Buy Earth Defense Force 5

PC players have had two opportunities to experience Earth Defense Force. The first was back at the end of 2011 with Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, a more Westernized take on Sandlot's original game. While it is considered by fans to be one of the weaker entries in the franchise, it did a good job of emulating the frantic big bug action while also introducing the idea of different classes via equipment, something the mainline series would adopt starting with 2016's Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair. With that title, PC players got a taste of what makes the series so special, and it serves as both a high-water mark of the series and a perfect jumping point for newcomers to see what the fuss is about. By comparison, Earth Defense Force 5 is more of the same, and fans wouldn't have it any other way.

Despite being the fifth game in the series, EDF5 is actually being billed as a reboot of the lore. You play the role of a newly hired security guard at the Earth Defense Force. On your first day on the job, your base is invaded by giant monsters. You immediately take up arms and become a regular part of the fighting force as you stop the imminent alien invasion and takeover of your planet. It's a generic story, but you'll get the most out of it if you think of it as something that's intentionally being done badly. Your comrades' dialogue ranges from overacted to cruel. People on the radio sound oblivious, and the civilians don't stop panicking. Reactions change drastically from one line to the next, and it sometimes sounds downright comedic.

For those who haven't played these games before, think of this is as a shooter version of a Dynasty Warriors title. You may be playing with up to one person locally or up to a total of four people, but the basic layout is your small squad versus hordes of giant alien invaders. There's more range to the enemies, as you'll face off against the likes of poisonous ants, small drones, large mechs, and jumping spiders, to name a few. Depending on the stage, you may even go up against a larger mothership or two that is dropping off more creatures for you to fight. You aren't completely helpless, as you always carry two weapons with unlimited ammo, but the constant need to reload means you aren't belting out a constant stream of fire. Fallen enemies can give you anything from health to armor pick-ups that increase your overall health to random weapons, making the game feel like a loot shooter since you don't know what you've picked up until you finish the level.

As in the previous PC iteration, you can play as four different classes. Despite the name, the Air Raider doesn't fly, but he can call in airstrikes. He can also call in vehicles, which can vary in usefulness given the iffy vehicle controls. The Fencer is the heavy armor class that can take loads of damage; this is useful since your slow attacks make it difficult to react quickly to changing situations. The Air Raider and Fencer are more for experienced players and those who only want to play in co-op. The Ranger is an average run-and-gun class, but it's still good for those who want to shoot without any need for strategy. Wing Divers are excellent at covering a ton of ground with their jetpacks, but they trade defense for mobility, making them fragile if they aren't good at dodging. The Ranger and Wing Divers are the best choices if you're new to the game or want to play solo.

For a game that's all about blasting aliens like there's no tomorrow, EDF5 commits one big flaw that previous games have not. Specifically, the game has one of the longest introductions in the series. The first level simply has you moving around, taking in the dull sights of an underground base, learning the basic controls, and seeing your guide get eaten. The second level has you running around and engaging in sparse firefights that end way too quickly. It isn't until you reach the third level that the non-stop action kicks in and it starts to feel like a normal EDF title. By comparison, every other game in the series starts you in the action right away, so the sluggish beginning here feels unwarranted.

From here, the game sports a few improvements. Unlike before, where you needed to change classes to benefit from the things you pick up, every item now applies to all classes, no matter who snagged it. Guns are still specific to classes, but switching from a Ranger on one level to a Fencer on the next level means that the Fencer starts on an even level, a much better scenario compared to starting at the lowest point just because you want to freshen things up with a class change.

The second change comes from the introduction of new aliens. In addition to the giant monsters and robots and bugs, you'll now fight against giant bipedal aliens, complete with armor and guns. The change is quite substantial, as their lumbering selves fire back at a constant rate, and they climb buildings, take cover, and even roll out of the way. They aren't stopped by basic dismemberment. Unless you knock off their heads, taking off their legs makes them slink away to safety, and taking off their arms simply makes them run until the limbs grow back. They make the game feel more like other shooters, as you now need to employ some tactics as opposed to firing and letting your weapons thin things out.

It is a little disappointing that the PC release didn't come with the DLC that was previously released on the PS4, even though it's been at least six months since the PS4 release in North America (even longer since the PS4 release in Japan). Interestingly, those six months have actually transformed one of the main criticisms about the game into a positive, and that's the fact that the game is largely unchanged from older iterations. The constant action and similar environments can seem dull if you're playing for long periods of time, and those who have recently played the older games won't find things to be that different here. However, the release of Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain on the PS4 has shown that implementing too many changes to the formula can make the game irritating instead. Until we see where a possible EDF 6 goes, this may be the last pure iteration of the formula that's perfect for mindless fun.

The series was never a presentation powerhouse, and that tradition continues in EDF5. As far as sound goes, the music is good sci-fi material, but you'll barely get to hear it over the constant screaming and gunfire and explosions. Those effects sound very nice, so you don't mind that they take over the soundscape. As bad as the lines are, at least their hammy delivery means that the title isn't taking itself too seriously.

Graphically, the game is only impressive in a certain light. The models are fine but not spectacular, and the texturing is good on the creatures but decent in the environment. The explosions don't look too extravagant, but at least there's loads of blood and exoskeleton chunks whenever you fire at the aliens. What is impressive is how stable everything is, even on low-end equipment. Unlike the PS4 version of the game, you can bring yourself deep into an alien swarm, have exoskeleton chunks flying around with explosions popping off on split-screen mode, and the game refuses to drop any frames. Whether this is due to engine optimization or everything being allowed to breathe with better hardware, it makes for a very enjoyable experience.

Like its predecessor, Earth Defense Force 5 is a fine jumping-off point for newcomers to the series. The shooting remains as solid as ever, and the concept of mixing in loot drops with blasting large enemy hordes remains enjoyable, even if the whole package isn't as polished as expected from something with a cult following. However, EDF5 doesn't surpass the heights of EDF4.1 due to its flaws detracting from the progress of its improvements. The deeper combat thanks to some new enemy types only comes after spending the first two levels doing nothing, and the game is now more stable, but PC fans who've waited this long still have to buy the extra missions via DLC. Nevertheless, this is a treat of a game that actions fans will love.

Score: 8.0/10