Destroy All Humans! was developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ. The game was directed by Brad Welch and written by Tom Abernathy. Grant Albrecht and Richard Horvitz voice the main characters Crypto and Pox, respectively. The game was originally released on June 21, 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and was recently re-released for the PlayStation 4 in October 2016.
Destroy All Humans! is the epitome of retro science fiction films. Players take control of the destructively-arrogant extraterrestrial Cryptosporidium-137, a member of the ancient alien race of Furons. The story begins in the year 1947. The US government shoots down an unidentified aircraft containing an alien specimen. In 1959, Crypto is sent by mad scientist, Orthopox-13, to harvest human brain stems, and to retrieve the salvage. The Furons clash with a secret government organization known as the Majestic: humanity’s only hope in fighting the aliens.
Gameplay:
“Destroy All Humans!” is an open-world action-stealth game. All alien actions will increase notoriety, triggering increasingly aggressive police response. Unlike in GTA, the army sends giant killer robots when the wanted level gets high enough. Environments are fully destructible—if the humans don’t surrender peacefully, burn their city to the ground.
Fun Stuff:
Crypto isn’t defenseless in his mission. He has an arsenal of alien weapons and gadgets, including an Anal Probe and a Jetpack.
When things get hairy, you can take control of Crypto’s flying saucer and unleash the full wrath of the Furon.
Crypto starts off with the Zap-O-Matic (hand) and the Death Ray (saucer). Additional weapons and upgrades will be unlocked throughout the story’s progression. Players can purchase upgrades from Pox’s Lab using DNA points.
Fun Alien Stuff:
Crypto possesses several mind abilities. The usage of these abilities drains the “Concentration Meter.” When the meter is empty, Crypto cannot use any abilities and must wait for his Concentration to refill.
- With Telepathy, Crypto can scan minds to uncover quest-related information (and town gossip). Telepathy can be used to influence hypnosis on targeted humans and give general or context-sensitive commands. Crypto can also forcibly extract the target’s brain stem for DNA points.
- Crypto can move objects with telekinesis, such as humans and vehicles, and push and throw them at will.
- The final ability is the HoloBob, which allows Crypto to take the holographic form of any human he gets close to, preventing them from discovering his alien form. While in disguise, Crypto cannot use any weapons. Additionally, running out of Concentration will return Crypto to alien form.
Wrap:
While the campaign is lengthy and repetitive, the missions are simple enough to complete. Players will spend quite a bit of time exploring each unique city and discovering their secrets. There’s never a dull moment in the story, with the game’s satirical, almost-campy sci-fi humor, quirky characters, and occasionally-anachronistic pop culture references. There are many methods to Destroy All Humans! Have fun enslaving humanity!
