Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is a valiant revival effort of a console classic, brought back to life with a fresh coat of paint that elevates the experience beyond a simple remaster or port of a beloved party game that deserves another shot at the limelight.
First released in 2002 on the GameCube, followed by editions for the other sixth-generation consoles, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee was a fun but ultimately shallow Kaiju battler that brought together an all-star cast of Godzilla classics. Fast forward to now, and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered has landed, bringing with it a game that is nearly unrecognizable from its initial release.
The premise of Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is the same as ever, with the story featuring an alien invasion in which the intergalactic interlopers known as the Vortaak now control Earth’s monsters. Players assume the role of one of the 12 playable Kaiju, and story mode contextualizes the conflict by showing your resistance against the alien invasion, which has taken over key destinations in a globe-trotting battle royale.
“For players who miss the days of video game unlocks and are in the mood for some Kaiju clobbering action, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered can be a riot.”
Speaking of game modes, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered features Destruction, Adventure, and both online and local multiplayer modes of play. Adventure mode features three distinct variations, including your standard story mode or Classic Adventure, an Adventure Gauntlet mode and an Adventure Challenge mode. Similarly, Destruction and Survival modes change up the fights with more tailored objectives that should be fairly self-explanatory.
Earlier this year, Sony sadly announced that they were planning on phasing out physical PlayStation disc-based releases in 2028 — this prompted me to bite the bullet on a game I’ve been wanting to add to my collection for some time, Godzilla (2014). Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered follows a similar approach to unlockables, inspired by the 2014 title: instead of meeting specific story conditions, players can unlock characters and bonuses by earning points from research objectives and levelling up individual Kaiju.
Sadly, this approach introduces some of the same issues I have with older Godzilla titles, as despite a small roster of 12 Kaiju, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered can feel somewhat grindy if you’re trying to unlock everything, requiring multiple playthroughs of various modes to get enough resources to unlock locked-away content. For players who miss the days of video game unlocks and are in the mood for some Kaiju clobbering action, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered can be a riot.
Combat in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is fairly straightforward, with up to 4 players pitted against each other in iconic city locales and more exotic Kaiju-friendly biomes. Fights are quick and arcadey, with each Kaiju able to grab and throw, charge a special secondary attack, build up meter to unleash rage attacks and, of course, punch, swing and melee monsters to a mash with the grace of adults in rubber costumes.
“Ultimately, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is a solid conjuring of Kaiju greats, made accessible for a modern audience…”
Special power-up items, including Atari tokens, can be found during battles. Tokens grant bonuses and even trigger little events that add to the chaos of fights, making Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered an apt party game to put on even if your affinity for the franchise is limited. One of the better inclusions features Mothra coming in and carpet bombing the map, something that can make or break a close fight.
The radical visual facelift for Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is a welcome change, but it almost harms the experience, as it borders on a remake and makes the lack of new content beyond the 12-character roster feel like a disappointment. Characters based on the Minus movies would have been a killer addition, particularly with the release of the new movie — in addition, even something like Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla from 2016.
Ultimately, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is a solid conjuring of Kaiju greats, made accessible for a modern audience, but it feels just shy of pushing the envelope for what could have been the premier Godzilla party game.
