Roach Toaster

Roach Toaster Review

Overview

Roach Toaster presents a delightfully absurd premise that turns pest control into explosive tactical warfare. This turn-based strategy game transforms mundane extermination into a high-octane battlefield where players command an elite squad armed with machine guns and grenade launchers against relentless roach hordes. While the core gameplay loop delivers satisfying strategic carnage, some design choices create noticeable friction in what otherwise could be a perfectly polished extermination simulator.

Strategic Extermination Warfare

The game's core appeal lies in its over-the-top weaponization of pest control. Instead of traditional traps and sprays, players deploy heavily armed operatives to unleash ballistic mayhem on advancing insectoid enemies. This creates a unique blend of tower defense and tactical positioning where every dollar of your limited budget counts. The initial simplicity quickly gives way to meaningful strategic decisions as players balance firepower placement against evolving roach threats across multiple waves.

You shoot the ba-jeebers out of them with high powered firearms. But there's a catch - you can only use so many weapons in one go.

Gohst

The game shines when players experiment with unit combinations to create devastating kill zones. Positioning machine gunners for suppressive fire while grenadiers handle clustered swarms creates genuinely satisfying moments of tactical triumph. This accessible yet deep combat system makes each successful wave clearance feel like a small victory, especially when perfectly timed explosives send roach corpses flying in all directions.

Budget Management Frustrations

Unfortunately, Roach Toaster's otherwise enjoyable strategy foundation is undermined by restrictive resource mechanics. The inability to reposition or resell units between waves creates significant strategic limitations. Once placed, operatives become permanent fixtures regardless of changing battlefield conditions, forcing players into suboptimal positions as new roach spawn points emerge. This design choice feels unnecessarily punitive rather than strategically challenging.

You don't seem to be able to remove troops and gain back some of your money. This is annoying, but can be understood to heighten the strategic qualities - but nevertheless is still frustrating.

Gohst

This immobility issue becomes particularly noticeable during later stages when roach swarms emerge from unexpected directions. The lack of tactical flexibility forces players into either wasteful over-preparation or desperate reactive scrambling. While likely intended to increase difficulty, this limitation frequently crosses from "challenging" to "frustrating," especially when previously effective formations become useless against new threats.

Replayability and Customization

Roach Toaster redeems itself with impressive longevity through its level editor and satisfying core gameplay loop. The included creation tools empower players to design increasingly elaborate roach-infested nightmares, adding tremendous replay value. Watching custom-designed swarms overwhelm carefully placed defenses creates a morbidly satisfying puzzle-solving experience that extends the game's lifespan well beyond the initial campaign.

The balance between explosive action and strategic planning creates a compelling rhythm that maintains engagement across multiple sessions. Short play sessions feel rewarding when players discover new unit synergies or effective choke point strategies. This accessibility combined with the creative potential of the editor transforms what could have been a novelty concept into a surprisingly substantial package.