RESEARCH and DESTROY

RESEARCH and DESTROY is unintentionally comical, and this made the experience incredibly enjoyable. Fun gameplay and fun dialogue meant that my wife and I couldn't put down the game, and anxiously waited for our next round.

73%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

graphics, music

96% User Score Based on 27 reviews

Critic Score 74%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

RESEARCH and DESTROY is a single player and multiplayer tactical shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Implausible Industries and was released on April 25, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Research and Destroy is a turn-based action game with simultaneous local or online co-op. Take control of three brilliant scientists as you research and develop strange new weapons and gadgets to destroy the Supernatural hordes that have all but crushed humanity!

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 27 reviews

story6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Unique gameplay blending turn-based tactics with third-person shooter controls creates a fresh, engaging strategic experience.
Cooperative multiplayer mode is highly enjoyable, adding a rewarding layer of teamwork and communication.
Stylized comic-inspired art direction and humorous, eccentric character writing provide a distinctive and entertaining atmosphere.

Repetitive mission structure and objectives can make gameplay feel monotonous over time.
Lack of checkpoints and save systems in long missions leads to frustrating restarts upon failure.
Limited variety in characters, weapons, and build options constrains strategic experimentation and replayability.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
61%
13%
The story features a comedic and self-aware tone, focusing on eccentric scientists investigating a supernatural invasion with a straightforward but charming plot. While the narrative emphasizes humor and character interactions, mission objectives tend to become repetitive over time, potentially diminishing engagement. Additionally, the game's pacing and frequent repetitive tasks can impact the overall enjoyment of the story experience.
- “Their mission is not only to fight back against the supernatural invasion but also to analyze its origins and uncover the scientific principles behind these creatures.”
- “The story is intentionally comedic, with dialogue and character interactions often emphasizing the scientists’ eccentric personalities and unconventional methods.”
- “While the plot itself remains relatively straightforward, its playful tone and self-aware humor give the campaign a distinctive charm.”
- “Over time, the mission structure can begin to feel repetitive, as many objectives revolve around similar tasks such as eliminating enemies or securing areas.”
- “The game loves to waste your time, from the first mission to the final mission, including repeating the same mission multiple times in a row and requiring physical movement from point A to point B just to start missions, research, or access the upgrade interface.”
- “You can lose an entire mission because your character fell onto another character or collided with a ledge during a jump; the ragdoll system gets activated and you basically lose half of the action time waiting for the character to get up, which can cause enemies to easily attack your characters.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The gameplay offers a unique blend of turn-based tactics and real-time action, emphasizing a balance between careful planning and rapid decision-making, particularly enhancing cooperative play. While some find the mission variety limited and certain enemy mechanics unintuitive, the core combat and strategic depth remain engaging and addictive. However, the game's hybrid style may challenge players expecting pure turn-based strategy, and some criticize its map simplicity and forced close-quarters tactics.
- “The core gameplay structure is where Research and Destroy distinguishes itself most clearly from other tactical games.”
- “This structure forces players to balance careful planning with rapid decision-making, giving the game a unique rhythm that blends tactical thinking with action gameplay.”
- “Super addictive and incredibly fun strategy game for 1-2 players, featuring a unique mix of turn-based and real-time action gameplay.”
- “Additionally, the hybrid gameplay system may feel unusual for players who strongly prefer either pure turn-based tactics or traditional action shooters.”
- “Some of the enemy mechanics aren't intuitive (vampires and trolls being the worst offenders).”
- “While it may not match the complexity or variety of larger strategy titles, its creative mechanics and cooperative gameplay give it a unique place within the genre.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a playful, self-aware tone that blends absurdity with clever sci-fi and comic-book elements, lending the campaign a unique charm. While some writing leans on cringe-worthy 2010s memes and self-indulgent jokes, the humorous gadget mishaps and creative monster designs contribute to an entertaining and approachable tactical experience.
- “Rather than presenting a traditional military response to the apocalypse, the game leans into absurdity and humor, framing its heroes as brilliant but slightly unhinged academics whose laboratory inventions become humanity’s last line of defense.”
- “While the plot itself remains relatively straightforward, its playful tone and self-aware humor give the campaign a distinctive charm.”
- “Likewise the gadgets take some time to learn, but the unfavorable results for the player are often hilarious (nothing like rocket boosting straight into a wall).”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's graphics feature a stylized, comic-inspired art style that creates a unique and approachable visual identity, evoking a nostalgic and lighthearted feel. While not highly detailed or polished compared to larger titles, the distinctive aesthetic complements the gameplay despite some visual roughness.
- “The Dexter Laboratory-inspired art style is unique, nostalgic, and quite good.”
- “It's a surprisingly endearing main combat system, even if the aesthetics and overall level of polish leave something to be desired.”
- “While the graphics are not highly detailed compared to larger strategy titles, the art direction gives the game a distinctive and approachable visual identity.”
- “The visual presentation adopts a stylized, comic-inspired aesthetic that complements the game’s lighthearted tone.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is energetic and complements its quirky style, but overall the sound design, including effects, received mixed feedback with some considering it poor.
- “Sound design supports the game’s quirky personality with energetic music and exaggerated sound effects.”
- “The music and sound effects are rather poor.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers strong replayability through a variety of weapons, gadgets, levels, and cooperative play that enhances the experience, along with fun achievements. However, some feel replay value is limited since all content is revealed during the initial playthrough.
- “With a range of weapons, gadgets, and levels, there's tons of replay value. Plus, the fun achievements and co-op play make it 10 times better!”
- “It does lack replayability, as you’re shown everything on your first runthrough.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a playful tone that blends creative and occasionally humorous monster designs inspired by classic horror creatures, creating an engaging and unique experience.

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74%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

RESEARCH and DESTROY is a tactical shooter game with science fiction theme.

RESEARCH and DESTROY is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

RESEARCH and DESTROY was released on April 25, 2022.

RESEARCH and DESTROY was developed by Implausible Industries.

RESEARCH and DESTROY has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked RESEARCH and DESTROY for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

RESEARCH and DESTROY is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include I am not a Monster, Sanctum 2, Pit People, Sanctum, Shardpunk and others.

RESEARCH and DESTROY

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