 |
| Crypto returns in the 2020 remake of Destroy All Humans! on PC, bringing classic alien antics with modern upgrades. |
By NinjaGuyX
Destroy All Humans! has been on my radar ever since its original release back in 2005. I remember watching videos about it at the time, but I never really understood what kind of game it actually was. So I kept it on the sidelines for years… until now.
This is the 2020 remake, and that’s the version I’ll be talking about here. It features improved visuals, better controls, gameplay tweaks, and overall quality-of-life improvements. Honestly, there’s very little reason to go back to the original , this remake pretty much does everything better.
The story follows an alien race that can only reproduce through cloning. One of your clones is sent to Earth… and immediately gets captured by humans. You play as Crypto-137, and your species’ DNA is starting to deteriorate. Conveniently, humans happen to contain ancient DNA that can help restore yours, so your mission is to rescue your fellow clone, replenish your DNA, and cause as much destruction as possible along the way.
A Setup That Knows When to Step Aside
After the initial setup, the story mostly takes a back seat. There are bits of dialogue and story moments sprinkled throughout, but it’s clear the game wants you to focus more on action and chaos than deep lore, and honestly, that works in its favor.
Crypto is basically a jack-of-all-trades. You have a wide range of abilities at your disposal. Your main weapon is the zapper, which recharges when you stop firing, and you eventually unlock other weapons like a fireball gun and… yes… a probe gun. I’ll leave that one alone.
Abilities, Chaos, and Player Choice
On top of your weapons, you get several psychic abilities. You can pick up humans and throw them around, make them dance to distract others, or even control them and turn them into temporary allies. It’s ridiculous, and completely on-brand for the game.
You can also disguise yourself as a human, which adds a stealth element. The disguise doesn’t last forever, you need to absorb DNA to maintain it, but it gives you another way to approach objectives. You can go in guns blazing or play things a bit sneakier if you want. The game gives you the freedom to choose.
Then there’s the flying saucer. From time to time, you get to take to the skies and unleash total destruction. It’s a great change of pace, and the game does a good job balancing ground combat, stealth, and vehicle sections so nothing feels overused.
Old-School Structure, Modern Polish
New mechanics are introduced at a steady pace, which helps, but I’ll admit it can still feel a bit overwhelming at times. You’re juggling a lot of abilities, more than six buttons, and the on-screen icons aren’t always very clear. Occasionally, you’ll trigger the wrong ability, but it’s more of a minor annoyance than a real issue.
The game is mission-based. Between missions, you return to a hub where you can select your next objective, upgrade your weapons, health, shields, and saucer, or dig deeper into the game’s lore.
That structure definitely shows its early-2000s roots. It’s very straightforward: pick a mission, complete it, move on to the next. It feels a bit like classic GTA missions, just without full open-world freedom. That said, you can free roam if you want, and the missions themselves are varied enough to stay engaging.
Difficulty-wise, I had a good time with it. The balance feels right. There were moments where I died and had to retry, but it never felt unfair. There are also optional side missions that reward extra currency for upgrades. They’re manageable, not stressful, and completely optional, which I appreciated.
Final Thoughts
Destroy All Humans! is dumb, mindless fun, and I mean that in the best way possible. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it balances its mechanics well and keeps things fresh enough that you’re always curious about what kind of mission comes next.
It regularly goes on sale for very cheap on Steam, and I think it’s a great game to play between bigger releases. It’s easy to jump into, easy to put down, and easy to come back to later.
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated. Please stay respectful and on topic.