BLOODY, BELLIGERENT BUGS ARE BACK.
Last year I reviewed Earth Defense Force 5 and already there’s another title out. In that review I said that the series hadn’t had too many big changes both graphically and in gameplay, and had a hard time recommending it over the cheaper EDF 4 also on PS4. I am glad to say that is not the case with EDF: Iron Rain, which is a breath of fresh air in a series that felt like it was maybe getting stale.
Iron Rain is the second game in the series not developed by Sandlot. The first was Insect Armageddon developed by Vicious Cycle which sort of missed the mark on what made the series enjoyable. However, I’m glad to say that Yuke’s (yes, the ones who make the WWE games) definitely hits all the right spots to feel like an EDF game but does so much to push this series forward.
PLATFORMS: PS4
MSRP: $59.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $59.99
First off is a story that is more than just aliens attacking. The beginning of this game makes it clear the invasion has already started and the player character is nearly downed in combat before being saved with a special power cell. This MacGuffin increases attack power, reload speed, movement, and damage resistance. It’s an interesting way to set up this new mechanic to the series and explain why the player is the only one who has this ability. After being in a coma, the hero goes back to wipe out the aliens left on Earth who have made it their new home.
Now as serious as an alien invasion sounds, the writing still has a lot of humor, but this time it is because there are actual jokes rather than terrible writing which is then acted out terribly. Characters actually refer to the giant bugs as what they are this time rather than being confused on what an ant or a human looks like. The dialog between other troops is funny and builds the sense that these are not just expendable soldiers. The more serious portions of the game come from a completely new aspect which is rival human factions: a much appreciated twist on the series. They are fighting for resources as well as fighting off the aliens, but they do not get along with the EDF. In one mission I fought alongside them as a temporary truce and learned that some members of the EDF have a history with members of the militia. It’s weird and nice to see the people in the EDF series not be the equivalent of crash test dummies.
Despite story beats, the main gameplay is still running around and killing giant aliens. There are new mission goals like defending a building or holding out until an airstrike comes, but boil it down and it is still shooting things until they die. The most important part to me however was how unique the environment is. No longer are cities these very basic flat areas with skyscrapers, but are deserts with buildings piercing the dunes or hills that recall San Francisco. It’s also not just cities, but the American desert (think Nevada) or forests. It’s nice to see the game step away from all the series standards.
The most shocking of these standards was how few ants there were. By the second mission Iron Rain was introducing robots, spiders, and new alien creatures that crash to the Earth. By comparison I was almost exclusively fighting ants for the first fifteen missions in EDF 5, and even later missions sprinkled the battlefield with the bloody bugs. Iron Rain seems to want to keep the player’s interest by consistently doling out new content.
New content also includes new pieces of armor, weapons, and classes. It’s sort of weird to not be able to play certain classes from the beginning, but with the new character customization I feel more connected to my character and it sort of makes sense that I would slowly be introduced to the new classes. However, I do not like the new weapons system. In old games I would collect a weapon box dropped from an enemy and then have the weapon. This time I have to collect gems, and then use currency earned from completing missions to buy the weapons that also need gems to unlock. It’s not very clear, but when everything is locked behind an in-game currency (don’t worry, there’s no microtransactions) it reduces the ability and the desire to experiment with new weapons. There are also drivable vehicles (some of which are just civilian vehicles in the level) and items that can be used to heal, grenades to throw, etc. Those also use the same, convoluted store mechanic to buy. I never had an issue with not being able to buy things, I just wasn’t sure how it all worked.
Co-op returns as expected, but there’s also PVP multiplayer. I’ll be honest, I have little interest in PVP multiplayer anyways and less so in EDF, but it is here and nice to see. Co-op is always fun in these games as mayhem is always better with a friend.
Also nice to see (literally) is what I think is the biggest improvement; this game has far more detail. I won’t say it is the best looking game ever, but it is definitely the best looking EDF title. The world looks far more realistic and enemies don’t look like they are made of plastic. The game no longer looks like a PS2 game. It also doesn’t run like a PS2 game. I rarely had slowdown (if any) fighting enemies that were bigger than the skyscrapers.
This is a weird review for me because I feel like I just did one of these. It’s hard to talk about because all these changes seem so little in the grand scheme of video games, but to a series so unwilling to change over the last decade these small changes are huge. Outside of maybe the difficulty of playing on normal (there are different difficulties) this is hands down the most accessible EDF has been to a wide audience. The game just feels more generation appropriate in comparison to the last two titles released on PS4. It also is the only one to feel worthy of a full price release. I recommend Iron Rain to anyone looking for a dumb, semi-mindless alien killing spree. It is probably the purest throw back to the run and gun shooters of old. I hope the next Sandlot developed EDF takes a lot of notes from Iron Rain and improves upon them, because after this the Sandlot formula feels extremely antiquated.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
