Title

The Japanese title of the game, ゴジラ 怪獣大決戦 (Gojira Kaiju Daikessen), can be translated in various ways. The subtitle was also used for the Godzilla Fest short The Great Battle of the Monsters (2024), which in Japanese is 怪獣大決戦 (Kaiju Daikessen). Toho released a blog post with the English translation of the title. Given this, "Godzilla: The Great Battle of the Monsters" would likely be the most aligned way to translate the game's Japanese title.

In terms of the name "Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters", that comes from the May 1995 issue of Nintendo Power. The magazine stated that the game was to receive a North American release from Toho themselves under the aforementioned title. The street date was noted as April 1995, which never came to pass. So the North America release was probably canceled between the time that the May issue was written, likely in March or April, and that the issue actually came out.

Main Menu

• Normal Game - a single-player arcade mode where monsters are fought one after another
• VS Game - versus mode for up to two human- or computer-controlled characters
• Set Up - the settings of the game, including: "Game Level", to determine the difficulty of computer characters in the Normal and VS Game modes; the "Control System", where players can re-map their controller inputs; and the ability to choose either Stereo or Mono audio output

Controls

D-pad : Control the monster
Left/Right : Move (flying monsters can move in 8 directions in the air)
Up : Vertical jump
Up-left/Up-right : Diagonal jump
Down : Crouch
Back : Upper defense
Down-back : Lower defense

Y : Weak attack
X : Strong attack
A : Dash, roar
B : Grab

※ Button inputs can be changed in "Set Up". However, the ones listed here are the defaults and are the inputs used on other pages.

Basic Moves

	Block (Hold Back or Down-Back) A staple in 2D fighters, holding back in the game will cause the character, excluding the Gotengo and Mothra, to automatically block when the opponent initiates an attack. While blocking, Normal Attack damage is completely negated, while further damage received, such as in combos or by Special Attacks, is reduced dramatically.
	Grab (B) Pressing B with every character, except the Gotengo, will cause that monster to reach out and try to grab the opponent, bypassing block. While grabbed, the player can perform one of their throws (shown in green on the site), while the opponent rabidly presses buttons to be released.
	Roar (Double-Tap A) Every character in the game, with the sole exception of the Gotengo, has a Roar move, where they taunt the opponent and raise the other character's Shock Gauge. How much the Shock Gauge rises depends on how close the player is to the opponent, with being far away generating very little rise in the meter.
	Special Attacks Aside from basic strong and weak moves, monsters also have Special Attacks, which require specific button combinations in order to use and usually have strong and weak variations of their own. Unlike Normal Attacks, it's possible for Special Attacks to do chip damage against monsters who are blocking.

Special Gauges

	Angry Roar Gauge This serves as the game's special meter, located in the lower left or right of the screen, and fills as the character takes damage. Once it's full, the character enters the "Angry Roar State," indicated by their body glowing red and the gauge icon flashing white. During this state, the character's attack power increases, and they can perform one Super Special Move (highlighted in red on the site). However, the Shock Gauge depletes much more slowly, making enemy combo attacks significantly stronger. After using a Super Special Move or being stunned from a full Shock Gauge, the Angry Roar Gauge resets, and the cycle begins again.
	Shock Gauge Positioned beneath the Life Gauge (health), this meter indicates the character's condition. It fills as the character takes damage or when the opponent uses their roar. When the meter is full, the character will briefly collapse, becoming vulnerable to ground hits and causing their Angry Roar Gauge to deplete. The Shock Gauge steadily decreases over time, encouraging a relentless series of attacks to temporarily incapacitate the character.

Alternate Colors

Every monster in the game has an alternate palette of colors associated with them, although the only time these can be seen is when both players select the same monster in VS Game. Below is a rundown of all of the alternate colorations, including the cameo appearance of Battra. In addition, some monsters also have recolored special attacks to correspond to their new colors, such as alternate color Mothra having pink scales and beams instead of yellow ones. It should be noted that when Mechagodzilla (New) and Super Mechagodzilla appear in battle against one another, Player 1 will be the default color yet Player 2 will be the alternate color.

Godzilla Anguirus Gotengo King Ghidorah Gigan Megalon Mechagodzilla (Old) Biollante Mothra Mechagodzilla (New) Super Mechagodzilla Battra

Other Game Pages:

Playable Characters - Locations - Codes and Secrets - Review