After the disappointing Super Godzilla in 1993, Toho sought out a new developer for their 1994 offering to the 16 bit system. For their next Godzilla title for the Super Nintendo, referred to as Super Famicom in Japan, Toho entrusted the development to Alfa Systems. Overall, it was a smart decision, as Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters stands out as one of the better games featuring the iconic monster.

In retrospect to the great fighting games in the Super Nitnendo’s line up, like Street Fighter II and Killer InstinctGodzilla: Destroy All Monsters is hardly worth mention. However, one shouldn’t undercut Alfa System’s efforts entirely on the basis that there are better entries in the genre on the system. To the studio’s credit, the game is still a blast to play for fans of the title monster. In fact, it is pretty much the unchallenged king in regards to 2-D fighting games based on Godzilla, as the only true competition is found on the Turbo Duo system whose two button design (one button of which was wasted for jumping) is far less suited for the genre.

Game Play

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters plays like nearly all traditional 2-D fighters, although it lacks the speed (not too surprising given the characters) and overly easy combos of more recent entries in the genre. There are some things added on to give it a sense of distinction, like the stun meter, but nothing too memorable. The special meter, and the idea behind it, is nothing new, although its connection with the stun meter is a rather ingenious touch on Alfa System’s part. Due to the fact that getting stunned depletes the special meter, this leads to some rather hectic moments as players will be frantically trying to execute a special before the opponent lands in another hit to fill the stun meter and cause them to collapse.

Mothra and Battra vs. Mechagodzilla

An area which does deserve notable praise here is the roster of characters, which is pretty solid. There is a nice collection of some of Toho’s most recognizable monsters present, although the exclusion of Rodan seems odd. Still, the list of characters here is mostly diverse, with each having a distinct play style. The exception, of course, is the two Heisei Mechagodzillas, with Super Mechagodzilla being identical to his regular counterpart except with added moves. The characters of Mothra and the, unlockable through code, Gotengo are worth separate mention. Both hardly fit into the traditional mold of fighting characters, as they fly about the screen while battling which creates a unique mix in contrast to the others.

Of course, one of the chief issues with fighting games is balance, as preferably every character should be equal so players can pick who they like without feeling handicapped or like they are cheating. However, no fighting game has ever achieved perfect balance, and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters is no exception as a top and low tier do emerge after continuous play, although, thankfully, it’s nothing drastic. The top tier characters here seem to be: Anguirus, Gigan, King Ghidorah, and Super Mechagodzilla. Anguirus and Gigan tend to excel on the basis of their speed, and they are also the only dependable characters for constant combos, which the blocking system highly favors. King Ghidorah gets cited simply for his extraordinary damage and the incredible reach with a lot of his attacks, although his great special doesn’t hurt either. Super Mechagodzilla gets the obvious nod here, as his regular form is just shy of making the list anyway. His ability to double jump is incredibly powerful, and its use for dodging almost all special attacks can’t be ignored. Super Mechagodzilla’s range attacks are top notch as well, with the Plasma Grenade ensuring that any distance based warfare is unwise for the other player, but the incredible reach on the mechanical monster’s kicks allow him to go toe-to-toe with other characters without worry. Of course that doesn’t even mention his special, which will often end the match if he connects.

Anguirus vs. Gigan

For every top tier, though, there is a low tier of characters who just don’t measure up. So who makes such a list for Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters? Fortunately it’s only one character: Biollante. The diversity Alfa System attempted for her is appreciated, but a slow, giant character who can’t jump or boast any great range attacks is just a sitting duck against the others, regardless of how damaging her moves might be. The issue might have been better tackled if Biollante had some sort of health bonus, but she is defeated with the same number of hits as any other character in the game. Still, for all the nit picking, the game is balanced enough so that all of the characters, save perhaps Biollante, can be readily enjoyed by players depending on their play style.

Another aspect worth praising Alfa Systems for is the game’s AI. It can be quite unforgiving for newcomers, as the difficulty spikes quickly in Normal Mode after the first match (though, fortunately, the game offers infinite continues). However, the difficulty is well-balanced for more experienced players, keeping things engaging. The best part is that the AI doesn’t rely on predictable patterns, so you can’t simply use one move and expect the same response each time, making the matches feel more organic. The only real flaw is that the AI doesn’t quite understand the Plasma Grenade move, but this is a minor issue.

3 and a Half Stars

 

Graphics

Considering how much video game graphics have advanced in the past decade, the visuals here may not stand out, but for the Super Nintendo, Alfa System’s efforts are commendable. The character models are detailed, and the movements are smooth, with enough frames to avoid looking jarring.
Biollante vs. Megalon

The backgrounds are generally good, though not flawless. Some stages, like the Outskirts of Tokyo, look fantastic even today, but the destruction effects are far too simplistic. Speaking of destruction effects, the ones for Osaka Castle occur so suddenly that it just looks out of place.

4 Stars

 

Audio

Given the limitations of the Super Nintendo, the audio presentation is impressive. The music for each stage is varied, with a MIDI-style reworking of the Godzilla theme used in stages featuring the monster and a similarly impressive rendering of the Mothra theme from Mothra (1961). While a lot of the stage music is enjoyable, I found the most appealing music to be the versus menu theme, and considering how frequently it’s heard.

The sound effects are mostly solid as well, with the monster roars remaining intact and compression being barely noticeable—a notable achievement considering the hardware. The only real drawback is the irritating “static” sound effect that plays when scrolling over a completed stage.

4 and a Half Stars

 

Controls

The controls here should be familiar to most fighting game fans, with quarter circles and half circles for most of the moves. There is also the occasional, and impractical in the heat of combat, full circle move to test one’s skills on. The use of only one button for grab moves, and then another for mostly non-offensive maneuvers, is also a great idea.

King Ghidorah vs. Mechagodzilla

Unfortunately, the controls aren’t as responsive as they should be. On occasion, a player’s monster will end up attacking in the wrong direction, as they don’t turn around to face their opponent fast enough sometimes. The hit detection on Mothra and the Gotengo seems off at times too, which is most noticeable when the two flying characters are right next to the other player.

3 Stars

 

Replay

The game, like all fighting games, is very easy to just pick up and play when one is in the mood. However, unless one has human players to battle it out with, despite satisfactory CPU AI it still gets a little old after awhile. The game doesn’t boast anything to unlock either, so there is very little incentive to try and face off against Super Mechagodzilla or the Gotengo in the Normal Mode, unless one is pressed for a challenge. Having to re-enter the codes each time the game is started up is very tiresome as well, especially the Gotengo’s incredibly difficult code. The lack of battery save, which means it erases your high score when powered off, also kills the idea of trying to challenge normal mode to best your own high score.

2 and a Half Stars

 

Overall

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters has its share of faults, one can be sure, but it has aged surprisingly well. There is still a lot of fun to be had here for gamers who are willing to master the fighting style of characters, although more incentive to do so would have been greatly appreciated.

It’s a shame, though, that the game was never released in the US, especially after a overseas version was prepared and even shipped to reviewers before the title was pulled from its pending release.

3 and a Half Stars