Electro Destructo

Electro Destructo is a 3D platforming video game. It follows the namesake character, Electro Destructo, on his quest to defeat the evil cyborg Dr. Sigma Droid. The game focuses on futuristic theming and imagery, with the game's appearance being very mechanical with bright, saturated colors.

General information

Electro Destructo's gameplay is centered around platforming, with the aim being to reach a goalpoint at the end of a level while defeating enemies and collecting collectibles along the way. The game also features elements of the third-person shooter and beat-em-up genre. The game's levels are linear-based, with a defined start and end point. The levels generally reward players for exploring, having numerous valuable collectibles placed in hidden spots. The game has a story campaign, an online multiplayer mode, and a selection of minigames.

Plot

The main story of the game follows the character Electro Destructo, whose real name is Joseph Gibson, on his journey to defeat the villainous cyborg Dr. Sigma Droid. In the year 2106, in the fictional city of Matrix City on the fictional Island of San Castaño, the robotics company Toggle Tech concocts a mining project, with the aim of uncovering undiscovered metals and elements to use for production. The two heads of the project are the company founder and CEO, Dr. Ezekiel Toggle, and his secretary and best friend, Norville "Sigma" Thomas. At one point in their mining expedition, they breach an enormous mass of lava, causing them to have to abandon ship and flee the chasm. Just as they approach the escape pod, a falling rock hits Norville on the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Too injured to carry on, he begs Ezekiel for help. However, Ezekiel makes the rash decision of entering the escape pod on his own, out of fear that he might die if he tries to save Norville. Just as the escape pod leaves, the chasm fully collapses in on itself.

When Ezekiel returns to the company, he believes he can cope with the loss of his closest friend, but it very quickly becomes clear that he can't. He constantly grieves Norville and bashes himself for making such a stupid decision. With that said, he asks to send out a rescue team to try to find Norville. The team does find him, barely alive. They take him to the Matrix City hospital and replace several of his body parts with machinery to help his condition. They then put him into hypersleep. About a year and a half later, Joseph gets into a serious accident at his work. The accident should have killed him, but it actually activated his mutant genes, gifting him with significantly increased strength and durability, super speed, and various electrical superpowers. Joseph gets overjoyed at his abilities, showing all of his colleagues and even Dr. Toggle.

One week after that happens, Norville finally awakens from his hypersleep. His mind is infected with rage and betrayal, causing him to seek revenge on Dr. Toggle. It turns out, his machinery replacements had significantly boosted his physical abilities, making him a serious threat. He invades Toggle Tech HQ, stealing eight of the company's prized robots and injuring dozens of workers. Joseph tries to stop Norville, but he just ends up embarrassing himself. Norville officially dubs himself "Dr. Sigma Droid" and flees the scene. After Joseph gathers his bearings, the urge to put an end to Sigma Droid's antics is still flowing strong within him. So, he seeks help from the combat department of Toggle Tech, and after he feels ready, the company makes him a durable yet flexible super suit. He dubs himself "Electro Destructo" and sets out on his adventure.

Controlling Electro Destructo

The player controls the titular character, Electro Destructo, throughout the game. His basic actions include running, jumping, crouching, roll dodging, wall jumping, and attacking. He has two types of attacks: melee and lightning-based. Each attack type has both a grounded and aerial variant. His attacks are used to defeat enemies and break obstacles. He also has three weapons at his disposal: an arm cannon built into his super suit, an electrical whip called the Spark Python, and a projectile-reflecting energy shield called the Accele-Reflector. The player can equip and de-equip these weapons at will. Each of these weapons replaces his melee attacks when equipped, and each weapon has their own distinct attack.

Additionally, Electro Destructo has access to two "super" attacks: Lightning Rocket and Thunder Explosion. Lightning Rocket can only be accessed once a meter has been filled up. Said meter fills up a little bit every time Electro Destructo kills an enemy. Once the meter is completely full, he can use Lightning Rocket until the meter completely drains. Lightning Rocket instantly destroys all enemies and obstacles that come in contact and is useful for covering long distances in a short time. Thunder Explosion doesn't require a meter to be filled to be used, but it has a cooldown of 12 seconds after each use. Thunder Explosion also deals a lot of damage to enemies (though not an instant KO) and helps the player reach high-up platforms.

