Destroy All Humans! (2020 video game)

Last updated
Destroy All Humans!
Destroy All Humans remake cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Black Forest Games [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) THQ Nordic
Director(s)
Producer(s)
Designer(s) David Sallmann [lower-alpha 4]
Programmer(s)
Artist(s) Eric Urocki [lower-alpha 6]
Writer(s)
Composer(s) Garry Schyman [lower-alpha 8]
Series Destroy All Humans!
Engine Unreal Engine 4 [7]
Platform(s)
ReleasePS4, Windows, Xbox One
July 28, 2020
Stadia
December 8, 2020
Nintendo Switch
June 29, 2021
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Destroy All Humans! is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Black Forest Games and published by THQ Nordic. The game is a remake of the 2005 original game and the fifth installment in the Destroy All Humans! franchise. This remake is the first entry in the franchise since Path of the Furon (2008).

Contents

Destroy All Humans! was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 28 July 2020. It was made available for Stadia on 8 December 2020. A Nintendo Switch port was released on 29 June 2021. It received mixed reviews from critics and had sold over 1 million units by May 2021.

Gameplay

The game is played from a third-person perspective. The player controls Cryptosporidium 137 ("Crypto" for short), an alien who arrives on Earth in 1950s America to harvest human DNA. [8] Crypto is equipped with a vast arsenal of alien weapons such as the Zap-O-Matic and Anal Probe, to defeat enemies. He also has superhuman skills such as psychokinetic powers and the ability to disguise himself as humans. [9] Crypto can use a jetpack to quickly navigate the environment. He can also command the flying saucer, which is equipped with a death ray to kill opponents. [10] Players can perform movements such as gliding and dashing, and they can chain actions together such as shooting enemies while levitating them. The game introduces the Focus Mode, which allows players to lock onto other enemies. Crypto is protected by a shield, which informs players the direction of hostile attacks. The game features six sandbox locations which can be explored freely. Each location offers unique challenges for players to complete. [11]

Development

A team of 60 people in Black Forest Games served as the game's developer. [12] The original game's dialogue and humor remained intact, though the team enhanced them by updating the character models and cutscenes and introducing motion capture. [13] Instead of re-recording the lines, the team used the audio from the original game and improved its quality for the remake. [14] The game also includes a mission named "Lost Mission of Area 42" that was scrapped during the development of the original game. [15] Black Forest considered developing the remake as a "natural continuation" of their work after finishing the development of Fade to Silence as they learned more about utilizing the technology and designing large, open areas. [16]

THQ Nordic acquired the intellectual property rights from THQ in 2013. In 2017, the firm reaffirmed that the company realized the demand for a new game in the series and added that they were exploring options to revitalize the franchise. [17] The game was officially announced in June 2019. An extended gameplay demo was launched at E3 2019. [18] It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One and Stadia. [19] [20] [21] A standalone multiplayer spin-off, titled Destroy All Humans! Clone Carnage was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows via Steam, on May 31, 2022. [22]

Reception

Destroy All Humans! received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [23] [24] [25] [26]

Sales

Destroy All Humans! sales exceeded THQ Nordic's expectations. [38] By May 2021, the game had sold over 1 million units. [39]

Related Research Articles

<i>TimeSplitters</i> Video game series

TimeSplitters is a series of first-person shooter video games developed by Free Radical Design. The games are often considered spiritual successors to the Nintendo 64 titles GoldenEye 007 (1997) and Perfect Dark (2000), due to overlapping elements in gameplay, design, and development team. Each game features a time travelling element in which players battle across a diverse number of locations and periods in history.

<i>Destroy All Humans!</i> (2005 video game) 2005 video game

Destroy All Humans! is a 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and mobile phones. The game is the first installment in the Destroy All Humans! franchise, and is set in 1959 in the United States, and parodies the lifestyles, pop culture, and political attitudes of this time period. The player controls Cryptosporidium 137, a member of this fictional exaggerated alien race called "Furons", and is a Furon spy hitman invading Earth to harvest DNA from humans to continue the cloning process of his species. Destroy All Humans! received generally positive reviews from critics. The original was ported to PlayStation 4 in 2016 alongside its sequel. A full remake of the game was released on July 28, 2020.

Bugbear Entertainment Oy is a Finnish video game developer based in Helsinki, founded by Janne Alanenpää in 2000. The company is best known for the FlatOut series and Wreckfest. In November 2018, a majority stake of the company was acquired by THQ Nordic.

<i>Destroy All Humans! 2</i> 2006 video game

Destroy All Humans! 2 is a 2006 action-adventure video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game is the sequel to Destroy All Humans! and the second installment in the Destroy All Humans! franchise. It also marks the final game in the series to be developed by Pandemic Studios, as the company was later acquired by Electronic Arts in 2007. A remake of the game, titled Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed, was initially released in August 2022.

