Destruction AllStars Review

Destruction Allstars… the game that almost released alongside the PS5 with a price tag of $70 USD. Well, luckily it was delayed into February, as a PS Plus title because the outcry from gamers alike would have been heard around the world. Every time I play Destruction Allstars, I think about that initial price and the bullet Sony dodged. 

 

Destruction Allstars isn’t a bad game, but it’s not a great game either. It’s mediocre at best and that thanks to the lack of content. I don’t know how long this game was in development for, but it could have used another year in the oven. 

 

The gameplay is smooth and the game is fine in regard to graphics. Audio matches up well for this style of game and the announcers add most of the charm as you play through. I feel there is no connection with the characters outside of a little excitement in their voices when you have accomplished something notable like destroying another player’s car. Add in responsive controls and you have the ingredients for what could be a great game, but again, it needed a little more time in the oven. 

 

For all of the good mixed in this bag, there is a lot of lackluster. The maps are rather small and it often feels like I am a hamster in a wheel. Not only are the maps small, but there is a lack of numbers. A handful of maps that don’t really look that much different from each other and congestion? Well, the adrenaline from all that destructive combat will surely make up for that, right? Wrong! 

 

A lot of people have hoped to see a new Twisted Metal game for a while now and some thought this might live up to the beloved franchise, but Destruction Allstars doesn’t come close. Not even a little bit. Aside from Twisted Metal hosting better maps, the game hosted better weaponry. Twisted Metal features guns, missiles, special weapons and abilities that cater to the character of your choosing. Destruction Allstars doesn’t have guns. It does have special lackluster abilities for characters and their respective vehicles, but the game might as well have been called Bumper Car Allstars, because that’s about what it is, glorified bumper cars. 

 

With 4 main modes to choose from, there is very little difference between them. One mode is all about just bumping into each other and destroying cars for points. Another is about bumping into each other, collecting gears as points and depositing them into a bank to score. Another where the floor opens up and your space gets smaller, all while trying to bump your opponents into a KO with limited respawns. Sounds different, feels the same. 

 

All in all I give Destruction Allstars a 5 out of 10. It does not matter that game has been placed on the PS Plus list as a free title that will eventually be removed and sold in stores, because I’m not talking about a price here, I’m talking about what was intended to be a triple A title for the PS5 and it comes off as more of an indie title that you will likely try, but not make a regular return because there is such a small amount of replay value. I can pump in an hour or so, but it gets dull quickly and I probably won’t think much of it again after today. It could have been so much more, but sadly, this game is barren of originality and replayability.