It now seems Black Forest Games of the Destroy All Humans! remakes is its latest victim. Kotaku reports that on January 24th, 50 people or “roughly” 50 percent of the studio’s workforce, were informed of their layoffs. A source told the website that the studio’s creative directors and most “if not all” the managers would remain employed. With 110 employees reported last year, these numbers would line up.

A subsidiary of THQ Nordic since 2017, Black Forest Games is working on The Last Ronin, an action RPG based on the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. It’s unknown if the layoffs will affect the project, which is several years off from launch. Stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

While demo discs have faded away from mainstream popularity in recent years, more and more developers are starting to give fans a taste of the final product through demos – both free and otherwise. To that end, we present some of the best PS5 demos that we have all played time and time again.

Astro’s Playroom

Astro’s Playroom comes pre-installed with every PS5, and it’s highly likely that it was the first game that you booted when you unsheathed your shiny new console. And while it’s meant as a showcase of the PS5’s DualSense capabilities, it ends up being so much more than that. In so many ways, Astro’s Playroom is a celebration of everything PlayStation – and those who have grown up with the brand would surely have been overcome with nostalgia as they explored every nook and cranny of 4 sprawling levels set in the console’s internals. Astro’s Playroom is filled to the brim with mementos of the past and easter eggs for some of the best PlayStation games of all time.

But even those who haven’t grown alongside PlayStation would have a fun time regardless since the platforming is pretty fun as well with well-designed controls and fun level design. And then of course, there’s the impeccable use of the DualSense’s haptics which alter vibrations to reflect the intensity of an incoming sandstorm or the shattering of a glass among other things. Despite the short runtime of less than an hour – it ends up having a long-lasting impact on the player.

Ghostrunner

Ghostrunner is one of the most mechanically sound games of the last couple of years, and this journey through the rain-soaked streets of Dharma City constantly throws new challenges on top of its already brutal one-hit one-kill design. The short demo takes you through the opening moments of the game, and it’s a perfect introduction of Ghostrunner’s parkour elements and combat mechanics.

Ghostrunner is a game that demands mastery of its mechanics to be better at the game, and replaying the same sections over and over really pays off as you gain a better understanding of the encounters and your cyberninja’s moveset and pull off slick stunts that you previously thought were impossible. And then it becomes a well-earned power fantasy.

Outriders

While Outriders may not have been the game that many might have expected it to be, its demo slice of gameplay was a really fun one. People Can Fly’s latest shooter featured plenty of content for a free demo, and it comes with the entire first chapter of the game. This means you get the much-needed exposition alongside plenty of main missions and side missions which help you get a taste of the gameplay and build out your character better as you prepare for the final encounter.

But then Outriders’ gameplay changes significantly with your player class, so once you get through the roughly 3-hour demo with one class – you could do it again with a different class to see how that shakes up things and see what suits your style for your full playthrough.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Ninja Theory is evolving its signature take on the Souls formula with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, a new game set against the backdrop of the Han Dynasty. The demo gives you access to a giant area where you must make your way through hordes of enemies to the final boss. While that may sound limiting in scope, it’s anything but. The starting area is vast in scope, and you get to face different kinds of enemies and even a couple of mini-boss encounters before facing the big baddie – which by the way has 2 different phases and swift attacks.

The fast-paced combat feels like an evolution of Nioh’s combat system, and new elements like the Morale Rank system and companion beasts are useful additions to the experience. Plus, you also get to experiment with different weapon combinations and classes which also encourage you to go through it all over again.

Destroy All Humans!

Black Forest Games’ Destroy All Humans! successfully translates this cult classic experience into something that’s more palatable for the modern generation. The demo is inarguably the best way to get a taste of the full game. The visuals look superb and the changes to the gameplay really add up for a wonderful experience, and while the content may be on the shorter end of the stick with only the first mission being available in the package – it’s quality stuff regardless. But on the more positive side, you also get a bonus challenge to play as well.

Resident Evil: Village

Much like Astro’s Playroom that we discussed before, Resident Evil: Village is a celebration of everything Resident Evil as it effortlessly dances between different shades of horror ranging from psychological to survival to full-blown action. And while the game’s demo might not be as versatile as the final game, it’s really amazing nevertheless. You start out in a dimly-lit dungeon in Castle Dimitrescu which is undoubtedly one of the best sections of the game, and you make your way through it all by solving puzzles.

