Mental Abilities

Psychokinesis

Psychokinesis is a mental power that all Furons have. It allows for their minds to have power over thought, energy, and matter.

Overview

This allows Crypto to use several powers from the PK Menu that is present in all Destroy All Humans! games. This serves as the trigger for the PK Menu, and can also be used as a proper “lock-on” targeting mechanic.

List of Abilities

This is the full list of mental abilities that the player could access. Originally, Crypto's powers were limited by concentration energy in Destroy All Humans!, but in Destroy All Humans! 2, he was re-cloned with pure DNA which was harvested from human brains, so he never has to suffer that weakness again.

PK

PK is an acronym for Psycho-kinesis. It is Crypto's most common mental ability. This primarily allows Crypto to lift and manipulate objects (usually with an aura surrounding the object in question). It ranges from using objects as projectiles, to slamming down your enemies. This can be upgraded to lift heavier and larger objects like cars and tanks. When Crypto holds up an object in the air, it's dubbed PK Hold. When he throws the object, it is dubbed PK Throw.

Outside of normal missions, he can use PK to destroy a human with a mere thought. Crypto uses variations of PK also. The list is shown below.

Brain Extract

This ability allows Crypto to make a human's head explode, alive or dead, with his mind, allowing for the extraction of their brain stem. Used for acquiring DNA to purchase upgrades from Pox. Used in the first and second games.

Transmogrify

Introduced in the second game and still follows afterwards, this allows Crypto to use PK to break down objects and transform their matter into useful ammunition for his weapons. In Path of the Furon, Crypto can use this ability on humans too.

PK Magnet

With guidance from The Master, PK Magnet gives Crypto the ability to attract more objects and enemies to the one he has in PK Hold, like a magnet. Only used in Path of the Furon.

Cortex Scan

It allows Crypto to peer into the minds of lower life forms, allowing him to read the hidden thoughts and memories of the target's mind. This is used for gathering information. In the first game, this ability can refill Crypto's concentration by draining it from the minds that he scans. In Path of the Furon, it is used to replenish the health of the body that he is using in Body Snatch mode.

Hypnotize

Hypnotize (also called Hypno Blast, Hypnosis, etc.) allows Crypto to plant hypnotic commands in the minds of his target. With this, he can take control over humans and even weaker-minded Furons to do his bidding and erase memories.

In the first game, this power is limited, since the only default commands he can use are making humans "sleep" or "distract" other humans. New commands are added exclusively for certain missions, but those commands are never used again. Variants of these commands do show in later games.

Free Love/Disco Fever

This makes all humans in the general area dance for a short time to hippie music (or disco music) and makes them forget that they've seen you. Called "Free Love" in Destroy All Humans! 2 and "Disco Fever" in Path of the Furon.

Forget

It commands a single human for his mind to be erased of Crypto's existence. Used only in Destroy All Humans! 2.

Follow

This only works on civilians, making them mindlessly follow Crypto. Only one can be controlled at a time. Found in only in Destroy All Humans! 2.

Protect

This only works on combatants, like police or military personnel. It allows Crypto to hypnotize a single enemy into attacking any other hostiles. The Gene Blender enhances this ability from ninjas, to KGB agents, then to Blisk Mutants. Used only in Destroy All Humans! 2.

Holobob

This ability allows the Crypto to further trick unsuspecting humans by conjuring a psychic illusion of the appearance of any human he sees around himself. This disguise appears transparent to the player.

Unfortunately, the more that the disguise is worn, the more concentration its drains to keep it active. His concentration would drain even more if he uses another mental ability while in the disguise. He can replenish it by using Cortex Scan on a nearby human. The illusion can easily fool normal humans, but not Majestic agents who have the mysterious ability to see through the disguise and destroy it. This ability was later replaced by Body Snatch due to its many flaws.

Body Snatch

This replaces the Holobob from the first game. This ability allows Crypto to inhabit and possess the body of another person. Once in a body, his shield bar is replaced with his host's energy meter which steadily decreases. Once the gauge reaches zero, Crypto is expelled and the host is killed. Inside a body, Crypto has no access to his weapons, but he can use his mental abilities.

If Crypto expels early, the person is still alive (albeit with less health). In Path of the Furon, he can replenish his host's health by reading the minds of humans.

Mind Flash

Mind Flash is a hidden, latent mental ability. It allows Crypto to completely stun every human in the world for a period of time and reset the Alert level. It also works on Blisk Mutants and is the only mental power that works on Blisk Warriors. Mind Flash is recharged by consuming human brain stems. Used only in Destroy All Humans! 2.

Temporal Fist

This is an ancient and perhaps Crypto's strongest ability. It actually allows the user to stop time, freezing everything else in its place. But, it doesn't allow the player to use any other mental abilities or fire any weapons (other than the Ion Detonator that was retooled). At first, it is only useful for buying time to recover shield energy during a battle.

Later in the game, Crypto's mental power will grow enough to be allowed to use PK during the time stop. It allows the user to use PK to manipulate his surroundings and use a far more powerful PK Throw. Upgrading it increases its duration and damage level. This leads to it being called the "Temporal Fist".

Trivia

• It was mentioned by Pox that despite the extreme potency of Crypto's mental powers, they were "shockingly limited", implying that his abilities are only below the full potential of a true Furon, even after he was re-cloned with pure DNA in Destroy All Humans! 2.
• When Crypto reads a human's mind, he claims that he hates it because it was simplistic like a pop-up book.
• In the fourth game, Crypto could hypnotize and body snatch other Furons, but he couldn't do so with the others, like Blastomycosis, the Master, etc. Probably because if they have stronger mental powers, they can resist others.