People have been obsessed with little green men from outer space ever since The War of the Worlds aired on the radio and things are no different today. Destroy All Humans takes a comical look at how America of the 1950s was concerned about Commie invaders when they should in fact be worried about an extraterrestrial threat.
Yes, the little green men have arrived but are of a decidedly more grey complexion and they don’t come in peace.
Objective is in the Title
The previous clone, Crypto-136 crash landed in the desert and put planet Earth on the radar for the Furon race. After discovering his fate, our anti-hero is tasked with infiltrating the human ranks and causing as much chaos as possible.
With the stupid army believing that Commie invaders are the ones sabotaging things, it should be an easy task. Easy that is until the shadowy Majestic turn up. Set over 20 missions, covering a variety of locales, you have one job as Crypto-137 and that is to enslave and destroy all humans.
Expect to visit farms, county fairs, military bases and small towns among others. Each hosts unique missions, a ton of collectibles and challenges to keep up occupied way beyond the story.
Not Plot Heavy
The story is corny and not all that deep but it’s still a fun experience. Things move at a brisk pace and the cast of colourful characters keep things entertaining throughout. Whether it’s the moronic army generals who seem oblivious to the present threat, or the ominous Majestic it’s all delivered in an over the top fashion. The humour is a bit hit or miss and the younger audience probably won’t get a lot of the jokes and references. However, older players coming back for the nostalgia will be right at home.
With the original releasing 15 years ago, the game has garnered a cult following who have been eagerly awaiting this release. I’m happy to say that not only has it received a fresh lick of paint, but gameplay mechanics have also been reworked. Now you have the ability to use weaponry and powers at the same time. This does make things significantly easier as you chuck people about whilst zapping everything else in sight. Weapons and powers can also be upgraded and leads to the ultimate power fantasy as everything crumbles before you.
Speaking of which, the gun play is solid and employs a lock-on mechanic that allows you to keep an eye on your surroundings whilst blasting baddies.
Adding Content to a Classic
New missions have been sprinkled in but the basic structure is virtually identical to the original release. They’re far from imaginative and a little on the easy side but the main thing is that they’re fun. Whilst the majority of them involve blowing stuff up, occasionally you’ll be asked to be a little more stealthy. Using the holobob allows Crypto to disguise himself as anybody in the world and in turn gain access to restricted areas. Get caught in these missions and it’s an instant fail, but checkpoints are liberal so it’s rare that a lot of progress will be lost.
Mid-mission objectives have also been added to give a bit of variety. In most cases, the missions themselves can be ploughed through in 10-15 minutes tops, sometimes less. Once they’re done, it’s a quick cutscene then back to the mothership rather than moving to the next mission. This means you spend a lot of time in loading screens. Upgrades could have been handled via a pause menu and the open world bits locked until all the missions in a zone are complete. As it stands, the way the game flows feels a little stop start.
The new challenges and collectibles significantly increase longevity. These can be accessed via the new open world areas and are a welcome addition but don’t expect an easy ride. Even after upgrading, I struggled with some of the challenges in the later levels.
Enhance All Visuals!
Like SpongeBob’s recent remaster, the graphics have been lovingly redone. Character models, even those of the NPC’s, are highly detailed and texture work has massively improved. Scenery looks more luscious but retains the almost cartoonish look. Animations are fluid and characters are considerably more emotive and everything looks and feels sharper.
There are some nice little touches like enemies being reduced to skeletons when using the shrink ray as well as enemies holding their asses when under the influence of the anal probe. However, it can still feel a little empty and lifeless at times. These improvements also lead to occasional bouts of slowdown but I didn’t really see any other significant glitches.
Cutscenes are fully voiced and the acting is top notch with Crypto seemingly a wisecracking Jack Nicholson soundalike. The style fits with the 50’s setting and adds a bit of authenticity to proceedings. Weaponry sounds suitably futuristic, explosions are meaty, and brains make a lovely “pop” as they are expunged from their home.
Respect All Gameplays!
All in, Destroy All Humans! is a well presented package that shouldn’t disappoint. Graphical improvements bring it up to date visually; even if the look is old-skool at heart. It doesn’t outstay its welcome and I must admit it was incredibly refreshing to have a manageable length and more linear structure.
The new additions do add to the fun and are a nice distraction to the main meat of the game. Despite the odd grumble and occasional technical shortcomings, Destroy All Humans is an excellent package and is recommended to newcomers and those looking for a hit of nostalgia.