PLATFORM: PC, PS5, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: 30TH AUGUST
Pretty much as soon as the first Destroy All Humans! remake was released in 2020, fans of the series began calling for a similar treatment to be afforded to the game’s sequel, considered by many to be the high point of the series. Two years later, those calls have been answered, and it’s safe to say that anyone with a particular fondness for DAH!2 is likely to be overjoyed with the results.
Set in 1969, the sequel follows Cryptosporidium-138 – a clone of the now-deceased protagonist from the first game – as he seeks revenge for the destruction of his mothership while simultaneously protecting “The Package”, which we soon learn is Crypto’s own genitalia. In the eyes of the KGB, Crypto’s parts and assumed ability to procreate pose a risk to humanity, making him a target for military organisations across the globe and beyond. Crypto’s quest takes him to a handful of cities – Bay City, Albion and Takoshima, which are suspiciously similar to San Francisco, London and Tokyo – as well as an extremely gloomy Siberia and, eventually, the moon-like planet of Solaris.
DAH!2R‘s visuals are nothing short of stunning, there’s really no other word for it. One of those remakes that goes way beyond a simple new coat of paint, you can really see the huge amount of effort that’s gone into its creation, bringing the cities to life in ways that players of the 2006 original could only have dreamed of. The gameplay remains mostly unchanged, based around completing half a dozen or so missions in each location along with a handful of “odd jobs” to pad things out a bit. Crypto’s sci-fi arsenal of laser beams, meteor strikes, anal probes and more are all great fun to use, as are his unique range of abilities that allow him to zip around the skies, pop heads, read minds, and take over human bodies to wander around undetected.
Some unfortunate technical problems appear later in the game, with one particularly gruelling boss fight seeing its fair share of slowdown and complete crashes, and a variety of minor glitches seem to become much more prevalent in the final couple of levels. Despite these issues, though, it’s still massively fun to play. The missions, while brief, are always entertaining, with the game’s pulpy James Bond-esque plot remaining as silly as ever. Each location is brimming with pop culture / genre references that never fail to raise a smile, as does the quirky and mildly saucy sense of humour, although those of a sensitive nature might want to be aware that some of the jokes and comments can be a little bit sexist at times… A handful of bugs do bring things down a little towards the end, but there’s definitely hope that these can be addressed by patches and updates. Otherwise, Destroy All Humans! 2 Reprobed is an absolutely delightful remake of a beloved classic, and very much lives up to – even surpasses, in the sense that it’s a better game overall – the original remake. Just look at that trailer!
