Before starting the Destroy All Humans remake, I was expecting to enjoy the game, but not be blown away. When THQ Nordic first announced that they were planning to reboot the Destroy All Humans franchise, many were skeptical. The title released was a massive failure. Destroy All Humans: Path of Furon has one of the lowest review scores we have ever seen for a franchise title. Because of this, many felt that the franchise should be left alone until the proper developer could put in the work. At E3 2019, Black Forest Games and THQ Nordic announced that they were rebooting the Destroy All Humans Franchise, starting with a remake of the first game.
Despite the well-received demo at E3 2019, we were still skeptical about the return of Destroy All Humans. At PAX East 2020, we met with THQ Nordic to preview the game yet again. This time we were sold. The developers had improved the previous demo and the game played more fluidly. Now, with the Destroy All Humans reboot about to release on July 28th, we have the opportunity to see if the demo was just a polished stone or part of a diamond in the rough. With the game’s release being just days away, we decided to thoroughly examine what Destroy All Humans 2020 has to offer.
The Story
Going in, we knew that the preview that we played at PAX East was part of the full game, not just a demo. During our hands-on preview, we were tasked with probing life forms for information and destroying a southern farm. This preview showed us how the remake utilizes newer technology to revitalize the franchise. In the Destroy All Humans 2020 reboot, Crypto 137 is tasked by Orthopox with locating Crypto 136 who has disappeared after crash landing on earth; he is also tasked with collecting brain stems to harvest dormant Furon DNA.
With little information to go by, Crypto 137 must extract information from the local populace. He discovers that the US government has captured Crypto 136 and is conducting experiments to learn about alien technology. Crypto 137 had suspected that the US Government was detaining his brethren, but learns of a secret organization called Majestic. They are the ones really pulling the strings.
Still relevant?
For those who have not played the original game, the reboot uses the original plot and dialogue, but with improved graphics and better controls. The jokes in the game are still relevant despite a few of them being dated. Destroy All Humans 2020 is still as relevant as is it was in 2005. The game references pandemics, blind faith in government, sexism in politics, and government corruption. The jokes in the game help the player feel like they are in the late 1950s, early 1960s. There are references to Eisenhower, McCarthy, the Cold War, and Richard Nixon, among others.
Outside of the historical figures, Destroy All Humans has a bunch of modern pop culture references and ones that only a time traveler would know. Personally, our favorite references involved Men in Black, Duke Nukem, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Darksiders 2. The game also features references to Orson Welles War of the Worlds.
The Claw–I Mean–Mother Ship!
In between missions, Crypto 137 returns to the mother ship. The Mother Ship has three menu sections: Mission Select, Pox’s Lab, and Archives. Mission Select allows you to choose between the game’s six main areas. The player can either explore an area or do the next mission. Pox’s Lab allows players to upgrade Crypto 137’s or the Saucer’s abilities. Finally, the Archive section allows players to access a variety of functions. Holopox Deck allows you to replay missions, the Furon Handbook explains how to use everything from equipment, abilities, and the saucer to how to recognize threats and objectives. Furonigami contains Game Art, which can be earned by completing objectives and collecting Drones. Skin Selection allows the player to change Crypto 137’s skin. This includes the Pale Rider skin, a reference to Darksiders 2. Finally, there is an invasion report which shows the player’s game stats.
Game Length
During our playthrough of Destroy All Humans (2020), multiple people asked us if the game was worth the price tag and its length. Rather than directly saying “yes” or “no,” we are going to discuss what it has to offer. The game features six locations: Area 42 (an Area 51 knockoff), Beach Town (Santa Monica), Central and Southern America, Capitol Hill (Washington D.C.), and Union Town, which is similar to New Jersey, but takes place in South Carolina. The game features twenty-three story missions and four additional side missions in each location.
Unfortunately, the game features multiple escort or stealth missions that are far too finicky. Some missions make it an optional side quest to sneak in, but some require that the entire mission be done stealthily. The player must utilize the jetpack, Forget ability, holobob, and distractions to infiltrate select locations. This can be frustrating since the game’s programming is not perfect. At times, NPCs will walk through walls or objects randomly, scrapping the mission. The game has the player fulfill missions either as Crypto himself or by flying the Saucer. If either runs out of ammo, the player can transmogrify objects to create more. If you are unaware of this, you will fail missions and need to power farm.
Abilities and Weapons
The player must upgrade their abilities in order to more easily complete some of their objectives. If the player is not upgrading abilities, the game can become more difficult than anticipated. In order to upgrade abilities, Crypto 137 must harvest brain stems from humans or recon drones. After completing the first level, the player has the ability to upgrade a base ability, either for Crypto 137 or the Saucer. Not all of the abilities are unlocked immediately, but most are by the middle of the game.
Crypto Abilities:
Crypto 137’s upgradeable abilities are the Zap-O-Matic, Disintegrator Ray, Anal Probe, Ion Detonator, Shields, Dash, Cortex Scanner, Psychokinesis, and Brain Extraction. In the upgrade screen, the player has the ability to choose what they want to upgrade, however it is a scaling upgrade system. Below, we will quickly cover what each upgrade is and what they do
Zap-O-Matic: Each upgrade increases the damage dealt when electricity chains between targets and how long it can be used for.
