Destruction Allstars: Preview of the brutal PS5 exclusive

If everything went according to plan, you would read this article in a slightly different way, with a number at the end, a final conclusion in the opinion box and a video to go with it. But because the plan was thrown overboard a few days after our test PS5 arrived, we have to be content with a preview: Destruction Allstars is no longer a starting title, but will not appear until February next year. But what is it all about?

Table of contents

1 Courage to destroy 2 Per pedes 3 Driving talents

Courage to destroy

"Like Rocket League. Only without a ball. And goals . " You might think so when you see screenshots and moving images from Destruction Allstars. And the truth shouldn't be that far from that, because basically a mixture of Rocket League and the time-honored Destruction Derby awaits us here - with a touch of Grand Theft Auto!

You are stepping as one of 16 drivers in one of 28 different bodies in something like an auto-gladiator fight, which as a global sporting phenomenon is drawn up like a league and is accordingly broadcast on the screens of the world - including a team of commentators. The gameplay is accordingly action-packed and fast, something explodes at every nook and cranny, while wrecked cars fly through the air. Simulation fans should avoid the game and wait for Gran Turismo 7 in the garage. Maybe better while turning off the engine, that can take a while. Be that as it may: In the matches you not only crash other cars, you are also out and about on foot.

Per pedes

The tire test: Mainly, you ram your opponents into handy piles of junk. Both the driver and the car parts fly happily through the air. Source: Sony For example, at the beginning of a game you have to secure a mobile pedestal. If at some point he gives up the ghost or decides to continue his career as a fireball, you just keep running to the next unoccupied car. In order not to end up as asphalt decoration on the way, you have a variety of parkour skills at your disposal, and the arenas also seem to offer you enough opportunities to let off steam - even vertically - jumping and running. You can even swing on a previously used vehicle in GTA fashion to convince the driver to let you behind the wheel. Or you throw him a happy "Yippie-Ya-Yeah, pig cheek" and present him as a new passenger with an attractive bomb. For every successful action - let's guess: rammed opponents, successfully used skills etc. - a special bar is also charged. If this is filled, you can call your personal special car, which has powerful special abilities and dismantles special enemies in a very special way.

Driving talents

Spark mariechen: In the games you are also on the road outside the cars. Then you evade with parkour moves and throw bombs into moving cars. Source: Sony But even in one of the standard cars, each of the 16 available drivers has different skills, strengths and weaknesses. So here it is important to find the "all star" that fits your own playing style. Different objectives or match characteristics also ensure variety in the individual games. In addition, you can expect not only online matches with 15 other devastators, but also time-limited special events with special rules - this is also known from Rocket League. If you prefer to be the asphalt rowdy on your own first, you can also throw yourself into a solo campaign, which consists of over 50 events in five arenas spread across the world - including London. Since various allstars are also presented in the course of the story, this is a good way to start anyway.

Current Murder Studio: The fights take place in huge arenas in front of spectators and are also broadcast on television with commentary. Source: Sony In addition, you unlocked the first skins, emotes and banners. Speaking of unlocking: The developers haven't really said anything yet, but the gameplay trailer already said "In-Game Purchases". So we assume that you can unlock a lot of optical stuff, similar to Rocket League, but that a lot can also be bought for real money. At least we hope that no more content is hidden behind a payment barrier. If it does: It's a shame, but not necessarily tragic, after all, the game will be free for PS Plus customers when it comes out in February.

A few words about the technology, as far as it can be assessed in advance : Like all PS5 exclusives from Sony, Destruction Allstars (buy now 79.99 €) uses all the technical gadgets of the PS5. The sound is optimized for 3D audio, the adaptive triggers are used in the vehicle control and thanks to the haptic feedback you should be able to feel crashes and ramming attacks in the controller. We'll only see in February whether this is more than just a gimmick.