The game constantly plays on your fear of the unknown, with abnormal sounds and spooky notes about the dungeon’s inhabitants – but in actuality, you don’t face any mortal threats throughout the short duration of the demo. And when you reach the end, you see Lady Dimitrescu towering above you like a giant and you know it’s not going to end well. And this was just the one PS5 exclusive Maiden demo, and other demos that were released prior to launch are equally fun and scary as well.

Forspoken

Forspoken isn’t out until early next year, but it already has us excited about what’s in store – thanks to the recently released demo. It puts you in the middle of the action after a short tutorial, and you need to complete five different objectives to complete the demo. These range from combat encounters to crafting to open-world activities, and these tasks help you in getting a feel for how the combat, traversal, and player progression works.

Of course, you’re free to roam around these landscapes as well – and veering away from the main path will reward you with treasure boxes and useful resources for upgrading Frey. And once you are done with the main objectives, you also get a final boss encounter as a bonus which is just like an icing on the top of this cake. It only takes around an hour to complete if you rush through it, but you could easily stretch it to much longer if you want.

Tormented Souls

Tormented Souls is a love letter to the original Resident Evil games, and everything from the tank controls to spooky mansions to item-based puzzles is the game carrying that influence proudly on its sleeves. The demo takes you through a small slice of the game, but it’s enough to prove the sheer love and appreciation that the developer has for the source material. And since we couldn’t wait for the final release back then, we were playing through it over and over again.

PREDATOR: HUNTING GROUNDS

Illfonic’s asymmetrical multiplayer title Predator: Hunting Grounds was a flawed game in more ways than one, but for fans of the property, there was some fun to be had in getting to play as a Predator. With multiple different Predator types to play as and unique abilities to make use of with each of them, the game certainly had some interesting mechanics up its sleeve- even though not all of them were as well executed as they should have been.

Clone Carnage offers four modes – Rampage, Armageddon, Race and Abduction – along with six maps and support for up to four players. Use Psi-Powers and alien weaponry or destroy buildings with a flying saucer. Both competitive and cooperative play are supported along with local two-player split-screen.

Even better is the fact that everyone can look unique since all skins the Destroy All Humans! remake are included. Destroy All Humans! – Clone Carnage retails for just $13 but you can get it for free upon pre-ordering Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed. The latter is out on August 30th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Playable modes include Rampage, Race, Abduction and Armageddon. Split-screen support is also included to allow for local two-player co-op. If that weren’t enough, the Achievements can be viewed via TrueAchievements (and indicates the presence of competitive multiplayer to go with co-op). The DLC also seems to support cross-gen multiplayer, allowing Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S players to party up.

Publisher THQ Nordic hasn’t officially announced the Clone Carnage DLC so we’ll have to wait for more information. Destroy All Humans! is available for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia. Check out our review here for more details on the remake and how it fares.

Microsoft has announced the last few titles coming to Xbox Game Pass for April. It kicks off with MLB The Show 21, available now for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and the cloud. On April 22nd, co-op title Phogs! comes to PC subscribers. Co-op dinosaur shooter Second Extinction is out on April 28th for console, PC and the cloud, albeit as part of Xbox Game Preview.

The title is still in early access so Game Pass provides a nice way to see if it’s up your alley. Next up is Destroy All Humans! on April 29th, launching for consoles, PC and the cloud. As a remake of the original, it sees Crypto-137 harvesting humans and taking down armies with all kinds of alien weapons and abilities.

Fable 3 and Fable Anniversary will be available to play via the cloud on April 30th. On the same day, several titles will be leaving Xbox Game Pass. The titles and their platforms in question are:

• Endless Legend (PC)
• For the King (Cloud, Console and PC)
• Fractured Minds (Cloud and Console)
• Levelhead (Cloud, Console and PC)
• Moving Out (Cloud, Console and PC)
• Thumper (PC)

Given how well Destroy All Humans! did when it first launched, and how well remakes of older classics in general seem to do on the Switch, it seemed like a given that Black Forest Games and THQ Nordic’s chaotic open world title would eventually make its way to the Nintendo Switch. Now, it’s been confirmed that that’s going to launch in the not-too-distant future.

