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We got a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming Destroy All Humans remake at PAX East, giving us our first look at the game since late last year, and we've harvested plenty of new details. It's been almost 15 years since Destroy All Humans originally released, but with an estimated release date later this year, you won't have to wait much longer to get your hands on the remake.
Developer Black Forest Games have already explained its vision is to create “not a remake, but a remake of what people remember it being,” and in doing so have expanded many aspects of it while still remaining faithful to the original.
One of the first major differences I noticed was the world is much more open than the original. Sure, you're still given small missions to fulfill, but once completed, the world is yours to explore until you decide to leave. This allows you to wreak as much havoc as you'd like to, and really enjoy the sandbox environments.
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While all 22 of the original story missions are present, there is a small surprise in store. A mission 13.5 has been added, something Black Forest Games discovered in the archives of the original 2005 release that has never been playable before. In an effort to be more inclusive, the team also added a number of African-American characters, as none were present in the original game.
All of Crypto-137's abilities from the original are present including the Zap-o-Matic, Disintegration Ray, Ion Detonator, and yes, even the Anal Probe. This time around, however, abilities can be mixed and matched in fun and unique ways. For instance, you can now lob an Ion grenade and then telekinetically grab and throw it towards a new location or enemy.
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In the original Destroy All Humans, upgrades for Crypto's abilities were somewhat limited, but in the remake all weapons and abilities have multiple upgrade options. For example, a burning effect can be applied to the Disintegration Ray, leaving those pesky humans charred to perfection. What's even better, you'll no longer need to return to the mothership to visit Pox for upgrades. Instead, you'll have the option to pour your hard-earned DNA into upgrades at the end of each story mission.
One of the biggest pain points from the original was Crypto's movement and dexterity (or lack thereof). Much of the movement has been rebuilt through a more modern lens, allowing you to take full advantage of his jetpack (instead of simply double-jumping) and use abilities simultaneously. Later in the story there's even an unlockable a set of hover shoes for Crypto (simply referred to here as S.K.A.T.E.),allowing him to traverse environments and evade enemies with relative ease. I thought the ability was especially fun to use once all mission objectives have been completed.
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Black Forest Games said the average campaign play-through should last anywhere between 15-25 hours, depending on your play-style and experience with the original. For completionists, there are around 20 new optional challenges being added to Destroy All Humans, allowing you to approach missions in interesting new ways. Completing these challenges will earn you in-game rewards including new skins for Crypto.
While these are just some of the new changes we discovered at PAX East, there are plenty more updates coming to Destroy All Humans. For superfans, make sure to check out the life-sized Crypto that rides on your back as part of the Crypto-137 Destroy All Humans special edition, available to preorder now.
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Matthew Adler is a News and Features writer for IGN who is seriously contemplating purchasing that full-size Crypto backpack. You can follow him on Twitter or watch him on Twitch.