A decidedly different take on the classic EDF formula that's still a blast to play from start to finish.
INTRODUCTION: Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (henceforth referred to as EDF IA) is the quasi-sequel to EDF 2017, and the first EDF title to be developed by a Western developer, primarily for a Western audience. EDF 2017's lackluster sales left developer Sandlot and publisher D3 with a choice. They could continue porting Japanese-made EDF titles to Western markets with the hope that their cult status and rabid fanbase might ignite greater sales. Or they could attempt the radical approach of passing the franchise off to another developer with the intent of making the game more appealing to Western audiences. Ultimately, while Sandlot does continue to develop its own new EDF title in-house, they chose the latter for this game.
There has been no end of controversy surrounding this decision. Many ardent fans of the series feared that the familiar, distinctive formula that made them love the previous games might be altered beyond repair. Once screenshots, news, and footage began to surface of the game, some felt that these fears were well founded. Explosions weren't as large or over the top as in 2017. Enemy designs were different. There were fewer levels. Fundamental gameplay changes had been implemented. I will admit to some trepidation myself, however I was willing to support the game as a fresh take on the series because I knew Sandlot was still working on their own new EDF.
Much to my surprise, relief, and delight, I can happily report that while the game is different, it definitely feels like an EDF game to me. All of the changes made clearly have design philosophy reasons, technical reasons, and rational reasons behind them. Nothing appears to have been done on a whim or arbitrarily. And while the game doesn't feel exactly like 2017 did (which is of course to be expected,) all of these changes gel with enough gameplay that does feel like the last EDF game that the end result is a truly polished, focused, and fun to play game that can appeal both to fans of the series, and a broader gaming audience all at once.
GAMEPLAY: 8/10
First (and most important) things first. This game is fun. It's the kind of fun that doesn't require too much thought or investment in order to dig right in and just play. In many senses, it is the epitome of an accessible game that should appeal to people who have never played an EDF game before. But this belies the characteristic depth and longevity that every EDF game should have, which I'm happy to say IA has in spades (albeit in some cleverly different ways.)
Controls are simple and intuitive. You can shoot, walk, aim, run, jump, dodge, and deploy whatever your current armor's special ability is. You spend the game doing what you do in every EDF game: shooting giant bugs and robots of an increasingly insane nature and variety. You earn XP and credits for kills and completing objectives, which you can use to purchase the more than 300 weapons (roughly 75 per armor type) in eight tiers. This cuts down on much of the random grinding found in 2017. However, some special weapons can only be acquired by picking up old school weapon drops which are now only dropped by the most powerful enemies (think of these as boss-like encounters,) and these are random. There aren't many of those however, and it's a lot easier to get all of the rare weapons this time around.
Likewise, you no longer farm armor (which served as HP before.) Now you have a set maximum armor depending upon your level, which increases as you earn XP. There are still armor pickups, but they essentially serve as health kits now.
All of this comes together in a very polished, imminently playable package. This is just one of those games that feels right and plays amazingly well. I just find myself wanting to play it again and again, and get into that zone where you can just intuitively blast away and dodge everything in your path while trying to stay alive. It is this distinctive EDF feel that has somehow, in spite of the changes made, survived. And there are a lot of changes, even in terms of the fundamental gameplay mechanics, such as the combat.
Enemies are faster, more aggressive, and more lethal than in 2017. Their behaviors have been tweaked. Spiders and ants flank you more and surround you quite effectively despite your best efforts. Hectors can run around pretty quickly now, making them much more of a threat. Gunships are far faster, have more attacks, and do much more damage. Yet despite all of these changes (and others,) the game still - somehow - feels like EDF. The game is still fundamentally the experience of shooting everything that moves, rolling to dodge, falling back while blasting away at huge enemies while trying to anticipate where their next attack will land, and experimenting with different weapons on each level. Somehow, all of this still feels the same. As soon as you see the hordes of hopping spiders rampaging their way toward you, you know this is EDF. As soon as you shoot down a gunship and it explodes before clattering to the ground, you know this is EDF.
But this time, it's a polished EDF.
There are none of the famous framerate hitches found in 2017. There are no cheap attacks that clip through buildings. Vehicles control intuitively, essentially as they would in any other Western developed game. There's no jarring disconnect in terms of control between your character and the vehicles. And the HUD now presents objectives and tells you how to easily navigate to them, all the while fighting off the hordes of enemies EDF is known for.
