Few things are quite as satisfying as smashing objects together and reveling in the destruction, and the best sandbox simulation games are a great way to enjoy that without all the mess and loss of property caused by doing it in real life. Besiege, Wreckfest, and Teardown are fantastic, and I’ll always have a penchant for classics like Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and Red Faction Guerrilla that let me rip giant buildings to shreds. Now, spiritual successor Instruments of Destruction has arrived in version 1.0, and offers some of the most delicious devastation going.
First launched via early access in March 2022, Instruments of Destruction comes from solo developer Radian Games – also known as Luke Schneider, the former lead technical designer on Red Faction Guerilla. It’s earned itself a small but dedicated player base since then, with Steam user reviews for the physics simulation game at launch sitting at a very positive 94% score from almost 1,000 responses. The player count is climbing quickly following Friday’s release, too, and a Steam sale discount means you can jump in at a lower entry price if you’re eager to join them.
“Take this vehicle. Destroy those buildings. Do I really need to explain why? This is what you do.” The launch trailer, seen below, knows exactly what Instruments of Destruction is about, and the game itself is extremely good at it. It might be a simple premise, but when those vast swirls of brick, metal, and dust are soaring through the air, you won’t be too worried about anything else. This is what you do.
While its powerful vehicle editor lets you build your own tools from scratch much like in Besiege, the Instruments of Destruction campaign features a huge range of pre-built creations to get you started, including “a flying bulldozer, a tank with quad rocket launchers, and an ornithopter with a grappling hook.” As someone who loves the destruction part but doesn’t always have the patience to make something that actually works, this is a great way to get right to the good stuff.
Along with the campaign, featuring over 50 missions with specific objectives and high-score challenges, there’s also an epilogue campaign with 25 tasks designed to help walk you gradually through the process of building your own devices from scratch. Rounding out the package is a full sandbox mode – no objectives, no restrictions, just blissful freeform devastation.
Instruments of Destruction version 1.0 is out now on Steam, with a 15% launch discount available through Friday May 17. Expect to pay $16.99/£13.16 if you buy it now, then, or $19.99/£15.49 once the sale period ends.
“It’s been a ton of work to get this game done,” Schneider says of the launch. “As in the most hours I’ve ever worked. I just really wanted to get the game done, and to make it the best I could. I will fix bugs – next week if they’re not urgent, sooner if they are. I will add a few more parts and probably more bonus vehicles, sooner rather than later. Beyond that, I’m taking it easy this summer. I hope you have fun.”
Can’t get enough of exercising your creative muscles? The best sandbox games are packed with opportunities to do just that. You might also want to browse the best indie games to make sure you haven’t missed any other excellent new releases from smaller studios.
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