Disintegrator Ray: As the player upgrades this gun, the clip size increases and a rapid-fire setting is unlocked. The secondary upgrade increases the amount of damage dealt when you strike a target with consecutive shots and causes combustion. At max rank, the gun uses a three-spread burst.
The Anal Probe: As the probe is leveled, its probing speed is increased and can chain. Damage dealt while probing is increased and multiple probes can be active.
Ion Detonator: The weapon releases a massive explosion and can transmogrify objects and vehicles. At max rank, it can slow down objects in its area of effect and suck them in.
Shields: As the shield stat increases, the shield durability goes up and can grant temporary invincibility after Crypto is hit.
Thrusters: Dash creates a shock wave, knocking away projectiles. At max rank, it can knock away large enemies.
S.K.A.T.E: Crypto can glide across the ground. At max rank, Crypto can glide indefinitely.
Cortex: Increases the duration of Holobob (Disguise), depending on who is scanned.
Psychokinesis: Move and throw objects. At max rank, the player can transmogrify those objects.
Brain Extraction: Chains extraction to other enemies and, at max rank, enemies may become mind-controlled.
Saucer Abilities:
Using the saucer can be frustrating because the player has to rotate between two combat styles. While free-flying, the game also limits how high the player can angle the camera.
Death Ray: Burning damage and charge capacity are increased with these upgrades.
Sonic Boom: Direct hits trigger shock waves. At max rank, shock waves can suck in missiles, absorb the damage, and then redirect it at nearby targets.
Quantum Deconstructor: Like the Ion Detonator, its damage and capacity are increased with upgrades. At max rank, it can transmogrify objects and recharges when using Sonic Boom and Death Ray to destroy objects, vehicles, and buildings.
Saucer Shields: These work the same way that Crypto’s personal shield does.
Repulse-O-Tron: The Repulse Barrier strengthens with each upgrade. At max rank, it can redirect incoming missiles and other projectiles.
Graphics
Destroy All Humans‘s graphics may not be breathtaking like those in The Witcher 3, Breathe of the Wild, or Ghost of Tsushima. That being said, the game is a vast improvement on its 2005 version and still makes the player go “wow.” The character models have been updated and cutscenes have been improved through the use of motion capture. The immediate world around Crypto is well defined, however objects outside of the player’s range are a bit fuzzy and only render as the player moves towards them. If the player moves too rapidly through the map, the game can take a second to render, causing a rubber banding effect. Characters are also a bit difficult to see when flying in the saucer, but the aim assist marker can show where enemies are.
THQ Nordic has done a great job of remastering the game. The concept art is definitely something to enjoy looking at when not completing missions.
Controls
Destroy All Humans‘s controls can be a little bit difficult to master at first; there is a lot going on. DAH utilizes almost every button on the Xbox One controller. The LB button brings up a menu showing all of Crypto’s Abilities and Weapons. LT Aims Crypto’s weapons whereas RT shoots them. The direction pad controls Crypto’s psychic abilities including Holobob, brain control, memory wipe, and distraction. Y has Crypto read NPC’s minds. X rips the brain stem out of NPC’s skulls or transmogrifies objects. A controls Crypto’s Jet pack and B, when held, has Crypto S.K.A.T.E or Dash when pressed.
Music/Sound
The game’s audio has definitely improved since 2005. Instead of re-recording the dialogue, Black Forest Games used the audio from the original and improved it for the remake. This means that all of the characters you see have the same voices as their original counterparts. The game’s special effects can be a bit loud, but they sound as they are supposed to most of the time. I swear to God, I can still hear a bird chirping in the middle of the night after turning my Xbox off. During some cinematics, random background noise can be heard depending on what was occurring before the cutscene began. Sadly there were a few instances when our ears were assaulted by waves of conflicting sound.
The game does feature a lot of dialogue, however NPCs in different areas will repeat the same lines.
Replay value
Throughout the game, the player is provided with multiple optional objectives. If the player wants to unlock concept art, skins, and an achievement, they must complete these side missions. Destroy All Humans has four side challenges (Armageddon, Abduction, Race, and Rampage) that can be done while exploring each of the six territories. If Crypto is discovered while free-roaming, his notoriety raises and stronger enemies will respond to his threat.
The game offers little replayability aside from completing side objectives. Yes, the story is enjoyable, but there are not many adjustable factors. In the campaign, the player does have the opportunity to pick what Crypto says during scenes. Players who like to try different styles, however, can play through the game in a variety of ways.
Last Thoughts
Black Forest Games has done a great job of remaking Destroy All Humans. That final boss fight is definitely one that gamers will remember for the next few years. Although the graphics may not be highly detailed or realistic, they bring the franchise to the modern era in a way that many did not expect. The story stays true to the original, thanks to the revitalization of the original game’s voice acting and plot.
Overall, the Destroy All Humans remake has exceeded all of my expectations. The game’s plot made me laugh when times are tough and the controls were not overly complicated, despite Crypto having a lot of abilities. DAH is definitely a solid game that will make you feel nostalgic about the original.
Availability
The Destroy All Humans Remake is available for preorder and will release on July 28th, 2020. Gamers can purchase DAH on Steam for $29.99; it can also be purchased on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 for $39.99. A digital copy was provided for the Xbox One for review purposes.
