Destruction AllStars

Lucid Games, the studio behind the lesser-known PlayStation 4 exclusive Switchblade, are back with new PlayStation 5 exclusive Destruction AllStars. The game launched February 2 as part of that month’s PlayStation Plus offerings after being delayed out of the PlayStation 5 launch window.

Destruction AllStars is a demolition derby-style car combat game. Primarily a multiplayer game, there are four modes of play: Mayhem, Gridfall, Carnado, and Stockpile.

Let’s Get Wreckin’

Mayhem is the basic mode of play, a sixteen-player free-or-all where points are earned by ramming, crashing, and wrecking opposing vehicles. The player with the most points at when the time runs out wins.

Where Mayhem promotes aggressive play, Gridfall is largely the opposite, promoting more defensive strategies. In Gridfall, the floor panels of the arena slowly fall away, similar to Fall Guys’ Hex-A-Gone mode. Each player starts with three lives and can earn more by crashing, wrecking, and knocking others into a hole. While it may sound like offense is rewarded, in the long run it pays off more to play defensively, which feels antithetical to the overall experience Destruction AllStars wants to deliver.

Carnado and Stockpile are team-based modes. In Carnado, players crash into the opposing team to score gears, then drive into the tornado spire in the center of the ring to bank those gears for the team. If your car is wrecked before you can bank, those gears are lost. In that way, offense and defense are balanced relatively well. Similarly, in Stockpile, players crash into the other team's cars to knock gears out of them, but must collect them on foot. It is important to note that players can only collect their opponents' gears, not their own teams'. Bank your gears at one of three banks to take control of it. In both modes, the team with the most points when the timer runs down wins.

The game features a cast of characters that each have their own personality and abilities. These abilities can be activated by collecting shards around the arena, but can only be collected on foot. Once the bar fills, players can activate their character's "Breaker," an ability unique to their character. They can also call in their "Hero Vehicle," a special vehicle with its own unique ability. While this might seem interesting at first, in the end, it became a moot point. Outside games like Stockpile, there is little reason to hop out of your car. The Hero Vehicles were fun to use when their abilities are utilized properly, but some are certainly better than others. I suppose that will fall to personal preference.

DualSense Integration

Being the first new PlayStation 5 exclusive since the excellent Astro's Playroom and Demon's Souls remake, Destruction AllStars takes full advantage of the DualSense controller. Some features are welcome, such as the use of the adaptive triggers, or the persistent vibration after your vehice has been damaged. Others, such as the built-in microphone, have not been received as well. At launch, the mic was always on by default, leading to some accidental oversharing between teams. This ahs since been changed to all mics being disabled by deault.

Single-Player Destruction

While multiplayer is the primary way to play, there are a few single-player modes, including Arcade, Challenge Series, and of course Practice.

Arcade allows players to enjoy all the aforementioned game modes with Bots. Choose the mode, the arena, and the difficulty. There are 3-5 different arenas, and not all of them are available for all modes, and difficulty includes Easy, Medium, and Hard.

Challenge Series is where we get a glimpse into what a Destruction AllStars story mode might look like. Each of these series features a pair of AllStars and whatever their beef is: a competitor's respect, friends falling out, etc. The first of these modes is titled Mutual Respect, and centers around Ultimo Barricado and (apparent) newcomer Jian. It starts with a cutscene between the pair and has the player playing several different modes as Ultimo Barricado. The finale is a showdown between the two rivals, where another cutscene shows their resolution. While the first series is free, the rest will cost you, and this is where Destruction AllStars micro-transactions come into play.

Micro-Transactions

Destruction AllStars features two kinds of currency: AC, or AllStar Coins, which can be earned in-game through leveling up and DP, or Destruction Points, which are Premium currency and must be bought. While it is true that all the customization options in DAS are cosmetic, and the majority can be earned through AC, the Challenge Series can only be purchased with DP. The only series available to buy at time of writing is Leader of the Pack and costs 200 DP. A new one titled One Small Step will be available on February 16 and will cost 400 DP. The customization options that can only be bought with DP are forgivable, as there are more than 200 banners and avatars, and only three items per Star are locked to DP, but locking new Challenge Series to DP feels like a bit much. DP nets out at $1 per 100 DP, so nothing feels expensive, but I'll let you make that purchasing decision for yourself.

Final Verdict

Destruction AllStars is a light and fun pick-up-and-play game that is free to PS Plus members. It is also the first PS5 exclusive that takes advantage the Dualsense hardware, outside Astro's Playroom (but that's a pack-in). Lucid Games made some confusing decisions in some of the game's modes, and being on-foot never feels impactful in any meaningful way. Challenge Series being locked behind MXT also feels bad in a last-minute-change kind of way. Even with al that said, the feeling of crashing your car into an opponent and seeing them be ejected from the driver seat as the car wrecks is an excitement that never gets old.

If you're playing Destruction AllStars in its first month of release, February 2021, the game is free for PlayStation Plus members. After the first month, the game will cost, presumably, $60-70 USD.