Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain Reviews

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain improves on class and loot mechanics but fails at delivering an entertaining level design. The new war movie inspired presentation falls flat compared to the previous B-movie horror aesthetic.

If you're a fan of the previous titles, go ahead and buy Iron Rain, you're not going to be disappointed by this one. If you're not a rabid fan of giant bugs, give it a miss or pick it up in a sale. It's a giggle after all if a little frustrating.

We tell you, it’s a good game! It’s not average! It might have some problems here and there, but you have to admit it is a “Good” game.

Visually, Iron Rain is a mess. The framerate stutters more often than it runs smoothly, and completely slows down the game at points. The camera gets stuck on the surrounding bugs sometimes when they’re a bit too close, the models clip and jump all around, and having too many enemies or effects onscreen makes the game run more slowly than my elderly aunt. It feels unpolished and almost unfinished, which puts even more of a damper on Iron Rain’s potential fun.

Despite aggravating AI, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain's wealth of content, challenging difficulty, and empowering action make it the best EDF game to date. This is a tried-and-true EDF game for newcomers and veterans alike.

The Earth Defense Force series is the perfect example of what a cult hit should be. We’re talking about a franchise comprised of ugly, dated, and technically flawed games that have managed to create a loyal following of fans from all over the world due to its “so bad it’s good” artistic values, clear nods to Starship Troopers, and entertaining gameplay. Those games are dumb, without a doubt, but they were excellent guilty pleasures whenever you were fed up of playing something too ser...

And that’s pretty much it. Despite the marketing of a more “serious” tone this is still very much EDF – a bug-shooting Dynasty Warriors-esque hack and slash at heart. Given that it’s a standalone game you can also just jump right in (not that you’d need to keep up with EDF lore regardless).

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a marked improvement over its predecessors in spite being a spin-off by a different developer. Fans of the series will definitely appreciate the additions made to the game while still retaining what made the series so enjoyable. If further installments are able to improve on what Yuke's has done with the series while also fixing some of its issues to bring it up to speed of other modern shooters, it could expand the game's market well beyond its cult following.

After only a few months, a new EDF game is here and this time, it's serious business. So, let's suit up and get ready to exterminate!

For the longest time, Earth Defense Force has been known as the cult B-movie of Japanese video games, combining charming jank with a ton of pure, unadulterated fun. The consequence of that is that the series has been stuck in its niche with a very dedicated and very passionate fan base, but few means of convincing newcomers to give it a try.

Giving another studio the opportunity to work on a well-documented franchise, especially one whose most notable creations are its WWE 2K titles for the past six years, is always going to come with risks. When developer Yuke’s was given the keys to the Earth Defense Force series, it promised a more western take on things - one that would place an emphasis on narrative and multiplayer. Worry amongst the fanbase was easy to understand, but the final product proves that it was in haste. Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is so, so much more fun that it has any real right to be. Despite its attempted grab for the western market, this is still the EDF we all know, and for some, love.

At first blush, I worried that Iron Rain was a little like EDF lobotomised – a little ‘saner’, more approachable, but lacking a certain something for the process. But as I played more, began diving into meaty, 15-20 minute battles, kept changing my loadout, and saw how different it could feel with friends, it became clear that this was far more than an experiment in sanitisation. Iron Rain is a true spin-off, a new take on an existing and much-loved (okay, somewhat-loved) idea. It won’t have done enough to draw in an audience that wants legibility and good looks. Paradoxically, it might have done too much for some more dyed-in-the-wool fans. But for me, Iron Rain is a more-than-pleasant experiment, a game that feels like it was made by fans of the series with their own ideas. Some work, some don’t, but it’s never short of them – and if you can’t enjoy new ideas at the same time as shooting a 30-foot spider in its awful face, what are you even playing games for in the first place?

With this being the first entry in the series to appear on PlayStation 4 (Correction: This is is third entry to appear on the PS4, after the EDF4.1 port and EDF5. We apologize for the error), you might have certain expectations for Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain. When considering the quality of games that have released this generation, specifically towards the latter half, seeing a mediocre release is particularly striking, comparatively speaking. That’s why it’s super noticeable just how dated and so-so Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is. The novelty of killing space ants wears off quickly and when you combine that with the repetitive gameplay loop, the “samey-ness” of the soundtrack, and the lack of a hook to draw you in, there is a ton going against Iron Rain, sadly. It does have its moments of fun, so it isn’t all doom and gloom, but as our expectations have evolved, Iron Rain seems to be stuck in the past.

You might watch the gameplay of Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain and think to yourself “this is just another shooter, what’s the big deal?” and to that I would let out a hearty guffaw. Most of these third person shooters make you out to be an unstoppable force of nature in one way or another. I had to learn very quickly that this was not that kind of game. True, the gargantuan insects only need a few shots from a basic rifle to be killed, but when there are 50+ of these monsters barreling down on you, spitting acid, and generally causing absolute mayhem, this is not a situation you can run into head first. Tactics, strategy, and staying on the move will be vital to your survival in the early goings of the game. Lucky for you, all weapons have unlimited ammo with their only drawback being a variety of cooldown timers to reload and your ally AI isn’t entirely useless. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t the brightest bulbs but more often than not I saw them dishing out the pain and leveling giant ants left, right, and center.

Few video games deliver B-grade camp as well as Earth Defense Force. In any given installment, you can expect to see giant ants scampering up skyscrapers to rain bile on anyone nearby, and skies filled with UFOs that deploy armies of robots, beetles, and even towering Godzilla-like beasts. Since the series’ inception, D3 Publisher has treated this goofy formula like an irreplaceable ancient scripture, hesitant to make sweeping changes between entries. As the years have gone by, the novelty of shooting a laser beam at a jumping spider wore off, and the series’ run-and-shoot gunplay stagnated to the point of feeling unintentionally retro.

Honestly, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain might just be my new favourite Earth Defense Force game. Sure, it doesn’t throw quite as many enemies at you, and performance isn’t as smooth as usual, but the latter issue isn’t so bad if you’re playing on a PS4 Pro. The improved visuals and gameplay tweaks make it more of an immersive and enjoyable experience, and that’s what really matters. Yuke’s has done a great job with Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain, taking the core experience and tweaking it to make it more personal and accessible. It’s a game that will not only make Earth Defense Force fans happy, but may also attract new ones. To me, that’s a win-win situation.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is the best entry in the series. It's also just a ton of fun, in case you were worried at all that killing endless waves of giant bugs and aliens could be boring. I hope future entries will adopt and adapt everything Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain has added to the series. It's certainly a better game for it and retains so many of the things longtime fans have come to love about the series. I'm happy to report that the EDF is back in business.

Overall, the game itself it the standard shooter from a third-person viewpoint. The controls are basic enough for younger fans to play, and not very difficult to learn. Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a PlayStation 4 exclusive and is set to release on April 11, 2019, priced at $59.99 USD. If you are a fan of the series, like a die-hard fan, definitely pick this up for yourself. If you are just someone looking at the game because it looks interesting, then I would wait until the price drops....

It had been several years since I had played Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon so I was a tad worried about doing the series justice in this review, but I can definitely say that outside of a couple of issues with giant insects blocking my camera view, repeatedly getting knocked down when surrounded by the critters, and the sensitivity of clicking L3 to turn around when moving backwards, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a solid entry into the EDF series and one that anyone wanting to blast the heck out of giant insects should enjoy.

The giant bugs move from Japan to the sunny skies of California.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is an interesting side entry with new mechanics and a new look. It's just too bad there's something missing from the formula to make it truly great.