Destruction AllStars
Destruction AllStars is a vehicular combat video game developed by Lucid Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Released as a PlayStation 5 exclusive on February 2, 2021, the game combines high-speed driving with on-foot parkour in destructible arenas, where players control one of 16 unique AllStars vying to become champion of the Global Destruction Federation.[1] The core gameplay revolves around multiplayer and single-player modes, featuring 28 customizable vehicles—including hero vehicles with special abilities—and online battles in formats like the 16-player Mayhem 8v8 and the 12-player Blitz.[1] Players can smash opponents' vehicles to force them into pedestrian mode, then use parkour skills to continue the fight on foot, emphasizing destruction and strategy across five global arenas.[1] A single-player campaign offers over 50 events, while online modes, which required a PlayStation Plus subscription, are no longer available as servers were shut down in May 2024.[1] Post-launch support included Season 1 content such as the new AllStar Alba, Photo Mode, an AllStar Pass system, and gameplay patches improving stability and adding modes like Blitz.[1] Despite its flashy presentation and smooth PS5 performance, Destruction AllStars received mixed reviews, with critics praising the vehicular combat but criticizing limited content variety and depth; it holds a Metacritic score of 62/100 based on 59 reviews.[2] Player ratings on the PlayStation Store average 3.4 out of 5 from 813 reviews, reflecting a niche appeal for arena brawlers. As of 2024, multiplayer servers are offline, limiting the game to single-player content, with no further updates since 2022.[1][3][4]Gameplay
Core mechanics
Destruction AllStars features vehicular combat centered on ramming opponents in destructible arenas, where players control one of three vehicle classes designed for distinct playstyles. Light vehicles prioritize speed and agility, enabling quick drifts and evasions but offering limited durability against direct hits. Medium vehicles provide a balanced approach, combining moderate speed with reliable handling for versatile engagements. Heavy vehicles emphasize durability and power, allowing players to smash through obstacles and deliver high-impact rams, though at the cost of slower acceleration and turning radius.[5][6] During combat, vehicles sustain partial destruction as individual components—up to 200 per model—break off upon impacts, altering handling and performance; for instance, losing bumpers or wheels can reduce stability and maneuverability, signaling the need to eject before total wrecking. Players execute attacks via forward slams, side shunts, and boosts, with health bars depleting progressively until the vehicle vibrates and turns red, prompting strategic abandonment to avoid elimination. Ejection launches the player on foot with a high arc, transitioning seamlessly to third-person navigation.[7][8] On foot, gameplay emphasizes fluid movement with jumping for elevation, dodging to evade attacks, and melee strikes for close-range disruption, alongside vehicle takeovers via a mini-game that allows control or instant wrecking of occupied cars. Players collect solar shards—glowing red pickups scattered on platforms and walls—to accumulate energy, enabling double jumps, faster sprints, and traps such as proximity mines to hinder pursuers. This on-foot phase encourages parkour-style traversal across arenas, blending evasion with opportunistic ambushes.[8][9] The resource system revolves around solar shards as the primary currency, gathered on foot to charge meters for summoning hero vehicles and activating special abilities, while destruction inflicted on opponents yields points that contribute to scoring and potential upgrades. Energy meters track ability readiness, with partial vehicle wrecks providing incremental rewards to sustain momentum in prolonged matches. Controls integrate PS5 DualSense features, including adaptive triggers that resist during acceleration and braking for tactile feedback, and haptic vibrations simulating impacts and low-health warnings.[1][9][10] Core objectives focus on arena-based accumulation of points through vehicle destruction, opponent ejections, survival duration, and shard collection, fostering chaotic battles where tactical shifts between driving and on-foot play determine dominance.[1][8]Multiplayer modes
Destruction AllStars features a variety of competitive multiplayer modes that emphasize vehicular destruction, team coordination, and objective-based gameplay, supporting up to 16 players in lobbies that can include solo queuing, AI-filled teams, or online matches with friends.[11] These modes are designed for both casual and strategic play, with rounds featuring respawns through hero vehicles after on-foot phases.[11] The primary modes include Mayhem, a team deathmatch-style game where players score points by dealing damage and wrecking opponents' vehicles, with the highest-scoring team or individual winning after a time limit; Gridfall, an elimination mode for 16 solo players where the arena progressively shrinks and collapses, forcing players to wreck rivals off edges until one remains; Carnado, an objective-based mode in solo or team formats where players collect Gears from wrecks and deposit them into a moving tornado-like Carnado for points, requiring vehicle sacrifices to score; and Stockpile, a team capture-and-hold variant where groups collect Gears dropped from destroyed vehicles and deposit them at three map-specific banks to control territories and accumulate the most points. A post-launch addition is Blitz, a competitive round-based mode introduced in June 2021, featuring four teams of three players competing to reach a point threshold first, with energy carrying over between rounds but requiring a new AllStar selection each round; it is available on weekends and excludes AI bots.[11][12][13] Matches typically structure around 4v4 or larger team setups depending on the mode, with round-based progression that alternates between vehicular combat and on-foot retrieval phases, allowing respawns via selected hero vehicles to maintain momentum.[11] Strategic elements revolve around team coordination for objectives, such as defending deposit points in Stockpile or timing wrecks to exploit map hazards like falling platforms in Gridfall, with win conditions centered on total destruction points, objective completion, or survival as the last player standing.[11] For solo and practice play, options include AI bots that fill up to 50% of lobby spaces in online matches during low player activity (excluding competitive Blitz variants), as well as dedicated solo modes like Mayhem Solo and Carnado Solo where players can form parties of up to four to battle AI teams.[14][15] Private-like experiences are supported through party queuing into these solo modes, enabling training against AI without public matchmaking.[15]Characters and vehicles