Electro Destructo has a set amount of HP, indicated by a meter on the game HUD. If he loses all of his health, the player loses a life. If the player loses all of their lives, they get a Game Over. Electro Destructo can recover health by eating pizza slices scattered around the level. Pizza slices can be found out in the open, or they can be dropped by enemies and obstacles. Electro Destructo's weapons also have a set amount of energy, indicated by an icon of the respective weapon. Once the weapon loses all of its energy, it can't be used until its energy is restored. Weapon energy can be restored by grabbing energy canisters scattered around the levels. Like pizza slices, these canisters can be found out in the open or dropped by enemies and obstacles.

Levels and game progression

To progress through the game, the player must complete a series of levels in sequential order. There are eight "worlds" the player travels to, and each one contains twelve levels, with the last level being the boss stage. After all eight "worlds" are complete, the player must tackle one final level, making for a total of 97 individual levels. The player can only travel to worlds that have been unlocked. A new world is unlocked after the boss of the world they're currently on has been defeated. The game's levels are linear-based and built around platforming, with a clear start and end point. Every level gives the player a timer, but the timer goes up rather than down, meaning there's no time limit. However, there's still an incentive to complete levels quickly. All levels are littered with various enemies, obstacles, and collectibles. There are common enemies found in all levels of the game, as well as exclusive enemies that only appear in levels of a certain world. The final level has every single type of enemy. Collectibles include tokens and world-exclusive items. Collecting collectibles and defeating enemies increases the player's score. To complete a normal level, the player needs to reach a goal point, indicated by a glowing spot on the ground. To complete a boss level, the player must defeat the boss at the end. After completing a level, the player gets ranked from one to five stars based on their score. They also get a bonus based on their completion time. However, if they take longer than a certain time (it varies from level to level) to complete the level, they get no bonus. After the final boss has been defeated, the player has technically beat the game.

Other modes

In addition to the story campaign, there are two other modes: an online multiplayer mode and a minigame collection.

The multiplayer mode pits eight players against each other in a "last man standing" battle, with the aim being to kill the other players. Each player has two lives, so if they die twice, they're out. In this mode, the player does not have access to the Lightning Rocket ability. Each player gains a distinct costume based on their player number, making it easy to determine who's who. There are 16 different stages available to play on. Eight of them are based on the eight "worlds" from the story campaign, while the other eight are original. Players vote on a stage before the match starts, and the game randomly chooses one of the votes. Whichever vote is landed on is the stage that's played. Each stage has a unique layout that calls for different strategies. At the end of each match, the results are displayed, and the player has the choice to return to the lobby and enter another match or quit the mode.

The minigame selection is divided into four categories: 1V1, Battle, Puzzle, and Other. Each category has 10 minigames, making for a total of 40 minigames. At the start of the game, there are only 16 available (four in each category), meaning 24 of them have to be unlocked. Eight of them are unlocked by getting certain achievements, while the other 16 are unlocked via collectibles. These minigames can be replayed endlessly, and the player's best scores/performances are recorded with each play.

Achievements and more

The game awards the player with achievements for completing certain objectives/challenges. Some achievements include completing a level in less than one minute, getting a 4-star rank or higher in every level of a world, defeating every unique type of enemy, and winning 100 multiplayer matches. Some achievements are required to unlock certain minigames. Additionally, the game comes with a list of tips and tricks on the title menu, which can be read freely. As the player progresses through the story campaign, the list gets longer, with more tips and tricks being added.

Music

The music in Electro Destructo makes heavy usage of synthesizers, guitars, and electronic drumbeats, focusing on genres like EDM, techno, dubstep, and drum & bass. Almost every song is energetic and can easily get a person's heart pumping. It blends with the futuristic, high-energy vibes of the game like a chocolate milkshake.