Instead of playing a single character like Storm One, or a single alternate character like Pale Wing, you play as one character with four separately upgradable armor classes this time. Each one has its own health, XP, weapon selection, and special ability. The Trooper Armor is the most like Storm One. He's relatively nimble, can revive fallen team mates more quickly than other classes, and has a broader variety of weapon types. Tactical Armor specializes in the use of turrets and support devices such as radar. Jet armor can fly briefly and specializes in sniping and piercing attacks. And Battle Armor is basically the tanker of the group. It uses an energy shield which enables the use of explosive weapons at close range, as well as an EMP-like shield burst attack.
All of the armors have an energy bar which depletes as they use their special ability (Trooper doesn't have one) or as they use the new active reload system. Active reload is essentially what you're familiar with from Gears of War, assuming you've played it. A reload bar moves from left to right, and you press the reload button in the sweet spot to immediately reload rather than having to wait for the game to finish reloading automatically. It can save you in tight spots when you're being swarmed. But if you fail to pull it off, the reloads take as long as they did in 2017, so it isn't a big deal. It's just another example of Vicious Cycle's effort to make this feel like a more frenetic, fast paced game, and it works well.
The game has three difficulties - Normal, Hard, and Inferno - but as mentioned earlier, you can also choose to turn off AI team mates once you complete the game on Normal. This makes the game much more challenging, and it feels a lot more like 2017 this way, as all of the enemy attention is directed at you alone for the most part (there are still some passive soldiers who can grab their eye if they shoot them enough, but they can't revive you.)
As should be expected with any EDF game, IA is hard. It doesn't seem that hard initially, because of the aforementioned AI revival system. But once you play without bots and on harder difficulties, you will find it necessary to grind for new weapons and more health before you can survive. Like 2017, this isn't a game you beat. It's a game you endure. In some respects, I would actually argue that the game is harder than 2017, especially since you can't farm for unlimited health, and because enemies are so much faster and more aggressive. And leveling up all of your armors will take a long time, regardless of the relatively small number of levels.
The only shortcoming in the gameplay department by my standards, is the brevity of the main campaign. Compared to 2017's monumental 53 levels, IA's 15 can feel a bit cut off at the knees. Fortunately, as with 2017, you will basically be required to play through the levels on every single difficulty. In addition, there is a Remix mode which throws you lots of challenging curve balls such as different enemies in the otherwise familiar campaign levels you've already played. And you'll have to do all of this at least four times if you want to do everything, because of the four upgradable armor classes.
Another criticism some have leveled at the game is that the sense of scale and ridiculous over-the-top-ness of enemy encounters never quite reaches the level found in 2017. I will echo that sentiment to a degree. If 2017 was the invasion of an entire country, this is more like the invasion of a single city. In fact, the game takes place entirely within the confines of a fictional future version of Detroit called... well... New Detroit. The largest enemies and swarms in this game don't begin to compare to those in 2017. But that's not entirely out of line with the design of the rest of the game. Everything is faster, more focused, and more frenetic. In some ways, it makes sense for enemies to be fewer in number and smaller in stature, but more ferocious and attentive to you as their target. Don't get me wrong - the largest enemies are still absolutely immense. You just won't see a flock of giant Hector 2s slowly lumbering out of an ocean under a giant walking fortress. Immense scale set pieces like that aren't the focus here for the most part. I can admit to that being somewhat disappointing, but not so much that it diminishes the overall fun or intensity of the game. And most importantly to me, this wasn't done just for the sake of doing it. It was done because Vicious Cycle wanted IA to perform well (something 2017 didn't do much of the time,) including during networked play. It worked.
As I said at the outset, this game is just plain fun. And it's polished and fresh, while retaining much of the EDF character, charm, and challenge. Simply put, it's a blast from start to finish, and to play again and again.
GRAPHICS: 7/10
As was the case with 2017, these aren't the best visuals you'll see this gen. However, they are heads and shoulders above what you would typically expect from an EDF game.
Enemies animate beautifully (if creepily,) buildings collapse realistically and satisfyingly, and everything just looks slick and pleasing to the eye. Textures are much more detailed and clear than in 2017. The game also lacks the jaggyness inexplicably found in many other ostensibly HD games. Everything's just very pristine and easy to see, which is essential in such a fast paced action game.
The color pallette has taken a turn away from the bright, colorful one found in 2017, and leans more toward a realistic, gritty look. But the design of things hasn't changed so much that it lacks the stylized, over the top look EDF is known for. Everything still has an almost ridiculous, cartoonish style, but it's a tad less Japanese monster movie, and more western B horror flick. Everything looks just a bit more "cool" and a tad less silly. (Again though, this could be a bad thing for those of you who play EDF games for precisely that reason.)