Destruction AllStars features a roster of 16 playable characters known as AllStars at launch, with one additional character Alba added post-launch, each representing diverse global backgrounds and tied to the narrative of a high-stakes championship event organized by the Global Destruction Federation. These characters, ranging from former celebrities and athletes to everyday heroes, compete in vehicular combat arenas, with their backstories emphasizing personal motivations for participating in the high-stakes destruction derby. For instance, Hana, a former motocross champion, seeks redemption after a career-ending injury, while Shyft, a young tech prodigy, uses the event to test experimental gadgets. Alba, a veteran competitor, returns after several years away to reclaim her dominance.[16][17][18] Each AllStar possesses unique on-foot breaker abilities, activated by collecting shards during matches, which allow for specialized combat tactics outside of vehicles. These breakers enhance mobility and offense, such as Hana's powerful barge that delivers a one-hit knockout to opponents, Genesis's temporary speed boost for rapid traversal, Shyft's invisibility cloak for stealthy approaches, and Lupita's fire trail that damages pursuers. Alba's breaker summons bulwarks—ground blockers that halt opponents in their tracks. Other examples include Ultimo Barricado's temporary invulnerability shield, which protects against attacks, and Muna's ability to magnetize nearby pickups and activate environmental traps for bonus points. These abilities differentiate playstyles, with cooldowns varying by character to encourage strategic shard management.[16][17][6][18] Complementing the on-foot breakers are summonable hero vehicles, personalized cars that AllStars can call upon after building sufficient meter through destruction. Each hero vehicle boasts distinct traits tailored to the character's theme, including variations in speed, armor, and weaponry. Hana's Sabre, for example, deploys an indestructible front blade to slice through enemy vehicles, while Genesis's Callisto emphasizes blistering acceleration and high-impact rams at the cost of fragility. Shyft's Cypher grants full invisibility for ambushes, Lupita's Wildfire leaves persistent flame trails to hinder chasers, and heavy options like Ultimo's The Undisputed feature impenetrable front shields for defensive ramming. Alba's Claymore uses sweeping laser beams for area damage to nearby vehicles. Vehicle breakers, activated similarly via shards, amplify these traits—such as BlueFang's Shredder extending sawblades for area denial or Harmony's Crashendo emitting sonic shockwaves to damage nearby foes. Stats like base health and cooldowns differ, with agile vehicles favoring evasion over durability.[16][17][6][18] Progression in Destruction AllStars revolves around earning experience points (XP) through match performance, such as wrecking opponents and achieving high placements, to level up and unlock content. Players accumulate AllStar Coins (1000 per level) via XP gains, which can be spent on cosmetic customizations including outfits, emotes, profile banners, and emblems for individual AllStars. Destruction Points, initially purchasable but later earnable through challenges, enable access to rarer skins and items. The seasonal AllStar Pass offers up to 100 tiers of exclusive rewards, such as unique vehicle wraps and shouts, with free and premium tracks available. While the core 16 AllStars are selectable from launch, post-launch updates introduced additional characters like Alba, unlocked via seasonal events, allowing players to expand their roster and personalize loadouts.[1][19]| AllStar | Backstory Snippet | On-Foot Breaker | Hero Vehicle & Key Trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alba | Veteran returning after years away | Summons ground blockers (bulwarks) | Claymore: Sweeping laser beam attacks |
| Angelo Avello | Child actor turned pop star | Disorienting flashbulbs | Number One: Tracking missiles |
| BlueFang | Nigerian action hero | Knockdown barge on contact | Shredder: Front sawblades |
| Boxtop | Postal worker vigilante | Drops explosive parcels | Boxmobile: Support drones |
| Fuego | Extreme sports fan | Fiery barge with flame trail | Cerberus: Incendiary aura |
| Genesis | Athlete-astrophysicist | Max speed sprint | Callisto: Ultra-high speed rams |
| Hana | Motocross prodigy | One-hit KO barge | Sabre: Deployable slicing blade |
| Harmony | Aspiring viral musician | Extended shockwave barge | Crashendo: Sonic blast emitters |
| Jian | Corporate heir with traps | Proximity mines | Morningstar: Retractable spikes |
| Lupita | "Wolf of Rio" rising star | Fire trail on movement | Wildfire: Persistent flame path |
| Muna | Mechanic honoring family | Magnetizes pickups/traps | Gravitron: Scrap metal shielding |
| Ratu | Martial artist from Indonesia | Concussion blast | Barong: Charge-based radial explosion |
| Sgt. Rescue | Family-oriented emergency responder | Blinding smoke trail | Smoke Commander: Vision-obscuring cloud |
| Shyft | Tech-savvy child prodigy | Invisibility cloak | Cypher: Full stealth mode |
| Tw!nkleR10t | Cosplay enthusiast | Rapid repeated barges | Mr. Sparkles: Counter-pulse bumpers |
| Ultimo Barricado | Luchador "immovable object" | Invulnerability bubble | The Undisputed: Front blocking shield |
| Xander | Vengeful social media influencer | X-ray vision & hazard drops | Xero: Marked target damage boost |