<i>Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy</i> 2003 video game

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by Eurocom and published by THQ for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. A version for mobile phones was released in 2004. THQ Nordic published a high-definition remaster for personal computer systems in 2017, and Nintendo Switch in 2019.

<i>Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon</i> 2008 video game

Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon is an action-adventure video game developed by American studio Sandblast Games and published by THQ. The game is set in the 1970s and is the fourth installment in the original Destroy All Humans! franchise. It was released December 1, 2008 in North America for the Xbox 360. Path of the Furon expands on the open world format of the previous Destroy All Humans! games, with five open worlds on the ground and in the air to obliterate with weapons and alien powers.

<i>Red Faction: Guerrilla</i> 2009 video game

Red Faction: Guerrilla is a third-person shooter video game developed by Volition and published by THQ. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in June 2009 and for Windows in September 2009. The game is the third installment in the Red Faction series. A remastered version titled Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered with improved graphics was released worldwide on July 3, 2018, for the PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One, and on July 2, 2019, for the Nintendo Switch.

<i>Destroy All Humans!</i> Video game series

Destroy All Humans! is an open world action-adventure video game franchise that is designed as a parody of Cold War-era alien invasion films. Destroy All Humans! and Destroy All Humans! 2 were released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox; Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed was released for the Wii; and Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A remake of the original game and its sequel were developed by Black Forest Games and were released in 2020 and 2022, respectively.

Red Faction is a series of shooter video games developed by Volition and owned by Plaion. Originating in 2001, the Red Faction games have spanned Microsoft Windows, macOS and consoles, including the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Original developers Volition have retained the rights to the series since 2020, with no updates provided on whether a future fifth game is in the works.

<i>Darksiders II</i> 2012 video game

Darksiders II is an action role-playing hack and slash video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. It is the sequel to Darksiders and was released in August 2012 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and as a launch title for Wii U upon the console's North American and PAL regions release in November of the same year. The story follows the efforts of player character Death to clear the name of his brother, War, who stands accused of wiping out humanity. On a total budget of $50 million, it was one of the most expensive video games to develop of all time.

THQ Nordic GmbH is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were renamed THQ Nordic in August 2016 after the parent company had acquired the "THQ" trademark in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Forest Games</span> German video game developer

Black Forest Games GmbH is a German video game developer based in Offenburg. The company was founded in July 2012 by a team of 40 staff members, including chief executive officer Andreas Speer, previously employed by Spellbound Entertainment, which filed for insolvency earlier that year. As of August 2017, it is a subsidiary of THQ Nordic. As of August 2024, the company employs 50 people.

<i>Deliver Us the Moon</i> 2018 video game

Deliver Us the Moon is an adventure-puzzle video game developed by Dutch game development studio KeokeN Interactive. It was first self-published as Deliver Us the Moon: Fortuna for Windows on September 28, 2018. The game later saw an expanded release on October 10, 2019, with Wired Productions serving as the publisher for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions on April 24, 2020. The game was released for Google Stadia on June 1, 2022, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 23, 2022 and for Nintendo Switch on July 16, 2024.

<i>Darksiders III</i> 2018 video game

Darksiders III is an action role-playing game developed by Gunfire Games and published by THQ Nordic. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in November 2018. A Stadia version and Nintendo Switch port released in September 2021. It is the third entry in the Darksiders series.

<i>Fade to Silence</i> 2019 video game

Fade to Silence is a 2019 action-adventure survival game developed by Black Forest Games and published by THQ Nordic. The game entered Steam Early Access in December 2017 and was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in April 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated</i> 2020 video game

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a 2020 platform game developed by Purple Lamp Studios and published by THQ Nordic. Based on the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, it is a remake of the console versions of Heavy Iron Studios' SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (2003). It is the first major game in the series since SpongeBob HeroPants (2015) and the first since the death of the show's creator Stephen Hillenburg in 2018. The game was released on June 23, 2020, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Stadia. A version for mobile devices was released on January 21, 2021.

<i>Chronos</i> (2016 video game) 2016 video game

Chronos is a 2016 action role-playing game developed and published by Gunfire Games for the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset. The game received generally positive reviews upon release. An overhauled version of the game, titled Chronos: Before the Ashes was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Stadia on December 1, 2020.

<i>Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed</i> 2022 remake of the 2006 video game

Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed is an action-adventure video game developed by Black Forest Games and published by THQ Nordic. It is a remake of the 2006 original game, the sequel to the remake of Destroy All Humans!, and the sixth installment in the Destroy All Humans! franchise.

