Ever Wanted to Run a Gas Station as an Alien? This Hilarious New Title is for You

I am not an alien, I am Jeff.

The Alien main character in Roadside Research.
This is Jeff. Say hi, Jeff. Screenshot by Prima Games

I don’t know what’s up with this recent string of games we’ve lovingly coined “Streamer Slop,” but I’ve got another one for you today. In this latest adventure, we get to run a gas station while posing as aliens – the kind from outer space, just to be clear.

Recommended Videos

The game is the brainchild of Cybernetic Walrus, creators of ORDER 13 (among others), which has an 88% positive review score on Steam, and is published by ORO Interactive. So, let’s take a closer look at the game itself, though.

Roadside Research is Already a Must-Play

A customer at the counter in Roadside Research, awaiting assistance from the player.
He suspects nothing. Screenshot by Prima Games

Your goal in Roadside Research is to run a gas station as an alien, hopefully with friends, and not get caught out. You’ll collect human DNA, use that to research various upgrades, and also run a thriving business, so you can spend excess cash on upgrades as well.

The research tree is actually quite large, and while I’ve only put a few hours into the demo so far, you can build quite a thriving store in the demo alone.

You don’t have employees, though, so you’ll have to recruit a few friends to lighten your load. Your duties will include stocking shelves, cleaning up after the filthy humans, and – get this – cleaning up your own “goops” before the humans can see your mess and become suspicious.

You’ll also need to check out customers and tend to the gas pump, all without raising suspicions, or else you might get a visit from the authorities.

They haven’t visited me just yet, but I found that throwing an item at an NPC causes them to fall over. It’s hilarious, but may prove useful against any suspicious feds – at least, until you unlock the Laser Gun!

A customer on the ground, after being hit with an empty gas barrel in Roadside Research.
Rub some dirt on it! Screenshot by Prima Games

At any rate, you can play the demo on Steam right now, and the game is slated for a Q4 release this year, so we don’t have too much longer to wait before we can dive into the full game with our friends.

The game in its current state can get dull pretty quickly, but it is only a demo for now… a demo I’m thoroughly impressed with, by the way. The full game should offer even more, so I’m really excited to see this one release.

Kyle Ferreira

As a lifetime gamer, I was around to enjoy the NES, witness the birth of the PS1, and live through the golden age that was the PS2. My favorite game (no doubt driven by nostalgia) is Final Fantasy VII, but I'm always on the lookout for my new favorite.