Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is back. The remaster of the 2002 GameCube kaiju brawler lands on PlayStation 5 on 3 November, according to the PlayStation Blog, and Nintendo Life has already reviewed the Nintendo Switch 2 version.
Nintendo Life says the remaster comes from Pipeworks, which it names as the original developer, working with Atari. So the studio that made the GameCube game is the one reviving it.
Twelve monsters, one city to wreck
The roster is 12 kaiju, "each with their own stats, moveset, and special abilities," as Corey Brotherson puts it in a fighter guide on the PlayStation Blog published on 2 November. The line-up: Heisei Godzilla, Godzilla 2000, King Ghidorah, Anguirus, Megalon, Gigan, Destoroyah, Rodan, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Orga and Kiryu.
The guide sorts them by playstyle. Heisei Godzilla is the default pick, balanced for newcomers and veterans. King Ghidorah is a zoning character that keeps opponents at a distance, and Rodan is "the fastest monster in the game" but has the weakest defence on the roster. Gigan is pitched at aggressive rushdown players, with a teleport that gives him range and evasion. Mechagodzilla is the heavy-duty ranged option, though the guide warns that once its energy runs out, it is left with weak grabs and sluggish melee. Orga is billed as the best grappler, and Destoroyah as the classic tank, with powerful attacks that eat energy and painfully slow movement.
What's new in the remaster
Nintendo Life's review, by Ken Talbot, gives the clearest list of changes. It covers the Switch 2 version; no PS5 review was available to us, so the details below are from Switch 2. It says the game arrives with Unreal Engine 5 visuals, online multiplayer and some quality-of-life updates. Monster models and arenas have been updated, and the review says battles run smoothly both docked and handheld on Switch 2.
The modes, per Nintendo Life:
- Adventure, the story mode, with three difficulty tiers, where monsters level up as you play
- Survival, a gauntlet to see how long you last
- Destruction, where you flatten a city for points
- local and online multiplayer, including a tournament ladder
- Director mode, an enhanced photo mode that lets you control the camera during a fight
The unlock system has changed too. Nintendo Life explains that the "research" behind new arenas and monsters used to follow a fixed order, and now you can choose which unlock to chase first.
The verdict so far
Nintendo Life scores it 7 out of 10, calling it "a satisfyingly faithful update to a beloved Kaiju brawler." It praises the pick-up-and-play fights and the multiplayer. On the other side, it says single-player is "wafer-thin," with little left to do once everything is unlocked, some defeats feel cheap, and there's no Japanese voice track. Nintendo Life also calls it a fairly straightforward brawler: no elaborate combos, no precise hitboxes, no frame counting.
Beau's take: That's the pitch. You don't need to read frame data to throw Gigan into a skyscraper. If you've got a friend on the couch and a soft spot for rubber-suit chaos, this sounds like an easy weekend pick. If you play alone, the thin single-player is the warning to heed.
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