THQ Nordic have confirmed that the Destroy All Humans! remake is releasing for the Switch on June 29, and will retail for $39.99. On top of the base game, it will also include all the new skins that were added to it with the Skin Pack. Meanwhile, exclusively in the UK and Europe, THQ Nordic will also be selling two special editions. The DNA Collector’s Edition will include a Crypto’N’Cow figurine, an anti-stress toy, a keychain, and six lithographs, all in premium packaging, and will cost $149.99. Meanwhile, the Crypto-137 Edition will include all of that, in addition to a Crypto backpack, and will cost $399.99.

Destroy All Humans! is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. Though a native version for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S doesn’t seem to be in the works, the game did receive some enhancements on the new consoles some time back.

Last year saw the release of the Destroy All Humans! remake. The game was a faithful reskinning of the original, and it seems that a tease for a second game of some kind is out there now. A new update is live for the game, too, that will let you have a better experience on next gen consoles, as well as some goodies all around.

The latest update, 1.08, is live now. It adds unlocked framerate for the PS4 version, which should allow a higher framerate on the PS5. It also mentions improved resolution for Xbox systems, both Xbox One X and Xbox Series X. Just to be clear, there are no native next gen versions of the game, this is all referencing playing the game via backward compatibility. There’s also several gameplay tweaks and three free skins. Thanks to Twisted Voxel for transcribing the full patch notes below.

Destroy All Humans! is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The 1.08 update is now live.

UPDATE NOTES:

• 3 new free skins (all platforms): Ain’t No Man, Worst Nightmare, Midas Touch
• PS4 patch to unlock FPS restrictions (this will help players on PS5 as well)
• X1X patch for improved details
• XSX patch for improved resolution and details
• Silhouette fight tweaks (all platforms)
• Decreased difficulty on the final boss fight
• Toned down enemy reinforcement spawns
• Slightly increased the time Crypto has to get into cover
• Slightly reduced Silhouette’s Shock-O-Mator beam damage and sweep speed
• Removed particle exploder mines that spawn in proximity to Crypto
• Soldier and Power Suit Grenades balancing tweaks (all platforms)
• Increased damage dealt to enemies by enemy grenades.
• Crypto tweaks (all platforms)
• Ion Detonator Upgrade
• Lowered the slowdown and duration of the Ion Detonator’s Temporal Distortionator upgrade and increased its shield regen multiplier.

Last year saw the return of the alien Crypto in a remake, in the most faithful sense of the word, of Destroy All Humans! The title was a trip to the past and was said to have exceeded all exceptions from the publisher. What’s next for the lovable alien invader? Well, we don’t know for sure, but a new trailer could be hinting at something.

A new trailer was released that doubled as an accolades trailer as well as an advertisement for the game’s current sale price. At the very end, however, we see a second Crypto, dressed like his clone from the sequel, Destroy All Humans! 2, to ask his predecessor if he’s done yet. Seems the obvious implication is a tease at a remake of the second title, though it could also be a brand new title in general. We’ll have to wait and see.

Destroy All Humans! is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. As of now, the developers have said there is no plans for a native PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version at this time.

The PS5 and the Xbox Series X are now within touching distance, and at this point, it’s become abundantly clear that both consoles are representing significant leaps over their predecessors in terms of their technological prowess. One of the most exciting aspects of next-gen hardware that developers in the industry seem to be particularly excited about is the solid state drive.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X both boast SSDs, though the PS5 has a pretty significant edge over its competitor in that area. According to Black Forest Games’ Johan Conradie though, who was technical director on the recent Destroy All Humans! remake, the higher IO speeds that the SSDs of both consoles will enable represent “fantastic” upgrades over what developers have been working with in the console space up until now.

“Having this level of IO performance is a fantastic upgrade to what we have been working with up to now,” Conradie said in an interview with GamingBolt. “You’ll see a revolution in next-gen games where loading time either is minimal or outright removed. Even the lower IO performance on the Xbox Series X is already a fantastic upgrade.”

While the PS5 has the edge over the Xbox Series X when it comes to the SSD, the opposite is true for the CPU. Both consoles are using semi-custom AMD Zen 2 processors, but the Xbox Series X has a marginally higher bandwidth. When asked about what this difference will mean for development, Conradie said that the PS5 will act as the “benchmark platform” for CPU optimization in multiplatform releases.

“The PS5 will be the benchmark platform for CPU optimization where the goal would be to get the same end-result performance on both platforms,” Conradie said.

Destroy All Humans! is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while a Stadia release is also planned. In this same interview, the developers also spoke to us about the possibility of bringing the game to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch- read more on that through here.