RESEARCH and DESTROY Review

RESEARCH and DESTROY is a turn-based strategy third-person shooter game where players take control of three Scientists to face the Supernatural threat. Better yet, you can face this threat and take back Earth alone or with a buddy either via online functionality or couch co-op. So naturally, I played the game with my wife.

Since RESEARCH and DESTROY does not have a lot of story in it, I won't be touching too much on what is present. The game does have some story elements, all of which are pretty comical and don't touch on any serious topics. Despite the story being practically non-existent, the small bits of writing are very funny and had my wife and I laughing throughout our journey.

Yes, I'm the bottom one...

The comedy doesn't only connect itself to the story either, as the gameplay itself is hilarious because of the way the Scientists move and interact. Some wobbly physics while flying and smashing against your fellow Scientists can lead to unintentionally amusing situations, such as a moment where I placed a jumping pad on the ground and my wife used it to smack her face straight against the wall. The co-op functionality felt phenomenal, as having a buddy to play with actually enriches the experience. Events such as using the University to research items in-game (such as weapons or gadgets) have co-op interaction where you won't actually have enough Scientists on your own to fill all of the slots; you'll need a friend to chime in as well. Maxing out how many Scientists are researching a particular item isn't mandatory, but it does speed up the process and serves the purpose to make the co-op companion feel less like an afterthought. I'd argue that RESEARCH and DESTROY is best experienced with a friend.

Some of the most enjoyable moments in the game happened because I was playing it with my wife and having an absolute blast. Protecting each other or screwing one another up meant that there were constant shenanigans that we had to deal with outside of the usual Supernatural threat present on the maps. Whether that was me placing pads that she misused or me sacrificing her in favour of saving myself, we were laughing and having fun.

Despite that, however, RESEARCH and DESTROY adds enough content for a solo player to enjoy too. A slew of Supernaturals, all with their unique skills and abilities, are present throughout the campaign, and solo players will have to keep track of and focus more them. Whether that's the ambushing Werewolf trying to get the best of your Scientists or — my personal favourite — the Boogeyman that only one Scientist can see but can't attack, you'll have your hands full enough to make the experience feel whole and enjoyable, even when playing alone. The Supernatural variety makes for enjoyable turn-based combat that forces you to think about who you want to target and who is your biggest threat in every turn. 

Combat works by giving you eight seconds to control each of your three Scientists; while looking around doesn't take any time, every other action will. That means that you'll need to make the most out of every second to take out the Supernatural horde and meet any optional objectives present on the map. Usually, these objectives will be to research or activate an item in the area by interacting with it for a set amount of time (usually 20 seconds). The combat gets very tight and difficult at times when you start being swarmed and aren't allowed to make any progress towards your objective, but that is part of what makes RESEARCH and DESTROY such an enjoyable experience: the game is hard enough. Despite playing with a controller (and being notoriously bad at shooters when not using a mouse and keyboard), I was able to stand my own ground; the game felt forgiving of my ineptitude. This difficulty wasn't too easy nor too hard, but it gave enough enjoyment so that I didn't feel I was just stomping through all of the maps.

RESEARCH and DESTROY is a phenomenal experience and a unique amalgamation of enjoyable genres. The co-op functionality — although optional — adds a lot of enjoyment to the experience, taking the game from what was already a fun idea to an absolute blast. If this title sounds like something you might enjoy, it is a definite no-brainer.