Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain can be a lot of schlocky fun when it’s not hampered by its brutal performance issues, inconsistent online functionality, and unbalanced missions. As satisfying as it is to mow down insects with laser swords and rocket launches, the fun doesn’t last when an abundance of bugs get in the way.
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain
Developer: Yuke’s
Price: $69.99
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review
I played Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders From Planet Space back in 2016, and found it to be flawed but fun in a goofy B-movie way. That was all of my experience with the EDF series before playing Iron Rain, and unfortunately, Iron Rain didn’t change my opinion of the series for the better; if anything, it may have worsened it just a bit.
Iron Rain focuses more on its story than previous EDF titles, putting you in the role of “Closer,” an EDF soldier who, seven years prior to Iron Rain’s story, destroyed an enormous enemy Hivecraft and fell into a seven year coma. Now awake and ready to slay some alien bugs, you join a squad of wacky characters to battle the invading Aggressors and opposing Rebellion. None of the characters are especially memorable, and the slightly more serious narrative feels at odds with how ridiculous the idea of battling giant ants with bazookas is. Some of the banter is fun, as is the world-building that comes from listening to the radio between missions, but the overall story is underwhelming.
Iron Rain’s gameplay can be a lot of fun at times, but its repetitive nature combined with how unbalanced the missions are make it difficult to play for very long. Some missions are straightforward and challenging in an enjoyable way, while others go out of their way to overwhelm you and go on for way too long, which is a big problem when dying sends you back to the start of the mission. The missions aren’t very different from one another, which makes this an even bigger issue. Missions grow boring quickly even when done correctly. The bugs seem to be more aggressive this time around as well, which makes it more frustrating than fun when swarmed by 10+ enormous ants or scorpions. Every time you try to get up, another insect is already attacking, locking you into an almost inevitable death.
“ Nonetheless, acting out over-the-top insect carnage as buildings crumble is a lot of fun, at least, when it works.“
When everything is working properly and running somewhat smoothly, there’s a lot of fun to be had. There are lots of weapons to unlock and purchase, many of which feel unique and have their own quirks. Using all these different ridiculous weapons, from laser cannons to projectile swords, to cut down huge hordes of nasty bugs is fun in the most simple but glorious way. Watching clusters of ants and spiders explode into goo as you raze the area with enormous blasts is a wonderful feeling, though I don’t know what that statement says about me as a person. Nonetheless, acting out over-the-top insect carnage as buildings crumble is a lot of fun, at least, when it works.
The various PA-Gear types provide some nice variety as well, as they each have their own uses that puts them on fairly equal footing. I really enjoy using the rider gear due to its Attack on Titan-esque rope-swing mechanic, but the formidable heavy gear and high-flying jetpack set are both a lot of fun in different situations. Overdrive mode, which powers up your weapon and overcharges your PA-Gear, is a lot of fun to use, as it tears through foes while your character belts out a wonderfully hammy scream.
“It was a confusing and frustrating experience, which is a real shame.“
Playing online proved to be incredibly difficult, as Reviews Manager Diego Escala and I spent nearly 20 minutes trying to find one another. We’d make a room, try to find it and join it, only to get no results. We’d swap roles and try again, over and over, until it finally just worked for seemingly no reason. Once we were playing, it was hard to tell what was going on due to the lack of any explanation for each game mode. Someone else joined, making it a 2v1 match, which meant I just died repeatedly without scoring at all. It was a confusing and frustrating experience, which is a real shame.
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.
The Final Word
As fun as it can be on occasion, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is too flawed for me to fully enjoy. The heaps of technical issues and unbalanced and repetitive missions, combined with a fairly dysfunctional online mode, make Iron Rain an unfortunately bland mess.
MonsterVine Rating: 2.5 out of 5 – Mediocre