<i>AEW Fight Forever</i> 2023 professional wrestling video game

AEW Fight Forever is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ Nordic. It is the debut title on home consoles and personal computers based on American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Original game developed by Pandemic Studios.
  2. ↑ Brad Welch was the director of the original game. [1]
  3. ↑ Gordon Moyes was the producer of the original game. [1] [2]
  4. ↑ Brad Welch was the lead designer of the original game. [3]
  5. ↑ Adam Iarossi was the lead programmer of the original game. [1]
  6. ↑ Fiona Francois was the lead artist of the original game. [1] [3]
  7. ↑ Tom Abernathy was the writer of the original game. [1] [4]
  8. ↑ Schyman was the composer of the original game. [1] [5] He provided the development team with the recordings of his original score to be used in the remake, but did not compose any new music. [6]
References
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pandemic Studios (June 21, 2005). Destroy All Humans (PlayStation 2, Xbox). THQ. Scene: Credits.
  2. ↑ Healey, Nic (January 16, 2013). "Accelerator program opens for Aussie mobile-gaming devs". CNET . Red Ventures . Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Francois, Erin (June 30, 2019). "Destroy All Humans: A Trip Down Memory Lane". The Nerd Daily. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  4. ↑ Kreuch, Martin (July 28, 2020). "Examining the satirical humor of Destroy All Humans!, out today". PlayStation Blog . Sony Interactive Entertainment . Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Garry Schyman Scores Destroy All Humans!". Games Industry. Gamer Network. June 6, 2005. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  6. ↑ Vieversys, Ignas (May 10, 2022). "Garry Schyman – I've gotten to satisfy my love for composing through game scores". Gamemusic. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  7. ↑ Kayser, Daniel (2019-09-03). "Players enjoyed more than 100 Unreal Engine games at gamescom 2019". Unreal Engine . Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  8. ↑ Goslin, Austen (June 7, 2019). "Destroy All Humans! remake is heading to PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2020". Polygon . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  9. ↑ Tarantola, Andrew (June 12, 2019). "'Destroy All Humans!' returns to finish the job in 2020". Engadget . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  10. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (June 7, 2019). "Destroy All Humans hands-on — A remake with pretty landscapes and mean aliens". VentureBeat . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  11. ↑ Cardy, Simon (June 21, 2019). "Destroy All Humans! New Twists to An Old Formula". IGN . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  12. ↑ Wise, Josh (June 14, 2019). "Destroy All Humans remake development details revealed". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  13. ↑ Tucker, Kevin (June 12, 2019). "Destroy All Humans remake dev talks changes and features". Shacknews . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ McCarthy, Cathy (June 7, 2019). "Playing The Strange Destroy All Humans Remake Left Us With One Question: Why?". USgamer . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  15. ↑ Khan, Imran (June 7, 2019). "Destroy All Humans: Alien Nation". Game Informer . Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  16. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (June 7, 2019). "Destroy All Humans: How Black Forest Games is bringing the maniacal aliens back". VentureBeat . Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  17. ↑ Batchelor, James (July 5, 2017). "How THQ Nordic will build a successful brand out of a failed one". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Destroy All Humans Remake - 15 Minutes Of Cinematics And Extended Gameplay Demo | E3 2019". GameSpot . June 13, 2019.
  19. ↑ Romano, Sal (19 August 2019). "Destroy All Humans! remake adds Stadia version". Gematsu. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  20. ↑ Phillips, Tom (April 28, 2020). "Destroy All Humans revival lands in July". Eurogamer . Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Destroy all Humans!™ Makes PlayStation®4 Debut | THQ Nordic GMBH".
  22. ↑ "Multiplayer spin-off Destroy All Humans! Clone Carnage now available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  23. 1 2 "Destroy All Humans! for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  24. 1 2 "Destroy All Humans! for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  25. 1 2 "Destroy All Humans! for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  26. 1 2 "Destroy All Humans! for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  27. ↑ Makedonski, Brett (August 1, 2020). "Review: Destroy All Humans!". Destructoid . Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  28. ↑ Juba, Joe (July 27, 2020). "Destroy All Humans Review – An Obsolete Invasion". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  29. ↑ Leri, Michael (July 27, 2020). "Destroy All Humans Remake Review - The extraterrestrial with extra enhancements". Game Revolution . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  30. ↑ Carr, James (August 3, 2020). "Destroy All Humans Review - Two Arms, Two Legs, And An Attitude". GameSpot . Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  31. ↑ Shive, Chris (July 27, 2020). "Review: Destroy All Humans! (2020)". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  32. ↑ Stapleton, Dan (July 27, 2020). "Destroy All Humans! Review". IGN . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  33. ↑ O'Reilly, PJ (June 28, 2021). "Destroy All Humans! Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life . Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  34. ↑ Tailby, Stephen (July 27, 2020). "Destroy All Humans Review (PS4)". Push Square . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  35. ↑ Hawkins, Josh (July 27, 2020). "Destroy All Humans! review: Back in the saddle". Shacknews . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  36. ↑ Musgrave, Shaun (July 12, 2021). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Ender Lilies' and 'The Silver Case 2425', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales". TouchArcade . Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  37. ↑ Wise, Josh (July 27, 2020). "Destroy All Humans! review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Destroy All Humans! Remake Sales Have Exceeded Publisher's Expectations" . Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  39. ↑ "FULL YEAR REPORT 2020/2021 AND Q4 WEBCAST PRESENTATION" . Retrieved 20 May 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.