Earth Defense Force 6 review

The game industry largely confines itself to two kinds of games: modest indie titles and big-budget blockbusters. Sadly, the kind of ambitious efforts created by mid-sized studios have become increasingly rare in an excessively polarized landscape. But it wasn’t always like that. For over twenty years now, the mainline Earth Defense Force series has been sustained by Osaka-based Sandlot, a developer with about twenty-five employees.

Sandlot’s EDF series has long depicted a large-scale alien invasion where insects the size of railroad cars scamper across skyscrapers and defenders respond with warehouses worth of munitions. But Sandlot’s ambitions for depicting apocalyptic devastation have never been matched by the game’s aesthetics. The results recall the charm of the Shōwa era-Godzilla films, where the special effects look forgivably artificial, but the sense of scale is awe-inspiring. Go ahead and ridicule the plastic-looking aggressors, but you might just be overlooking some of the best counterprogramming around. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of repelling a tidal wave of enraged enemies, alone or with friends.

Short on Story, But a Long-Lasting Campaign

As with previous entries, Earth Defense Force 6 doesn’t squander too much of its playtime on exposition. Two missions detail your re-enlistment in the EDF, following your actions that led the invaders to retreat five years ago. Unsurprisingly, they’ve regrouped across a storyline that picks up from EDF 5, adds time travel, and still has your comrades delivering absurd bits of dialog. Sure, the franchise has always had campy lines. But this time out, the rag-tag militia starts empathizing with the assailants, and it’s hard to tell if the game is satirizing anti-immigrant rhetoric or cringe progressivism. Either way, I just wish the subtitles weren’t overlaid just below the middle of the screen.

By the third mission, Earth Defense Force 6 reveals its true form, as dozens of gun-toting mutant frogs skulk in the distance before becoming aware of your team and start aiming at you. And it’s here that EDF 6 demonstrates a hook that’s apt to keep you engaged over the long haul. Using a standard issue rifle to whittle away the hideous horde of amphibians is enthralling as ever, especially as body parts fly off the creatures. But the real lure are the more exotic weapons. Whether you favor lock-on rockets, long-range sniper rifles, or incendiary bombs that can be thrown a mile out, there’s a strong chance that your favorite kind of weapon is in the game. This time out, there’s an extra button for your special weapons, adding a bit more diversity to your load out.

And yes, you’ll still need to remain vigilant. The game’s AI is one of EDF’s unappreciated qualities and the game’s extraterrestrials have a treacherous tendency to distract while stragglers flank you. Certainly, the frequent armor and gacha-style weapon drops from downed enemies is another dangerous temptation. Sandlot knows that you’ll run into battle to grab a new gun, which is an alarming bit of knowledge.

A Complimentary Class System

Wisely, Earth Defense Force 6 doesn’t tamper with the synergistic classes of the previous installment. You’ll be prompted to start with the series’ long-standing, all-rounder, the Ranger. Showcasing a balanced approach to creature killing, they have access to a wide array of weaponry. The all-female Wing Divers are the game’s Valkyries, with an energy pool that’s shared for lasers as well as flight. They’re adept at hit-and-run style play. Raiders are the resident support class, able to summon air strikes, turrets, and vehicles. Finally, there are Fencers, which are slow-moving tank-types that pack one of the biggest punches in the game. But their sluggish speed means that allies will need to ensure they’re not encircled.

In keeping with tradition, you’re only marginally concerned with protecting Earth’s structures. Spot a building that’s crawling with creatures, and it is still exhilarating to demolish it with a missile – taking down a horde of foes in the process. Sadly, there have been no improvements to vehicular control. So, while helicopters and tanks are heavy hitters, each is unwieldy, with the former suffering from the same targeting problems. Likewise, control is sporadically seized from the player to focus on a mission event, which remains as frustrating as ever.

Issues That Are Forgivable

But largely, these minor transgressions are a part of the EDF experience, likely to be overlooked when confronting the gun-toting giant frogs and invading extraterrestrials. When playing with online acquaintances, the game’s elements seamlessly blend together. With solid net-code, a well-designed class system, and levels that offer a drip-feed of new enemies and rewards, issues tend to disappear into the backdrop. Pleasingly, the game scales proficiently, and if you’re playing split screen or single-player, Earth Defense Force 6 still retains much of the enjoyment. That is, until some checkpoint-less, late-game missions force players to grind in order to even out the odds against an overpowered onslaught.

An assessment of Earth Defense Force 6 wouldn’t be complete without discussing a controversial matter: the Steam version requires players to sign into Epic Games Services for online play. Having suffered through the Games for Windows Live fiasco (where Steam titles once required a secondary sign-in via Microsoft’s servers. When the service was discontinued, many games required manual patching or no longer worked), I’m not eager to experience this again. If you’re playing a single-player or split screen game, EDF 6 does some automatic, single-instance handshaking with Epic’s servers. However, any kind of online play will require an Epic Games account and sign-in. But given that there’s no cross-play between PlayStation and PC players, the requirement is unwarranted. And at the very least, D3Publisher should have let players know about the obligation before the game launched.

Operational Tempo: Proceed at Normal Speed

Earth Defense Force’s formula of using a myriad of weapons to battles throngs of creepy creatures remains effective. But witnessing EDF 6 neglecting to mend some of the previous installment’s lingering faults is a bit disheartening, especially if you’re hoping for some vehicular carnage. But with things like damage readouts for weapons and a dedicated button for ancillary weapons, there are a few welcome innovations that might keep you involved across the 150 or so missions. Unlike the gung-ho behavior of my character, the developers proceed cautiously. As such, fanatical EDF vets and those who have curiously observed the franchise from the sidelines will be happiest by the latest installment.

Earth Defense Force 6 was played on the PC with review code provided by the publisher.