RESEARCH and DESTROY is set in a continent that resembles Europe and Northern Africa, or rather, what’s left of it in the Supernatural Post-Apocalypse. The classic home of Vampires, Trolls, Werewolves and such, they’ve reclaimed their birthplace after ridding it of pesky humans. Some might consider your missions to be home invasions, but we think of them as scientific field trips.
The RADvan chauffeurs you around twelve territories, and each territory has up to three missions in different areas. For example, on the Foggy Isles you may be tasked with gathering data from a haunted henge, destroying a giant Supernatural totem in a vile village, and plugging a portal to another world above a mysterious mansion. Did I say “portal to another world?” Sorry, at the moment that’s pure speculation on my part, and would require further research.
Although humanity is long gone, their architecture still stands–in particular, creepy castles and haunted houses. (I guess Supernaturals have a fondness for those.) Some evidence of mankind’s last stand remains in the forms of feeble barricades and red explosive barrels to satisfy their hunger for destruction. These can be a help or a hindrance, depending how you leverage them.
Don’t be embarrassed to seek cover when the Supernatural hordes are upon you. While it didn’t stop mankind from being wiped out, cover reduces damage from most attacks and steadies your aim for more precise sciencing.
Some leftover equipment can be used to get to higher ground, which will give Scientists a leg up on the Supernatural forces. Through some miracle, the electrical grid appears to still be intact. Pretty useful to help you see things at night when it’s dark, but perhaps there other ways you can use it to your advantage.
In each mission you’ll also find the remains of Fallen Scientists from the Before Times. These skeletal heroes of science were sadly not equipped to take on the Supernatural menace in their time. Harvest their DNA, which converts to $cience, the scientific currency used to build Universities, research the Supernaturals and develop new equipment. Gathering the DNA of the Fallen Scientist is a bit like saving their soul, if you believe in that sort of thing. I’m sure they’d be happy to know that even in death, they can serve the greater good.
Each mission can be entered during daytime or nighttime. While that won’t affect the mission goals, it does change the behavior of the Supernaturals. Just how are they different between day and night? You’re going to have to research that, of course! Complete your battlefield vivisection quota and bring that data and $cience home to your University to get the full picture.
See you around!
Dev comments:
The mission set in the shadow of the great Pyramids is particularly ancient. It’s one of the very first we developed for a prototype of RESEARCH and DESTROY, and was the first shown as a playable demo at Tokyo Indie Fest and Bitsummit in Kyoto. Complete this mission on PC, Xbox or PlayStation for a special reward.
