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Genre: Third-Person action adventure shooter
Developer: Black Forest Games
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Edited by AlexKnight2005
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is the direct sequel to the events of the first. You once again take control of Crypto in the groovy era of the 60s. This title follows the remaster polish that was done in the last. Doing successfully enough brings the second one to us. After the original release of Destroy All Humans, the second one builds on what everyone loved about the first. The Arcade sandbox format in different places, humor based on the era, and taking classic alien sci-fi style mixes into an experience that is still a joy. With Destroy All Humans! 2 having some of my favorite humor in the series, I was excited to get to play this one.
After playing the first Destroy All Humans! Some may wonder where to go next in the series. It is played off nice from the start that the aliens haven’t gone unnoticed by other governments. Most notably the KGB of the Soviet Union. They launch a preemptive strike nuclear strike via satellite toward your mothership and destroy it. Crypto (voice acted by Grant Albrechtz) is caught off guard as he has been enjoying earth’s pleasures at the time. After the initial ambush, you, with help from Orthopox – 13 (voice acted by Richard Steven Horovitz), launch not only a counter strike but plan your revenge on the KGB. It wouldn’t have been the same if these two didn’t come back to voice act our favorite Feron aliens from the first game.
The gameplay will feel very similar to the first game. The player will go from different sandbox-style maps and locations, do missions, and unlock/find collectibles. Most of what was in the first game returned fully, with all mechanics returning. The play will feel right at home if they played the first. Newcomers may feel a bit overwhelmed at first. Nothing is given all at once, and the tutorial is perfectly infused with the first few story missions and as you unlock new weapons or powers. The mix of mayhem being a one-man army with your P.K. mind powers and classic sci-fi weapons allows the player to use as needed but also allows the player to use heavily what they prefer in most cases. Unless the mission calls for it, the player can opt to be fully loud and proud or sneak around disguising as humans. The flying saucer makes a return in all its destructive glory. Progression is mostly made from missions to upgrade yourself, your saucer, and your weapons. The extra objectives from missions add slightly more of what you use to upgrade but don’t feel a loss if you are unable to do the bonus. The heavy arcade nature of the gameplay may feel overly simple to some, but it fits perfectly with the style of the game in the sandbox. Players can even do co-op to enjoy the game with a friend. The split-screen co-op works well, and I believe one of the best ways to enjoy the game.
A major part that carries Destroy All Humans! 2 is the style and humor brought to the game. From jokes from the era and real-world knowledge, they fully used it all to make this sequel. From satellites that could launch nukes, Hippies were trying to take down America, the 60’s influence of peace and love, and more. The jokes are not only simple and silly but well thought out. Most dialog options the player can pick not only world build but add more silly chatting between characters. It would be harder to remake Destroy All Humans! 2 than the remaster they did, as the writing and voice acting would be hard to improve. Some may find the more sexual humor overdone, but it still fits in the 60s era. Adding more from the era is the music, licensed and unlicensed music is used. They are used in missions or collected around the maps as a collectible. There is a streamer-friendly option to help those who want to stream still play with the music. The extra costumes and new weapons add to the craziness and fit the vibe. It is extremely hard to find a part that just doesn’t belong. Most will notice the new can of paint taken to the game with the more advanced lighting of today. The glows and explosives are very welcome.
Issues with Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is similar gameplay annoyances from the last with some minor annoyances. Being a remaster, most of the issues are the same issues from the original game. The arcade gameplay in the sandbox gives the player nearly total freedom, but the player may find it hard to explore without having to sneak around or attract too much attention. The saucer you fly can only land and take off in exact locations with most extras to do on the map not involving it. The “Body Snatch” power that lets you blend in with humans can easily be ruined by minor falls. If you forgot how to use an exact P.K. power or extra details from a weapon, the in-game help menu might not have an answer. Most notable are ones like the P.K. Slam move in which the full details cannot be found. Even during the mission where the extra objective is to use it.
I’m excited that Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed came out. This is during a time old gems like this would have been lost in time to only physical media. Now it is out fresh and digital for more to enjoy. It has been long enough that those they never heard of the series will get to experience it. The arcade gameplay in terms of collectibles and A.I. may feel dated, but it mixed with the writing, voice acting, and fun of Destroy All Humans! 2 more than make up for it. I feel it is a game that can easily stand up to one’s coming out today. Fans of classic alien sci-fi or silly arcade fun need to look into getting this title.
Pros:
- Amazing Style and Humor
- Great Sequel
- Great Sandbox Gameplay
Cons:
- Older Issues From Original Release
FoxieEXE gives Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed for P.C. a Drastik Measure of 8.6 out of 10.0 (86)
