Roadside Research is the First Solid ‘Friendslop’ Title of the Year

The new year has already blessed us with a few decent “friendslop” titles, but Roadside Research is undoubtedly the pick of the bunch. There’s nothing too groundbreaking here, but games don’t need to be innovative if they’re fun.

In Roadside Research, which launches on Feb. 12, you take control of an alien, and it’s your job to run a gas station. You’ll need to stock shelves, pump gas, and serve customers – but most importantly, you’ll need to collect human DNA to further your research.

This basically means picking up cans and tissues from the ground (or getting a trash can and emptying it every so often), and dropping them in your research machine thingy (not quite sure what it’s called). You’ll earn points, and you can then spend them on a wide variety of store upgrades.

These research unlocks include stuff like Laser Guns (to annoy your friends with), trash cans, photo booths, and even a replicator that can save you from ever buying stock again.

You can also buy cash upgrades with the money that your gas station earns, which can greatly expand your store. You can unlock extra gas pumps, various products, and even decorations.

You’ll also need to keep your suspicion level down, or else agents will show up to investigate you. I haven’t had any come to visit yet, but I’m sure that when they do, I’ll be able to knock them over just fine with my trusty gas cannister.

Definitely Better with Friends

I can happily recommend this game, even if you plan on playing solo. It is a little frantic if you’re trying to do everything yourself, but some might enjoy that.

I do find it to be much better with friends, though, given that it’s a little less grindy that way. You also have the fun shenanigans that often pop up with games like this when playing with friends, so it’s definitely the preferred way to play.

Check it out on Steam now if it looks like your kind of jam!