The Research Base is a dungeon located in a secret government lab in Alaska. 1-3 days after you've managed to get both Veronica and Alice to join the party, an event will occur with Marianne sending you all on a special mission here to disrupt the human attempt to study a captured Magico: the Strange Shadow. This dungeon can only be accessed this one time and cannot be revisited.
Layout
Upon arrival at the base, it immediately becomes clear that the Magico has escaped its confines and converted the majority of the base staff into its minions. For now, travel around the base is limited to rooms with open doors, as all others are locked and require the Keycard. Head left down the hallway as far as you can go, then up until you see an armory filled with guns. Examine the shining object on the wall to acquire the Screwdriver.
Leave the room, then continue to the right until you reach the end of the hallway. Enter the break room above you to trigger a cut scene in which you meet a frightened scientist. With a little convincing, he tells the party all about the government's failed experiments, and eventually directs you on how to reach the Magico. Your new goal is to find the Keycard.
Follow the hallway back to the bottom left corner of the map, then enter the room with the two shining objects inside. The one in the green tank is a red herring, but the vent can now be opened by using the Screwdriver. Do so to enter the air ducts. Head north to the fork, dodging enemies if possible. The path further north leads to a useless melted keycard, so head right instead. At the next fork, head south to reach the locked room in the bottom right corner of the map. Examine the bed here to acquire the Key Card.
Finally, use the card on the door to the room to return to the hallway. All such doors can now be opened with the card. Use it to open the door in the armory where you found the Screwdriver to reach the control room, at which point Veronica will hack the system, allowing you to enter the heavy security doors in the uppermost part of the base. Head there now to face the Strange Shadow Magico.
Note that after you've defeated this boss, you will have three minutes to escape before the lab explodes. Fighting enemies does not stop the timer. Head back to the teleporter icon in the bottom right corner of the base to escape. Failing to do so leads to an undignified Nuclear Explosion Game Over.
Enemies
- Crawling Sludge
- Giant Centipede
- Manavore
- Strange Shadow
- Magico boss. Switches forms between Freezing Shadow and Burning Shadow.
- Losing results in the Bunnygirl Slut Game Over.
- Winning provides the Shadow Core.
Treasure
- Screwdriver - On the wall in the northwest room.
- Keycard - Bed in the southeast room, reached through the vents.