I enjoyed the remake of Destroy All Humans when it launched on PC and consoles last year. Sure, it was guilty of feeling a bit dated in design, but it was still fun to cause destructive havoc as Crypto as he lived up to the game’s title and… well… tried to destroy all humans.

Less than a year on from its release, the game has now made its way to the Nintendo Switch to give players the chance to embark on Crypto’s adventure on the go. However, whilst it still maintains the enjoyable gameplay, it’s clear that some sacrifices have been made to the presentation in order to squeeze this alien escapade onto the console.

Check out a gallery of screenshots for the game down below:

  • Destroy All Humans
  • Destroy All Humans
  • Destroy All Humans
  • Destroy All Humans
  • Destroy All Humans
  • Destroy All Humans

This review won’t cover how the game feels to play, because it’s pretty much identical to its PlayStation 4 counterpart in that regard – instead, I’ll be looking at the performance and how it looks on the Nintendo Switch. You can read through my initial review through this link if you want to know more about the gameplay, but here is a quick summary of my initial thoughts:

“Destroy All Humans offers a pretty enjoyable human-killing romp as Crypto the alien, but it does feel a little dated in a lot of aspects of its design. That’s not always a bad thing and believe me, there are plenty of charming and fun moments in the game where using your wacky weapons and abilities makes for a really good time – however, it’s also clear throughout that this is a game you would have previously enjoyed playing fifteen-years ago, even with its fresh lick of paint.”

It’s clear that I enjoyed the game despite some of its issues, but how does it feel to play on the Nintendo Switch?

Firstly, it’s worth noting that the Nintendo Switch version of the game has taken a bit of a hit as far as the visuals are concerned. I was a big fan of the impressive environments when playing on the PlayStation 4, especially when unleashing destruction upon them and seeing the results of your villainous ways. On the Nintendo Switch though, everything just feels a little bland and almost like it belongs on the PlayStation 3, with some sketchy textures leaving some locales feeling a bit lifeless. The same applies to the character models, which just lack the additional details seen on other platforms.

“On the Nintendo Switch though, everything just feels a little bland and almost like it belongs on the PlayStation 3, with some sketchy textures leaving some locales feeling a bit lifeless.”

It’d probably help if the resolution was sharp, but Destroy All Humans can look a little bit blurry in places – especially when playing on handheld mode. Now I have to be clear, it looks perfectly fine to play on the Nintendo Switch and is a far way from being one of the worst ports that I’ve seen on the console, but it is clear that some sacrifices have been made to the presentation when bringing it over. If you want to play Destroy All Humans in the best way possible, it won’t be on the Nintendo Switch.

That doesn’t mean the game isn’t a lot of fun to play, though. Whilst it is guilty of being repetitive and dated in some aspects of its design, there’s something about Destroy All Humans’ charming and chaotic adventure that always keeps me coming back for more. Zapping humans, harvesting their brains, and destroying their towns is always oddly satisfying, whilst the fact that the game performs well on the Nintendo Switch with next to no technical issues ensured there was nothing holding me back. Whilst I did see one or two stutters in the frame rate during some of the game’s busier sequences, it typically performed well on the console. I spent most of my time playing in handheld mode too, so I’m happy to report that it holds up well there. There’s nothing quite like bringing destruction to the human race from the comfort of your toilet seat, right?

“Whilst it is guilty of being repetitive and dated in some aspects of its design, there’s something about Destroy All Humans’ charming and chaotic adventure that always keeps me coming back for more.”

It is worth noting that it doesn’t hit the 60fps frame rate found on the PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5 though, with it generally staying around the 30fps mark. It’s clear then that Destroy All Humans looks and plays better on the other consoles, so the only real reason I could justify getting it on the Nintendo Switch would be to play it handheld or because it’s the only console you own. That doesn’t make Destroy All Humans a bad port by any means and it’s still a lot of fun to play – it’s just inferior when compared to the other options available.

6.5/10

Summary

Destroy All Humans is fun to play on the Nintendo Switch, but it’s clear that its an inferior port when compared to other consoles and PC. The presentation has taken a hit and it is limited to a 30fps frame rate, but the handheld mode does offer a steady and enjoyable way to experience the game.

Ultimately, it’ll come down to what you want from the game. If you want to play Destroy All Humans in its best form, get it on a different console or PC; if you want to play it on the go and don’t mind if it isn’t the prettiest it can be, the Nintendo Switch offers a neat way to experience Crypto’s chaotic adventure.

Developer: Black Forest Games
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Website: https://www.destroyallhumansgame.com/