Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered brings the beloved 2002 kaiju brawler back with a faithful, if flawed, approach. At its best, the game captures the joy of toying with giant monsters, much like smashing action figures as a child, particularly when played with friends. However, its appeal is significantly diminished by an excessive grinding system designed to prolong playtime, transforming what should be pure, chaotic fun into a chore.
The game allows players to embody iconic kaiju like Godzilla 1990, hurl Godzilla 2000 across cityscapes, and witness Anguirus perform dropkicks through buildings. This inherently hilarious premise is faithfully replicated from the original game, providing a compelling draw for Godzilla fans. The core gameplay loop involves engaging in 3D brawls amidst crumbling cities, a spectacle that is amplified when playing with up to three friends locally. The experience can be particularly joyous on platforms like the Nintendo Switch, where shared Joy-Cons can lead to impromptu, maniacal laughter.
From the outset, four of the game's twelve monsters are available: Godzilla 1990, Gigan, Megalon, and Anguirus. These starting monsters showcase a decent variety, though flying kaiju such as King Ghidorah and Rodan are initially absent. While most monsters share similar movesets, including basic combos and signature moves like Anguirus's spiked back defense, subtle quirks and flourishes differentiate them. The gameplay, though not deeply complex, offers enough variety through abilities like throwing buildings or calling in Mothra airstrikes to keep fights engaging. The chaotic dance of multiple kaiju battling, tossing debris, and avoiding each other ensures that no two encounters feel identical.
However, the remaster's primary drawback lies in its unlock system. Unlike the original game, where completing a short Adventure mode unlocked new characters, the remaster employs a multi-layered progression system. This includes character experience for individual monsters, Research Points to complete projects that unlock monsters and stages, and Rumors serving as objectives to unlock these projects. This system, intended to extend playtime, feels at odds with the game's pick-up-and-play design. In 11 hours of solo play, a significant portion was dedicated to the arduous task of unlocking the remaining monsters, including sought-after characters like Rodan and Mechagodzilla.
Unlocking new monsters requires fulfilling a checklist of conditions. For instance, winning a set number of fights with a specific monster might unlock a Research Project, which then progresses through playing Adventure or multiplayer modes. The process can be further complicated by the revelation of additional Rumors and Research quotas. The grind also extends to the game's Adventure modes, which are locked behind individual monster leveling, making progression feel exhausting.
While new Adventure modes like Gauntlet and Challenge offer some variety, they too are gated by the slow pace of monster leveling. A peculiar workaround to bypass the grind exists in Tournament Mode, accessible through the settings menu. This mode disables all progression systems but allows access to all monsters and stages for local play. Unfortunately, it does not support online play, meaning the intended, grind-heavy method remains necessary for online unlocks. This mode, discovered after inquiring with developers about potential cheat codes, serves as a saving grace for immediate access to all content.
Despite the frustrating progression, the core fun of Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered remains intact. When played in short bursts with friends, it excels at recreating the joy of imaginative kaiju battles. The game is a welcome addition to the scarce genre of Godzilla brawlers, but the arbitrary grinding, absent in the original GameCube and Xbox versions, detracts from its potential to be a truly exceptional remaster. The core experience of smashing kaiju together is still a blast, offering plenty of laughs even when playing solo, but the grind can overshadow the simple, stupid fun it aims to provide.