target. The official milestones are Sidetracked at 10, Daredevil at 100, and Ultimate Challenger for all Dares.

Collectibles and purchases

Spray Cans, Film Rolls, and Gears feed longer completion chains. Onsens come from secret exits. The items on the track and the things bought with them are separate achievement checks, so an apparently complete pickup screen can still leave shop or (EN)Zine work.

The launch-day working checklist reports 65 main levels, 134 Spray Cans, 65 Film Rolls, 110 Gears, eight (EN)Zines, 31 purchasable trains, 40 sticker sets, seven Onsens, and 325 Dares. Those are community-documented launch counts rather than a permanent promise from the developer. Use them to find the shape of a missing category, then let the current game menu settle any disagreement.

A low-backtracking first playthrough#

The first playthrough should unlock information, not prove mastery. This route keeps useful early achievements in reach without turning every new mechanic into a restart loop.

1. Finish the opening lessons before optimizing them. The first Spray Can, Film Roll, three-trick chain, and 10-trick combo already map to official achievements. Let those unlock naturally while you learn how long jumps, drifts, tricks, and recovery actually take.
2. Check the Tricktionary when a Dare names a move. Do not improvise a half-remembered stick motion at full speed. Pause, confirm the current input, then choose a jump or wallride with enough setup and landing space.
3. Collect visible items, but keep the story moving. Early progress opens the map, races, shops, harder trick opportunities, and more useful cleanup routes. One missed side rail is cheaper than repeatedly abandoning a nearly completed first clear.
4. Buy one sticker set and one train when their shops become available. These trigger Glow Up! and A First of Many. Continue buying for completion only after checking what currency remains and which collection achievement still needs work.
5. Take the first Onsen detour in 1-6-1. It is an early proof that a side exit can be progression, not merely scenery. The exact route is below.
6. Finish Chapter 1 even with an untidy checklist. Emi’s Awakening is the official chapter-clear achievement. A completed chapter is also a clean moment to audit its Film Rolls, return to its (EN)Zine location, and decide what deserves a replay.

At the end of a session, record the level code rather than a vague note such as “missing one can in Chapter 3.” A useful note looks like: 3-1-2: second Spray Can and Onsen exit; left landing after the poisoned pipe. Denshattack’s numbering makes that one line enough to resume without searching the whole map again.

How to build a Gold Medal run#

A medal attempt begins before the train moves. Open the level card and decide whether the attempt is about time or score. If you cannot state which one, you are probably about to run a compromised line.

For a time target

• Remove collectible branches unless they are also a genuine shortcut.
• Use the first attempt to mark the two or three corners, transfers, or hazards that cost the most time. Do not try to repair the entire route at once.
• Prefer a repeatable landing over a spectacular trick that creates a slow recovery or a crash risk.
• When a race is involved, separate “reach first place” from “perfect the lap” until the rival pattern is familiar.
• Restart early when the decisive opening section fails; finish later failed runs if they still teach a troublesome closing section.

For a score target

• Plan where the combo starts, where it is extended, and where it is safely banked. “Trick everywhere” is not a route.
• Use trick variety instead of repeating one comfortable input. The full release was rebalanced before launch to reward variety more than drift repetition.
• Enter long jumps with a short sequence already in mind. The official list separately tracks three- and five-trick chains in one jump, plus overall 10-, 25-, and 50-trick combos.
• Treat grinds, wallrides, manuals, and transfers as bridges between larger scoring opportunities. If one bridge regularly drops the chain, shorten the route before adding more tricks.
• Do not combine a score attempt with a no-crash Dare until the score route is stable. More inputs create more failure points.

Some alternate and rainbow lines require the special meter to be ready. If a promising rail is absent on a replay, do not assume the guide or level is broken. Rebuild the meter before reaching the branch and watch for the route sign again. When a path is still missing, verify the current Dare and progression requirements in the live client.

Sort Dares before you attempt them#

The fastest Dare cleanup is organizational. Read the exact live wording, then place each condition into one of four buckets.

Dare type	What usually causes failure	Better plan
Route or object	You take the normal fork, miss a horn cue, or destroy only part of a set	Write the last landmark before the object and devote the run to that branch
Named trick or transfer	The move is correct but performed before or after the scoring zone	Confirm the Tricktionary input and identify the exact jump, switch, wall, or rail that must receive it
Count or combo	You run out of safe opportunities near the finish	Front-load easy repetitions and keep a running count; do not rely on the last obstacle
Integrity condition	A crash, missed race position, or broken combo invalidates the whole attempt	Remove unrelated pickups and use the simplest line that satisfies the condition

Many tracks make good two-run pairs. First combine collectibles, route objects, horn interactions, and forgiving trick counts. Then return for no-crash, race placement, or a strict medal. Trying to collect an awkward side item while preserving a fast, clean line is usually self-imposed difficulty.

When a multi-part Dare stops progressing, do not keep repeating the whole level blindly. Check whether the requirement says “in one run,” whether each target is unique, and whether the current counter persisted after the finish. A route note should name the missing member: billboard 7 after the wallride is actionable; billboard Dare broken is not.

Collectibles are a dependency chain#

The three track pickups do more than fill a counter. Their downstream uses explain why a player can own every visible item in a chapter and still have completion work left.

