What happens if the world becomes too stupid, too overrun with people who do not trust science or teachers? Well, according to the recently released Research and destruction, when people stop trusting science and start believing in any wild theory they find online, the world is actually taken over by supernatural monsters, given life by all the idiots who believe in them. Oops! But do not panic. Three clever, deadly scientists are here to fight all the evil and save the world, one turn at a time.
Released yesterday on Game Pass for Xbox and PC, Research and destruction is partly turn-based XCOM-like strategy games and partly third-person action shooters. Each turn, you can freely move all three of your scientists around, explore, shoot and cross the world using controls similar to what you would find in Fortnite. However, you only have about eight seconds before your trip is over. Stop moving and shooting, and the clock also stops so you can carefully consider how you want to spend your precious time, but eventually, when that time has passed, your character is frozen in place, even in the air, until their next trip.
This makes every turn in Research and destruction exciting, especially when you start to get swarmed by ghouls and ghosts and have to be careful not to miss important shots or leave yourself open to supernatural attacks.
It reminded me a lot Worms, where each turn becomes a chance to perform a bad and heroic move, or to screw up and watch all your hopes crumble because you made a mistake. And because the game does not use dice rolls to solve matches, any success and failure is entirely your fault. No pressure!
All the ugly zombies, mummies, trolls and ghosts you encounter during each mission, and everything else in this game for that matter, are heavily stylized. It’s similar to a game made from pages that have been ripped off EC horror comics vault. In other words, it’s beautiful, and I was often distracted by moving the free camera around on different levels and looking at all the cool details in the art.
Do not get too distracted (like me) by all the beautiful art and weak-minded enemies, because Research and destruction can get hard, very fast. All it takes is a few missed shots, a bad ambush or an explosive barrel that goes off when you least expect it, and then you are suddenly on your heels trying to get stuck on the exit and to victory. Fortunately, as you complete missions and take the world back from its evil invaders via a large map in the game, you unlock new weapons, upgrades, and gadgets, giving you the benefit of even the most sinister and ugly monsters. (Looking at you, sneaky vampire lady! Stop stabbing my people in the back!)
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Research and destruction, which is also out today on Switch, PS4, PS5 and Steam, is a game with a lot of style and charm. However, it also has a camera that can be annoying, and compared to similar games such as XCOM or Gears tacticsit can sometimes feel a little too simple.
Still, if you’re looking for a charming, beautiful, a little creepy tactical game, I would suggest Research and destruction. It even fully supports co-op games, either via split screen or online, so you and some friends can save the world or fail and die together.