Sony stealth dropped a new PlayStation State of Play today alongside the announcement of next month’s free PS Plus games. This new State of Play video focuses entirely on Destruction AllStars, a game we knew was releasing free on February 2nd, 2021 for PS Plus subscribers. The video runs just over seven minutes, giving players an in depth look at Destruction AllStars and its various modes, letting prospective players know what they can expect at launch and beyond.
You can watch the Destruction AllStars State of Play video below:
Destruction AllStars State of Play
Desctruction AllStars is a competitive multiplayer game that combines a flashy destruction derby with parkour, allowing players to play both in and out of vehicles to beat the other teams in various modes. Narrated by director Colin Berry, the State of Play gives us the first deep dive into specific mechanics and modes, an exciting window into a game releasing in just six days.
Destruction AllStars is a PS5 exclusive, so you’ll have to own the next-gen console to play it, although you can redeem it on Plus for later if you don’t have a PS5 yet. It will be available free on PlayStation Plus for two months, from February 2nd to April 5th.
Destruction AllStars – The Gameplay
Selecting from a lineup of 16 diverse characters, your goal is to get into a car and cause carnage and destruction. Though Berry clarifies that there’s a “depth to the destruction.” Each character has their own special ability and unique hero vehicle, giving off some serious Twisted Metal vibes—if much less twisted.
Players will rush the field to get into a vehicle, from among three common vehicle types. The first one is focused on speed and drifting, all about movement and getting around the arenas as quickly as possible. A smaller car isn’t quite as fast, but it’s more “agile and nimble,” giving an immense amount of control to players. And lastly, heavy vehicles focus on stability and damage endurance, letting you take a lot more hits before wrecking.
Lucid Games designed these common vehicles to be disposable. Their purpose is to be wrecked and damaged, jumping in and out of these cars to create maximum chaos in the arena. Over time and through gameplay actions, you can charge up your hero vehicle and hero ability. The State of Play offered two character examples of how these will shift the gameplay dynamics.
Lupita’s hero vehicle leaves a trail of fire in its wake which will damage enemies who drive (or run) through it. Her hero ability is the same effect while she’s on foot, outside of a vehicle, letting her still be deadly even when she doesn’t have a car to drive. Shyft’s hero vehicle can go invisible with a powered slam attack, letting you secretly ambush opponents. Similarly, his hero ability lets him disappear while on foot and vanish from the mini map. Hero mode also lets all characters double jump and move more quickly, allowing you to reposition effectively to either avoid enemy attacks or set up a devastating attack of your own. Additional movement abilities while on foot, like wall running and vaulting, lets even the characters out of vehicles keep a competitive edge.
By dodging cars and jumping onto their roofs, layers can even wrestle for control of opponent vehicles, either taking over the driver seat for themselves, or destroying it. Berry says that no matter what the situation, players will “always have a move to make,” and that there are opportunities at every moment for scoring points and staying in the game.
Destruction AllStars – The Modes
Mayhem is the standard mode of wreck and be wrecked, an all out destruction derby, but there are a few other special modes that add new rules and twists to the dynamic.
Carnado is an 8v8 mode, tasking teams with earning “gears” while wrecking, smashing, and stealing vehicles. To bank the gears for your team, you have to drive into the Carnado in the center of the arena, wrecking your own ride in the process. Carnado is a game of risk reward. Stay out of the Carnado and build up a stockpile of gears, risking losing it all? Or wreck your own vehicle to bank what you have for your team?
Stockpile plays with the on-foot side of Destruction AllStars a lot. Players will need to collect gears by jumping out of their vehicles after smashing an opponent. You’ll then bank them in one of three banks to control those specific banks for your team. Berry says this mode has quite a tug of war dynamic, as players fight for not only collection of gears, but control of the banks as well.
Gridfall is a battle royale style mode, where sections of the arena fall away, creating hazards for players. It’s last AllStar standing, so wreck your opponents, knock them off the edges, and drain all of their lives (which can be earned while playing the match) to be the one on the podium.
Destruction AllStars – The Future
Finally Berry talked about the customization options, purely cosmetic changes to the characters’ visuals. There are two types of in-game currencies: AllStar Coins and Destruction Points. AllStar Coins are earned by playing online and earning XP. Destruction Points are the premium currency purchased through the PlayStation Store. Berry promises that daily and weekly online challenges are coming later this year to allow players to earn Destruction Points without paying into the microtransactions.
The Challenge Series is a bunch of single-player challenges that can be unlocked with Destruction Points, focusing on one specific driver and their rival. In a way, it acts as a bit of a campaign mode for Destruction AllStars, offering a bit of “backstory and character motivation” flanked by loads of action. Each Challenge Series will culminate in a final showdown between your chosen AllStar and their rival.
After launch, Lucid Games promises new modes, new characters, and refreshed playlists to keep the action going “throughout the year.”
Destruction AllStars launches exclusively on PS5 on February 2nd, 2021, free for PlayStation Plus subscribers through April 5th.
