Killing giant bugs is fun! Good, visceral, quality fun. And that’s been Earth Defense Force’s stock in trade since 2003. Through multiple publishers and development studios, the basics have always been the same. Giant insects and robots are attacking our cities. Kill them all! Obviously inspired at least in part by giant insect movies of the 1950s such as Them!, The Deadly Mantis, The Spider and the many similar films after then, the Earth Defense Force series has been a constant source of campy, bug-killing fun for about a decade and a half.
All of the Earth Defense Force games are similar. Giant alien ants, spiders, robots, and so forth (collectively known as the Aggressors) attack in waves and you kill them. The physics are ridiculous, the enemies are enormous, and the guns are filled with infinite ammo. Honestly, how can you go wrong? I mean, sure if you want a serious game with a deep and complex plot, these games aren’t for you. But hey, it’s always fun to let loose once in a while.
Into this venerated franchise steps Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain from Yuke’s Company Ltd., a game company known mostly for their WWE games. And Yuke’s has taken EDF in an interesting direction. They’ve actually tried to make the franchise a bit more serious, adding a plot line to the single player campaign, along with a slightly grittier graphic style and more interesting missions and characters. Combining a hokey giant bug series with a bit of realism (not too much, mind you) sounds like a recipe for disaster but as it turns out, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is engaging and fun!
You start out as the lone survivor in a giant alien mothership attack. You have the sole remaining piece of Overdrive technology, allowing you to enter full berserk mode (think Guts from Berserk) for a limited time per battle. All your teammates perished in the exchange with the mother ship, but you’re joining a new team of EDF soliders to fight the good fight against a whole cadre of new enemies. Overdrive is a fantastic addition to the game, allowing you to simply click both thumbsticks and go crazy. No more reloading, ultra-fast speeds, and a kill rate that’s through the roof. It’s pretty much the only way out of some of the tight spots that you’re stuck in as swarms of robots and bugs overwhelm your team in mission after mission, slaughtering countless companions and destroying whole cities in the process. By the end of most levels, the entire cityscape is usually nothing more than rubble, which can be gratifying. In addition to Overdrive, you have a Dash mode (which took me a bit to find on the R1 button…I should really read the control directions) where you can dodge some of the lightning-fast attacks by huge alien bug monsters. Without dash, you won’t make it either, as I found out about an hour in when the enemy difficulty really started to ramp up.
On top of Overdrive and Dash, enemies drop Energy Gems of various colors which serve as both health replenishment and the game’s currency, allowing you to buy vital weapon, health, and item upgrades. You’ll need them too, as only a fresh supply of more and more powerful weapons will defeat Iron Rain’s powerful enemies and bosses. You can also customize your character with various earned badges, patches, and armors, but honestly, what’s the point? The game is pretty much for shooting things, not looking pretty. Ultimately, you’re looking at over 50 levels of slaughter, struggle, rinse, and repeat. It’s a grueling journey with a mildly entertaining story and some neat gimmicks, including four types of powered suits and some nifty vehicles that you can commandeer and use for attacks.
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a simple game at its core. Save humans, fight alien bugs and robots. Win the war. Combat is taxing and repetitive, but can be enjoyable, especially if you play in small bursts and don’t simply sit down and try to beat the game. The dialogue is fun and really tries to be serious in that B movie way that’s entertaining precisely because it’s so ridiculous. The enemies are ridiculous and their physics are straight up laughable. And that’s what makes the series so endearing. It doesn’t put on any airs. It doesn’t try to be anything more than what it’s intended to be. It just tries to be the best, most fun giant alien bug-fighting game there is. And in that light, it succeeds laudably.
Most of the reviews out there bash the crap out of Earth Defense Force games, and that includes Iron Rain. But they simply don’t get it. The Earth Defense Force series is supposed to be bad. It’s not supposed to be a Triple A title. It’s not supposed to be fine art. It’s supposed to be cheesy fun that’s challenging and silly. If you look closely, the actual gameplay mechanics are surprisingly good. Controls are tight and well-designed, weapons are effective but only if used properly in each situation, teammates provide just the right amount of cover fire in single player missions, and the whole destructible environment is just the right amount of immersive. It’s a well-designed game that’s supposed to come off as a bad game. Even the animation is purposely a bit hinky. It’s obvious the love that Yuke’s put into this entry in the franchise, and that’s what real gaming is all about. Making a game for the game’s sake because it’s simply damned fun to make and play.
In terms of negatives, there are a few downsides to Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain. Load times are a bit longer than I’d like for a contained, level-based third person shooter, even on the PS4 Pro. It’s also a bit hard to dodge enemies that swarm you in all 360 degrees at once, so I found myself overwhelmed a bit more than I anticipated on some levels, ending with a constant barrage of hits that forced me to restart the level. Part of that is due to my weapon choices at the menu screen, and part is the rather relentless AI, so I at least share the blame there. It’s also irritatingly easy to panic and accidentally do a quick 180, turning your back on enemies as they’re about to fire, leading to a fair amount of being shot in the back. Graphically, the game is stable as all hell though, even if you get the occasional jaggy edges when a swarm of ants piles on top of one another at ridiculous angles.
By now, you’re likely to have a good idea whether Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is your style of game or not, but there’s one thing that I haven’t mentioned yet, and that’s the price. Unfortunately, for a game that’s well short of a Triple A title, Iron Rain carries a Triple A price tag of $60 and an even more insane $90 for the “Ultimate Edition” with a bunch of DLC extras and a season pass. As of this article’s writing, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain isn’t available in physical format in North America and apparently isn’t coming in a physical release outside of Asia at all. This is definitely a disappointment, especially since the series is becoming more and more popular in Europe and North America, and we’ve gotten the last few releases.
Price notwithstanding, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is exactly what one would expect from a game in the franchise, with a few new twists thrown in and a solid core gameplay mechanic. It’s hard to go wrong with this one, but it is a little on the pricey side. If you’re a fan of the series or tempted by the guns blazing gameplay, you won’t regret picking up the latest entry in this cult franchise! Be ready for a fight though, as the game is definitely not a walk in the park! Most of the parks have been destroyed during the war with the Aggressors anyway, so I suppose that’s just fine.
This review is based on a digital copy of Earth Defense Force: Iron Sunrise provided by the publisher. It was played on a PS4 Pro using a Sony 55” LED at 1080p. Bugs were harmed during the playing of this game. Starship Troopers quotes were avoided at all costs due to the inherent overuse of comparisons to the EDF franchise (You know who you are…just stop it).