Review – Destroy All Humans!

It’s been around 15 years since the original release, and thanks to THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games we’re back at it again. For the past few days, I’ve been looking under the futuristic hood of the brand new remastered, retooled and returned adventure of Crypto in Destroy All Humans!

As usual, you can find the full video review just here, including the usual common sense parent’s guide. Read on for the extended written review and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below.

The Basics

In the words of the publishers themselves, Destroy All Humans! is a “near identical clone of the original invasion of the Furons”. Now 15 years post-release however, the upgrades are certainly noticeable. The first adventure of Crypto-137 has been recreated with a lot of attention to detail. Upgraded visuals have been recreated throughout, and while the original audio has not been re-recorded it has also seen some nice enhancement.

If you’ve not seen anything of the franchise previously, Destroy All Humans! is a third-person adventure, with the gameplay being pretty much exactly what it says on the box. The story campaign and additional challenges are set in the “I believe” alien culture of 1950s America. You’ll follow this through 6 separate levels, each containing different story missions as well as sandbox mode challenges for those looking for a little more.

You’ll make your way through the game both on foot, with the personal weapons and upgrades afforded to Crypto, as well as seamlessly taking to the skies in his magical flying machine. There are a number of different weapons available in both modes, each coming with their own effects and upgrades. You’ll find lightening guns, anal probes, disintigrators and more to play around with as you explore each area.

Parent’s Eye View

Destroy All Humans! is rated by PEGI at 16 and above, and by the ESRB at T for Teen. This has been another really difficult one for me to judge for the common sense parent’s guide. The violence in the game I’ve actually found to be fairly light. While it is constant, it seems to be verging more on the cartoon violence side. Blood effects are a nice alien green, and while you can pop out brains from your human victims it’s not as gory as you might expect.

There are small levels of language in the title, which are worth mentioning even though there’s not been much which is hugely earth shattering. The biggest issues for me come with the sexual references and inference which come from old black-and-white B-movies. There are also some effects akin to mummification of victims during cutscenes which could potentially lead to nightmares.

Additionally, the humour in the title is rather dated. As you might expect from a 15 year old title which is set seventy years ago. It contains all of the sexual and toilet humour as well as references to communists and some political commentary.

Overall from a parent’s point of view, it’s definitely one which I am on the fence about. While I’ve been happy to play the majority of the title around the Micro-Bandits – especially during flying-saucer gameplay – there have been some cut scenes I’ve had to ensure their eyes are averted from. This one from me isn’t quite a definite yes or no, but certainly one you should take caution with before letting young eyes on it.

The Run Down

Visuals – Good: Destroy All humans! has been completely remade from the ground up here, with entirely new textures and tools The remastered visuals are nicely done here, but there is still a little room for improvement in 2020. Generally speaking, gameplay graphics are pretty, and the different weapon effects are nicely done. It falls down a little in the cutscenes, with a few rough edges and dated animation. It’s not quite what I’d expect from a brand new title in 2020, however for a title which originally released 15 years ago, it’s looking pretty good.

Audio – Great: The different effects in the game are well created, and I’ve really enjoyed the quality of the voice acting here. Especially noteworthy, however, is the title’s soundtrack. Pulling you right into the B-movie spirit, the theremin sounds and effects are a really nice touch. While not re-recorded, the audio in the title has clearly also seen some love since 2015.

Narrative – Good: The action within Destroy All Humans! is a level by level affair, and it does break down a little more like an arcade title than an action-narrative. However, there is still a good little story here to work through as you travel between various missions within the 6 different areas. There’s not a great deal here that’s new for those who played the original, with the exception of one mission which was originally scrapped from the 2005 production.

Replay – Great: There are a number of different weapons, and upgrades for both Crypto and his saucer. With these, alongside a varied selection of missions, and challenges within the sandbox style levels it really has enough to keep pulling you back in. It’s also been good to see collectables and a little something here for every completionist out there.

The Verdict

Overall the Pixel Bandits It Came From Uranus Level for Destroy All Humans! is that you’ll likely find it Enjoyable. I’ve had a lot of fun with this one, but it’s not one I would say to rush out and grab straight away. It’s got a decent price point, and on balance I’d say it was certainly worth it for anybody who’s a fan of fast-action carnage.

It’s not for absolutely everybody, but if you fancy a slap-dash run through the corn circles, a little light anal probing and sticking it to the – probably not quite so – evil Majestic organisation, you’ll likely have a good time here.

Fans of the franchise will find it much the same in story and gameplay, but the updated visuals and audio could indeed make it worth it. It’s a title which hasn’t always exactly hit the mark for me, but on balance it’s one I’ve enjoyed, and I think you probably will too.

Pick It Up

If This one has tickled your gaming tastebuds, you can grab it on;