Earth Defense Force is back and better than ever in what might be the best EDF game purely because of its improved performance.
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair
Developer: Sandlot
Price: $50
Platform: PS4
MonsterVine was supplied with PS4 code for review
Earth Defense Force 4.1 is an update to 2014’s EDF 2025 released on the PS3 and Xbox 360. This updated release features rearranged missions, slight gameplay tweaks such as certain classes being able to recover after getting tossed in the air by an enemy, faster load times and *slightly* improved graphics with a noticeably better lighting system (no more magically lit tunnels). Of course, the most important change is the improved frame-rate and by improved I mean EDF finally plays at a playable frame-rate. This is 2015, so that means we’re living in a bright new future where this series just might hit a steady frame-rate. Gone are the days of having to worry about too many enemies showing up on screen, a large building falling apart, or having to be more conservative with explosive weapons. Being able to play this game with a fairly steady frame-rate is a whole new world as an EDF fan and while the game does occasionally experience some very small dips, it rarely dropped to anything super serious. This glorious, smooth EDF frame-rate bizarro world only exists when playing by yourself unfortunately. Any attempt to play local co-op caused the game to nearly turn into a slideshow when too many explosions were happening on-screen. I had some slightly better performance when playing online but it’s clear that playing solo yields the best performance. It’s a real shame too since EDF is meant to be played with friends so having the game’s frame-rate tank so hard just sours the entire multiplayer experience.
If you’re one of the, likely many, people who haven’t played an EDF game then let me explain the basics of it really quick; the Earth has been invaded by giant bugs/robots and your job is to blow them up while possibly causing more damage to the city than they are. Each mission throws dozens of enemies at you with the basic goal of killing them all before they kill you. There’s really nothing quite like it out there and I have yet to see a game that replicates its effortless charm and Starship Trooper vibes. EDF is a janky as hell game but that’s where its charm comes from. Seeing bugs spaz out on the side of a skyscraper while you’re flipping through the air because your friend decided to launch an explosive in your general area is part of the fun; it’s stupid fun, but fun nonetheless. In its nearly 100 missions you’d think fighting bugs gets old but the game does a fairly good job of introducing new enemies to keep things fresh. You’ll go from fighting ants, to flying robots, and eventually fighting giant kaiju in your own massive mech; it’s all dumb and amazing at the same time.
The game features four classes that all play fairly differently from each other: the Ranger is your standard grunt soldier with a slight focus on explosive weapons, the Wing Diver is the aerial unit whose weapons are powered by her jetpack, the Air Raider can supply drop in vehicles or air strikes, and finally the Fencer is a giant armored brute who’s capable of dishing out lots of pain in close quarters. As you complete missions you’ll acquire new weapons for the class you’re currently playing and the weapons you get is once again determined randomly; expect to get the same weapons dozens of times before getting something new since the RNG gods in EDF are cruel creatures. Unfortunately, the tediously slow walking speed is an issue that still plagues the series. If you’re playing as anything other than the Wing Diver, expect to follow sluggishly behind other players on your way through the map. The objectives aren’t too far apart but the running speeds of the Ranger or Air Raider are slow enough to make walking a block feel like a chore. The Fencer class can get up to impressive speeds utilizing the dash canceling technique but that’s only if you can pull it off. I’d really like the series to implement some sort of sprint maneuver to get out of sticky situations quick.
While EDF can definitely be played and enjoyed solo (I went to mission 30 before switching to co-op), it’s clearly designed for co-op play. The classes are all meant to complement each other with the Air Raider providing vehicles and buffs for the party while the Fencer becomes that nice tank character who smashes through incoming bug hordes. The game features two-player split-screen or four players online which offers an additional 9 levels you won’t find in the single player. Now while playing online with friends is definitely the way to go, it’s incredibly frustrating that your single player mission progress doesn’t transfer over. Having to start back at the beginning is a pain in the ass considering the mission objectives don’t really start to get interesting until 15-20 missions in. On the bright side, your character progress is transferable between solo and online play so if you’re unable to play with a friend you can level up your characters in the meantime.
The Final Word
EDF is a dumb game where you blow up giant bugs while shouting “EDF! EDF! EDF!” with a stupid grin on your face. EDF 4.1 is easily the best in the series thanks to its improved performance and is a great jump on point for newcomers.
– MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
