Game review: Destruction AllStars (PS5)

When it comes to driving cars in video games, you mostly have to partake in races forcing you to come first. However, Destruction AllStars is a different type of driving game where the main goal for you is to create as much destruction as possible.

Destruction AllStars reminds me a lot of a game series that I grew up playing on the PSOne. The first driving game I played on PSOne was the very enjoyable and unique game called Destruction Derby 2. Even though the game still had races, there was another mode in the game where you had to destroy your opponents inside of a huge arena.

Destruction AllStars isn't a sequel or successor to Destruction Derby 2, but it still adds its own unique spin to the vehicular combat genre. It doesn't include guns like the Twisted Metal series, although ramming your opponents is fun as long as you're the aggressor.

Before you begin playing the game, Destruction AllStars has one of the most helpful and thoughtful tutorials I have ever seen. It gives you a lot of advice on how to effectively play the game in order to beat the many online opponents that you will have to face in the main multiplayer mode.

The main game mode in this game is called 'Mayhem' and this is where you have to destroy as many vehicles in the arena as possible. The more vehicles you wreck, the higher your points will be. The winner of each round is the player that can amass the most number of points.

The thing that makes this game stand out on its own is that you can even jump out of your car before it explodes to smithereens. When you're not inside a car, you have to dodge vehicles or else your opponents can simply run you over resulting in an instant KO.

Another cool thing you can do is try to hijack cars by jumping on top of them. If you press the right button prompts, you can steal a car from an opponent or choose to wreck it. If there aren't any new cars around you, you can simply jump into another car that is situated around the big arena.

Aside from 'Mayhem', there are several other game modes that this game has to offer. One mode that could be popular is the Battle Royale like mode called 'Gridfall'. In this particular game mode, you have to outlast your opponents as the floor beneath you starts to collapse.

In the online multiplayer mode of 'Gridfall' you only have one life. If you lose that life, it's game over and you just have to join other lobby to get back in. 'Gridfall', is arguably the hardest mode in the game because it's difficult to survive, but it can be fun if you manage to win.

The other two modes in Destruction AllStars are called 'Carnado' and 'Stockpile'. Both modes are team games where it's 8v8 and you have to collect gears in order to score points. The team with the highest number of gears/points are the winners of the round.

One of the best features of Destruction AllStars is the fact that every game mode is playable offline. If you're not good enough to play against real life players, you can practice your skills by playing against offline bots instead. This is a feature that I hope is more common with other multiplayer only video games because not everyone can be an expert!

To add some variety to the gameplay, there are 16 different drivers you can choose and each of them has their own hero cars. Hero cars can be summoned into the arena and they have special abilities. For Kiwi gamers, you'll be happy to know a New Zealand character named Hana is available for selection. 
 
Graphically, this game has a cartoon-style look to it that resembles the character designs in Fortnite. The arenas aren't too big, but the game has nice special effects when you destroy other vehicles. Another great presentation feature is that UFC announcer Bruce Buffer provides his voice talents to introduce the game modes.

While Destruction AllStars can be fun for a short while, I don't think the game offers too much longevity at launch. There are only four game modes on offer and the gameplay can get stale after you play the game for several hours.

I also feel that this game doesn't offer too much if you're looking for substantial single player content. If you want to download this game, you will get more enjoyment if you play many rounds against online players.

While Destruction AllStars may not offer too much content at launch, it's still an enjoyable game if you love crashing into cars. It's still worth playing if you own a PS5 and currently subscribe to PlayStation Plus. The fact that the game is free for PS Plus members is its best feature so far.

Verdict: 7.5/10