Godzilla is such a beloved IP. The franchise recently had a bit of a comeback and it’s giving newcomers and veterans some more action-packed moments featuring humanities protectors. Meanwhile, Godzilla video games are pretty sub-par with very few titles being games worth playing. Don’t get me wrong, there are a ton of video games out there that feature Godzilla, but actual big notable games that are worth playing can be a bit slim. We’re going to highlight five of the best Godzilla games that we think you can get some fun out of, which includes some classic retro titles to more modern releases.
#5 Godzilla Monster of Monsters
Platform : NES
Release Date : October 1989
Genre : Action
Godzilla Monster of Monsters is an older title, there’s no getting around that. This was a game that was released for the original Nintendo Entertainment System and is known for being a bit tough. In this game, we’re following a narrative in which a strange planet has become aligned with Earth. Being aligned with Earth, the planet inhabitants decide to invade and take over our planet, you know as aliens often attempt to do. Fortunately for us, we have some useful monsters that are not interested in letting an alien force step and make a mockery of our planet. In this game, players can take the role of Mothra and Godzilla.
How this title is set up is the game has a grid-like board where players are moving the two iconic characters along the board capturing spaces. By entering a space, the game jumps into a side-scrolling level where either Godzilla or Mothra will clear the level out from the enemies before they can capture the space. Meanwhile, there are boss battles littered throughout the board. When you capture enough spaces to land adjacent to the boss character, the game will enter a 1v1 timed battle.
#4 Super Godzilla
Platform : Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release Date : July 1994
Genre : Action
Godzilla made an appearance on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as well with Super Godzilla. This was a bit of an interesting game narrative as it once again had to deal with aliens. Seeking control of Earth, the alien race managed to steal some serum that researchers had created using Godzilla’s and King Ghidorah’s DNA. This serum, when injected into a being, would make them far stronger. Overall, it’s a battle between Godzilla and a variety of enemy monsters. At one point, Godzilla is injected with this serum turning him into Super Godzilla for some time.
Interestingly enough, the main contender to fight against in this game was Bagan, who was supposed to be featured in a Godzilla film. While that didn’t come to fruition, the developers used this character in the game. Meanwhile, the game is a bit split up into two areas as players are having to wander around the in-game world using a map on the bottom section of the screen to reach certain destinations, whether it’s getting energy, increasing defense, or of course reaching the next boss battle.
#3 Godzilla Domination
Platform : Game Boy Advance
Release Date : November 12, 2002
Genre : Action, Fighting
Godzilla Domination is a game developed by WayForward Technologies, but as a somewhat port of developers Pipeworks Software, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, a game we’ll be diving a bit more into later on in this list. When it comes to the story of Godzilla Domination, it’s pretty basic. Essentially, in this game Earth is enduring magnetic waves that deal neurological damage to the different massive monsters. This forces the monsters into a frenzy where they storm the cities and deal as much damage as possible. However, one monster is unaffected and begins a journey to stop the other monsters from continuing havoc on humanity.
Of course, the monster that is unaffected is up to the players as there is a limited selection of characters available to pick. Gameplay is more of an isometric view as you freely move the character around the screen, destroying buildings and cars while fighting against an enemy monster. As I mentioned earlier, this is a game developed by WayForward Technologies around the time of Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, which was a game that couldn’t reach the Nintendo Gameboy Advance platform. Being a GBA game, its gameplay mechanics are a bit basic and easy for players to pick up on, but it did serve as an excellent arcade-like Godzilla experience if you happened to be on the go.
#2 City of Giant Shadows
Platform : PS4
Release Date : October 19, 2017
Genre : Tokusatsu, Survival
City of Giant Shadows or otherwise known as Kyoei Toshi is a game that unfortunately just didn’t see a launch outside of Japan. Released in 2017, this game is a spiritual successor to the Disaster Report series, which does see a release in western markets. If you’re familiar with the Disaster Report series then you know that the IP deals with players trying to survive natural environmental hazards that occur, such as a giant earthquake. From there, it’s about making choices and helping others along the way, which may prove to be fatal if you make the wrong decisions.
In the City of Giant Shadows, we get the same gameplay mechanics, but rather than being stuck in a natural environmental hazard we’re having to survive giant monsters attacking the city. Several iconic characters are brought into this game as they rampage through the city such as Ultraman, Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, among several others. It’s uncertain just why this game never saw a release into the western markets as it was a big hit in Japan upon release, but perhaps we’ll see some fan translation edits come out to allow players the ability to go through this game in the future if not an official western release.
#1 Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee
Platform : GameCube, Xbox, GBA
Release Date : GameCube October 8, 2002/ GBA November 11, 2002/ Xbox April 16, 2003
Genre : Fighting
Lastly, one of the most popular Godzilla games to have ever released into the marketplace is Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee. Just like the Godzilla Domination video game, this title is centered around monsters going berserk and destroying the planet. Fortunately, a monster breaks free from this curse and begins its attempt at taking out the other behemoth creatures. Within the game, players go through monster battles although within the process of battling these creatures nearby buildings and environments are destroyed. Likewise, this game supports multiplayer with up to four players being able to join in for a big monster brawl.
Controls in this game are pretty advanced compared to Godzilla Domination, but it’s not bad enough that newcomers can’t pick up a controller to button-mash their opponents for a quick victory. It’s a mindless arcade-like experience that you can easily sink plenty of hours into. This studio has also gone on to release two more Godzilla games into the marketplace which are Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is by far the best game from the trilogy with Godzilla: Unleashed being a title most will say to avoid completely.
