Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered Is Kaiju Brawling Brilliance (Review)

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is Kaiju Brawling Brilliance. This was my initial takeaway after spending hands-on time with the game at Summer Games Fest back in June, and my opinion hasn’t changed. 

With Godzilla Minus Zero hitting theaters later this week and this game launching on Godzilla Day, Atari has chosen the perfect time to re-release this gem. Here are my thoughts after playing the final review build, and why Godzilla fans everywhere will love this game.

Kaiju Battles Galore

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is a single-player and multiplayer arena brawler remaster based on the original game that launched on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002.

Inspired by Toho’s Godzilla franchise, Melee Remastered’s storyline follows the Vortaak alien race as they invade Earth and take control of 12 giant monsters to destroy designated cities worldwide. As the player, you choose one monster to break free of Vortaak’s control and square off against the remaining 11 in fun and brutal battles.

Completely rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, this remaster was created by the original development studio Pipeworks. Fans can expect enhanced visuals, quality-of-life improvements, and an updated unlock system.

As you complete each stage, your monster levels up, and you earn points to unlock other battlegrounds and monsters you can use in another playthrough. After single-player mode, custom battle mode lets you set up your own matchups, and online multiplayer lets you fight others across the globe.

Enhanced Visuals And Addictive Gameplay

I reviewed this game on my base PS5 console and didn’t run into any performance issues. As a remaster of an older game, it likely runs flawlessly on every platform. However, I recommend checking out Digital Foundry’s final verdict on the overall experience across every platform.

What I love about this game is how visceral and chaotic fights can get within each battlefield arena. While it’s incredibly satisfying to throw buildings at your adversaries, you also have to time your attacks carefully for the most effective hits. You also have to stay alert for other military forces attacking you and your opponent, which can disrupt the flow of combat in either direction.

If there’s one critique I have about the single-player mode, it’s that you can’t unlock a new monster after beating it. The level-up system requires collecting a certain number of points to unlock more playable monsters, and you start this mode off with only a handful of choices. This means you’ll need to replay more than once to unlock every monster. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the game is fun enough to keep you coming back for more, but it is worth mentioning for those who are interested.

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered costs $29.99 and will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on November 3rd. Is this game worth the price tag? If you love fighting games and Godzilla, then yes. Players who love collecting everything will find some replay value here. You can also play this game in a weekend or as a smaller second game alongside a bigger title.

Final Verdict

I enjoyed my time with the game, and I’m convinced you will too if you love fighting games. Let us know if you plan to check out the game and share your thoughts on the remaster so far.

This review was based on a review copy of Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered for the PlayStation 5 provided by Atari.