Resource	Immediate completion check	Downstream use	Final related achievement
Film Rolls	One is reported in each main level	Fill the chapter’s comic at an (EN)Zine location; a first visit may be too early to complete it	Total Toritetsu and Fandom Royalty
Spray Cans	Several can appear on one track	Purchase sticker sets at shop levels	Jet Setter and Full Set
Gears	Often placed on alternate or advanced lines	Purchase trains at shop levels	All Geared Up and True Densha Collector
Onsen exits	A secret exit opens a separate dialogue level	Enter the new Onsen and exhaust its scene so it counts	Time to relax and Sento Master

A good collection order is Film Rolls first, then remaining Spray Cans and Gears, then secret exits, then purchases and (EN)Zines. The Film Roll is a useful per-level diagnostic because the current route checklist reports one in every main level. After a chapter’s Film Rolls are complete, revisit its fanzine location; launch-day routes repeatedly warn that the comic cannot necessarily be filled on the first visit because later levels hold the required rolls.

Do not confuse creator skins with this achievement economy. Official news says the creator cosmetics are free, code-unlocked extras and are not limited-time drops. The supplied community code pages currently carry Steam removal and incompatibility warnings, and their strings conflict with each other. Use a current official announcement or an in-game prompt when the publisher releases a consolidated list; do not spend a completion session testing launch-day code dumps.

Four documented Onsen entry points#

Seven Onsens are reported for the launch build, but only the first four have readable, route-level documentation in the supplied launch-day guide. The first route also has an independent achievement guide. These are safe checkpoints; the remaining three are deliberately not guessed.

Source level	Exit action	Unlocked Onsen
1-6-1, 8 Million Roads	Near the normal finish, watch for the track-split warning and take the line that branches left. Complete the level through that exit.	1-6-O, Takeo Onsen. Entering the newly opened scene unlocks Time to relax.
3-1-2, Rock Around The Tunnel	After leaving the large pipe with poison gas, jump the fallen building and hold left so the train lands on the left track. That branch carries the second Spray Can and the secret exit.	3-1-O, Dogo Onsen
4-1-1, Splash Wave	During the shark section, stay left after the first group of vases and avoid the metal bars leading to the ordinary exit. The alternate line passes the second Gear and continues to the secret exit.	4-1-O, Yubara Onsen
5-1-1, A Castle In The Sky	After the blimp section, reach the monorail over the bridge, move right toward the Film Roll sign, and arrive with the special meter filled. Swing onto the rainbow rail and follow it through the Film Roll, third Gear, and exit.	5-1-O, Kinosaki Onsen

After any secret exit, return to the world map before replaying the source level. Confirm that the Onsen node appeared, open it, and complete the dialogue. Finding the branch and visiting the resulting scene are two separate actions.

Achievement cleanup in dependency order#

Steam currently lists 39 achievements. Most are not obscure if they are tackled in the order that their prerequisites become useful.

1. Story first: complete Chapters 1 through 9 for the nine chapter achievements, and defeat Morzilla for I’m Afraid of no Kaiju!. Story progress opens the levels and systems needed by everything else.
2. Take the cheap single checks: first Spray Can, Film Roll, Gear, sticker set, train, (EN)Zine, Onsen, race win, no-crash clear, and Gold Medal. These confirm that each system is counting before a long cleanup begins.
3. Build mechanical milestones on suitable tracks: three and five tricks in one jump; 10-, 25-, and 50-trick combos. Choose generous airtime and safe connectors instead of forcing the milestone on a cramped story track.
4. Complete mid-range cumulative work: 10 Dares, 100 Dares, and 200 derailed race rivals. Check the total after a run so you know the activity is advancing it.
5. Close the collection economy: all Film Rolls, Spray Cans, Gears, Onsens, (EN)Zines, trains, and sticker sets. Collect first, then revisit the relevant shops and fanzine nodes.
6. Finish performance sets: first place in all races, all Dares, and all Gold Medals. These are the tasks most likely to need isolated practice runs.
7. Audit the final lock: Densha de Paradise is for unlocking every other achievement. If it remains locked, compare the live 39-item list category by category instead of replaying random levels.

Launch-week facts to treat cautiously#

Do not plan around a fixed “hours to 100%” number yet. Supplied fan pages disagree sharply, and one page that promises a short completion time also uses incorrect character and corporation names while describing unsupported late-game events. Your time will be driven by medal retries, no-crash Dares, combo consistency, and how much route cleanup you do during the story.

Do not use demo route language as if it were permanent full-release guidance. Before launch, the developer said the demo was being retired because level layouts, signage, navigation, scoring, Trick Parks, controls, and performance had changed. A demo-era location may still resemble the final game, but the current level card and visible track always win.

Finally, a readable page is not necessarily a usable one. Two supplied achievement/forum pages returned Cloudflare verification screens, three Steam guides display removal/incompatibility warnings, and the broad collectible guide has not yet published Chapters 6-9. The reliable response is to narrow the claim, not fill the gap from memory.

Turn the next replay into a test#

When a route item is missing, test one branch from the last reliable landmark and ignore score. When a medal is missing, test the section that loses the most time or breaks the multiplier and ignore collectibles. When a category total is short, audit level cards and downstream purchases before replaying anything.

That discipline is the real completion route. Every finish should either clear a box or answer one specific question about the track. If it does neither, the attempt was too broad.

Sources & credits#

Release status, current features, launch scope, achievements, developer information, and original-resolution screenshots were checked against the official Denshattack! Steam page, the official Steam achievement list, and Undercoders/Fireshine Games announcements. Route checkpoints were independently paraphrased from readable community guides and verified walkthrough references. Images belong to Undercoders, Fireshine Games, and Boltray Games.