Yes, explosions are different than the huge infernos (no pun intended) found in 2017. But once you play the game, you'll probably find yourself feeling thankful for it. The game is much more fast paced and overwhelming (if you can even imagine something more overwhelming than 2017) in some respects despite having fewer actual enemies (total) on screen at a time, and lingering explosions of the size and sort seen in the last game would definitely make things problematic to say the least. Anthills and collapsing buildings already kick up thick enough smoke and dust that it becomes difficult to see where the enemies bearing down on you are. So in my opinion this was a good, gameplay-driven compromise. Explosions are still huge. They just aren't very long lasting and are more stylized than the firey smoke from 2017.
AUDIO: 7/10
The first thing I have to say is that, like 2017 and Puzzle Quest 1 and 2 and every other D3 published game I've played, this is among the loudest games on my system. I personally consider that a plus, because maximizing volume while maintaining clarity and dynamics is one of the goals of good audio production except in very specific circumstances. So, good job to whoever handled the audio mastering.
The sounds and music themselves are kind of hit or miss. The enemy sounds are great. When you hear a Hector moaning in an echoing baritone, you know you're about to have big trouble. It's actually one of the most intimidating sounds I've ever heard in a game. Ants and spiders sound great, too. Particularly the ants' "chirping." Enemy attacks likewise sound great.
The music is incredibly appropriate for an EDF game. B monster movie fare mostly. If you've played 2017, you know what to expect, although this time around does sound a bit more contemporary and less like the battle music from a JRPG.
Player weapon sounds are a bit disappointing to me. They get the job done, but they're a little low in the mix against all the other sounds, and lack punch at times. Also, I really miss the "bowling strike" sound from 2017 that played when you hit multiple enemies with rockets.
The sound definitely isn't bad. And it never intrudes on my gameplay or distracts me from what I'm doing. Audio cues effectively let you know when enemies spawn.
MULTIPLAYER: 8/10
In addition to split-screen local co-op, IA brings lag-free online co-op to the table, as well as a Survival mode for up to six players. Co-op for up to three players is drop-in/drop-out, and you can easily set up private sessions and send invites if you so choose.
Survival mode is a challenging series of ever more powerful and overwhelming waves of enemies. One to six players can play Survival mode, but good luck getting very far on your own. This mode is extremely challenging, and you never get better weapons or save your progress. You can't "win" this mode. You can only survive as long as you're able to for points and bragging rights.
REPLAY VALUE: 8/10
This is an important factor in any EDF game, because the campaigns themselves end relatively quickly on Normal difficulty, even in those EDF games with tons of levels. IA, as previously mentioned, only has 15 of those levels. However the levels are much longer than in 2017, and you will need to go through them many times to level up all four Armor types. Reaching rank 8 (the highest level for an armor) will probably require multiple playthroughs on multiple difficulties, with Inferno (let alone Inferno without bots) being virtually out of the question until at least rank 6 or 7, and even then you'll need the most expensive, powerful weapons to have any hope of survival.
If you do get bored grinding the same 15 levels, Remix mode does add some additional replay value (and greater challenge in most respects.)
Ultimately, the real question is: are you the kind of player who will want to 100% this game (which is largely considered the entire point of EDF games, given their challenge level)? If you are, you'll be playing this game for quite some time, if not as long as 2017. If you aren't, then the game will probably be over too quickly to satisfy your thirst for a longer experience. There's enough here to keep you playing for ages. It just accomplishes it in a different way than 2017 did.
CONCLUSION/FINAL SCORE: 8/10
EDF IA is just as good a game as EDF 2017 overall. They are different games, with different strengths and weaknesses. 2017 is the ultimate grind-fest. It's a quirky Japanese game with crazy weapons, and almost laughably over the top enemies, explosions, and battles. If that epic-ness is something you absolutely require from an EDF game, then there is a possibility than IA will leave you disappointed.
But IA arguably has a level of polish, pure fun, and a lack of enemy "cheapness" that 2017 could lose sight of due to tedium at times. And IA has a level of challenge at least equal to that found in 2017 if you play without bots. Combined with online co-op, Survival mode, and three endings, you've got a great, challenging, different take on the classic EDF formula.
I recommend this game to any fan of the EDF franchise who can tolerate or enjoy these changes, anyone who wants the EDF franchise to succeed in Western markets, any fan of fast, action-packed third person shooting fun, and perhaps most pointedly, anyone who wanted to play 2017 but was turned off by its framerate, lack of online play, or other issues. Things which IA resolves with flying colors.
Now get out there and save the world! EDF! EDF!