Open-world action game starring an alien invader parodying 1950s science fiction. Absurd humour, telekinetic powers and freedom of action are delightful. An original and entertaining title despite modest production for its era.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player16+
Description
A 2005 Pandemic action-adventure published by THQ, a fully embraced parody of 1950s B-grade sci-fi cinema. Players take on Crypto, an alien out to flatten suburban America with disintegration rays, thought-reading and a flying saucer.
Destroy All Humans! review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
The art direction revives the America of the 1950s as seen by flying-saucer cinema. Lined suburban houses, a drive-in, Midwest farms and military bases bathe in a postcard light, while the invader and his craft, straight out of a B-movie, parody the atomic paranoia of the era. A cheeky visual pastiche of the American dream turned upside down.
You play Crypto, an alien landed to harvest human DNA and prepare his species' invasion. The story shamelessly parodies invasion films and the Cold War witch-hunt: a government covering up, agents in suits, gullible townsfolk. Cynical and hilarious, the scenario reverses the roles by making the player the threat from the sky, a ravager delighted with his work.
Is Destroy All Humans! still worth playing in 2026?
An open world action game from Pandemic, Destroy All Humans! flips the invasion roles by having you play an alien come to sow chaos in paranoid 1950s America. The biting Cold War satire, the gleeful humour and the arsenal of psychic powers and flying saucer gadgets make the whole salt of the game. The dated production and camera show their age. A tasty action comedy to recommend for fans of offbeat sandboxes and unabashed retro futuristic parody.
