Assassin's Creed vs. a Train That Does Backflips

July 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

"Half of the castle is gone. It did, however, worth noting, it did explode because they did store gunpowder there." So begins a winding tale from Chris Plante about Bannerman Island, a castle in upstate New York built with bed frames and bayonets instead of rebar. This anecdote about accidental park strife and a volunteer named Mark being thrown under the castle sets the tone for an episode of The Besties that is less about conflict and more about the strange, delightful friction between ambition and execution in video games. With Griffin McElroy absent, Chris Plante and Russ Frushtick are joined by special guest Jeff Grubb of Giant Bomb to discuss two very different games: the indie train-skateboarding fever dream Densha de D! (known in English as Densha Attack) and the remastered pirate epic Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

The Train That Does Backflips: Densha Attack

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of The Besties

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Cold Open: Bannerman Island Strife** - Russ tells a long, winding story about accidentally creating drama between two volunteers at a historic castle.
2 (03:57) **Welcome & Guest Intro** - The hosts welcome Jeff Grubb as a fill-in for Griffin, who is out dealing with personal matters.
3 (06:19) **Episode Overview: Two Great Games** - Chris lays out the two games under discussion: *Densha de D!* (Train Attack) and *Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag* Remastered.
4 (07:22) **Live Show Announcement** - A brief plug for the upcoming live show.
5 (08:22) **Densha de D! - The Pitch** - The hosts break down the core concept and gameplay loop of *Densha de D!*, a train-based score attack game.
6 (10:17) **Densha de D! - First Impressions & Friction** - Jeff and Russ share their early experiences, including the game's learning curve and its unique feel.
7 (13:11) **Densha de D! - Exploration & Side Challenges** - The hosts discuss the game's hidden objectives and its *Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam* lineage.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Russ Frushtick

Show Notes

This week’s games represent two ends of the video game spectrum. On one side, we have Denshattack, an indie game about a train that performs skateboard-style tricks in a fantastical version of Japan. On the other end, we have Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a decadent remake of a beloved but dusty Ubisoft open-world game. Guest Jeff Grubb from Giant Bomb helps us chat about these two very different delights!

Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!