The Destroy All Humans! Remake is a Blast From the Past

Published: June 12, 2019 10:30 AM /

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destroy-all-humans

Creating a remake is a gamble. Often times, fans of a video game have fond memories of something they played over a decade ago. If a remake's gameplay and visuals aren't true to the original, it's unfaithful to its source material. The Destroy All Humans! remake by Black Forest Games is a gamble that looks like it's paying off.

We were able to have some hands-on time with Destroy All Humans! and watch a developer walkthrough. The most remarkable thing about the game is how faithful it looks to the original. The graphics are incredibly stylized and cartoonish. With the aid of the Unreal 4 Engine, Destroy All Humans! is a treat to the eyes.

It's an extremely colorful game, and the environments are meticulously detailed yet look so strikingly similar to the environments of the original. Unlike the original game, Black Forest Games uses motion-capture to capture realistic movement of human foes. Fear not, fans will be happy to hear that the storyline and original voice-over remain untouched.

destroy all humans farm

The demo itself took place during the first level of the original Destroy All Humans! Crypto lands his flying saucer on a farm and messes around with some cows until angry farmers start to appear, yelling and blasting their rifles away. Combat is tweaked in this remake but for the better. Crypto can use multiple abilities at the same time. For example, a developer used his psychokinesis ability while shocking farmers with his gun. If you use psychokinesis on an object like a scarecrow, you can lock on to enemies and throw the object at full force.

One of the biggest improvements over the original Destroy All Humans! is its new movement system. Crypto can dash around levels to avoid enemy fire and position properly. This is fundamental to survival, as I soon realized during my hands-on time with the game. It adds a greater complexity to the combat than ever before and feels frantic and frenetic in a great way.

Crypto can jump in the air with his jetpack and hover up and down as well. The same can be done with the new flying saucer controls, which allows you to hover higher or lower. I watched a developer obliterate a farm overrun with U.S. Army tanks and soldiers. The laser from the flying saucer leaves a trail of molten earth in its wake, and I was told you can walk around and look at the destruction after you're killing spree. The flying saucer gameplay looks as satisfying as ground combat.

destroy all humans gameplay

We received a special sneak peek for the second level of the game, which takes in a small American town with a fair ground, church, and plenty of houses. Although the build was very much pre-alpha, I can tell that the detail and quality of the first level is going to continue on later. I really look forward to exploring each area and wreaking havoc.

I asked the developers about a new level in the game called Area 42. THQ Nordic was able to provide most assets of the original Destroy All Humans! There seemed to be a decent amount of cut content, and Area 42 had enough assets that Black Forest Games created this level from those scraps and pieces. If you're looking for a bit of new content along with a total visual overhaul and quality of life changes to gameplay,

The remake for Destroy All Humans! comes out sometime next year, but if Black Forest Games maintains the quality of what I experienced today, you're going to enjoy reliving this cult classic.

If you want to know more about this and other announcements happening at E3 then be sure to check out our E3 2019 Coverage Hub.

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austin
| Staff Writer

Austin cut his teeth writing various  fan-fiction stories on the RuneScape forums when he was in elementary school. Later on, he developed a deep love for… More about Austin

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Destroy All Humans!
Developer
Black Forest Games
Publisher
THQ Nordic
Release Date
July 28, 2020 (Calendar)
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