Luckily, the Destroy All Humans remake isn’t just a carbon copy with updated graphics. There are some other important changes made, too.
The year 2020’s Destroy All Humans! is a modern-day remake of the cult classic game, which initially released in 2005. Whilst it remains faithful to its original form with features like cheats returning, there are a series of changes made to present the game to modern audiences.
They range from new content in the form of additional missions to Quality of Life changes designed to make the experience smoother and more enjoyable. Here are the biggest ways the Destroy All Humans! remake improved the original.
One of the biggest gameplay changes in the Destroy All Humans! remake is the additional abilities that have been added to this version. All of the abilities from the original game remain, but with the addition of abilities such as Transmogrify, which can turn objects scattered across the map into ammo supplies for Crypto.
There are also new movement options for Crypto’s jetpack, adding the ability to dash and glide in the air. Crypto already had an impressive array of options in his moveset, and this remake gives him even more.
The hoverboots are another addition to Crypto’s moveset, initially granting him the ability to skate around the world in short bursts. Eventually though, after some upgrades, the boots give him the ability to continuously boost.
Using them in the classic missions from the original game is a thrill for the entirety of a playthrough. This new pair of boots works well with the jetpack to ensure you can always zip around the map without delay.
The remake added some unlockable skins too, which you can earn by completing missions or side objectives that appear throughout the games. They’re well made too, with the MOOtant Skin, in particular, being one of the best, giving Crypto a pair of horns and a cow-like pattern on his skin.
There is even a crossover skin with Darksiders 2, with Death featuring as a special skin you can use. They’re only cosmetic, with no gameplay differences between each skin, but it gives you something else to work towards and is a welcome addition.
New side missions offer brand new forms of gameplay, not limited to racing drones, destroying key objectives, and ship-focused missions. There are four new types of missions available, named Abduction, Rampage, Armageddon, and Race.
Each type offers unique situations and gameplay for you to dive into, as well as rankings based on how well you perform in them. This means there are significant replayability options as high ranks give out better rewards, as well as a trophy for achieving the max rank in them all.
Fans of the original game will probably be pleased to see a previously deleted mission finally make an appearance in this remake. The mission is known as ‘The Wrong Stuff’ and is set in Area 42, the Destroy All Humans! version of Area 51.
In this quest, you must stop a human UFO prototype from being made. It features the same chaotic gameplay seen throughout the rest of the game. It’s always great when remakes bring new content into the fold, and this mission is definitely one of the most memorable parts of the remake.
Pox’s Lab now offers a brand new set of upgrades, over double the amount in the original game! This means that you will always have new upgrades to buy, making DNA a more worthy reward for completing missions and objectives.
The upgrades available include the Zap-O-Matic and Brain Extraction for Crypto, as well as the aptly named Death Ray for the UFO. Each upgrade also has an upgrade route that makes the ability more powerful and beneficial over time.
The most obvious change to Destroy All Humans! are the graphical improvements made. Developers Black Forest Games have completely overhauled the appearance of the game, giving this version a modern-day arcadey visual style that matches the gameplay excellently.
New character models and environmental design stand out as the major changes, but even smaller effects such as particles look great. It isn’t the best-looking game ever by any stretch of the imagination, but the visuals have been reinvented in a way that manages to be both modern and faithful to the original. A PS5 patch for the game further improves resolution and frame rate.
Both Crypto and his UFO have been given brand new control schemes in this remake. The original controls were particularly clunky, but the remake has redesigned both control schemes in order to make the experience much more smooth and easy to pick up.
It’s now a lot easier for players to perform a number of actions whilst moving. Take shooting in the flying saucer for example — you can now aim with ease even whilst moving around. It’s easier to access abilities too, as they are now assigned to specific buttons instead of being swapped around in the menus.
Tom Heath is a writer currently completing his journalism masters in the UK. At the tender age of 22, his experience is limited but he’s worked as a lifeguard and food courier alongside completing his degree. Having been a gamer from the age he could pick up a controller, he’s been in love with Nintendo and Playstation ever since. When he isn’t writing about, or playing games, he loves to cycle, workout, watch football and consume 20th century history.
