Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain - Review Megathread
##Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain - Review Thread
Release Date: Apr 11, 2019 (PS4)
Developer: Yuke's
Publisher: D3Publisher
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 72 average - 50% recommended
Critic Reviews
With a new coat of paint and a shift in mechanics, Earth Defence Force: Iron Rain sets itself above previous EDF games. There have been some major changes within this title, such as the customisations, abilities, unit types, pick-ups, and loadouts, but once you get used to them, it feels like this way is much better than the old way. The visuals have not only had a coat of paint, but they’ve had an undercoat and at least three layers placed on top to make them look great during gameplay. The addition of subtitles made me happier than you can imagine as more people can now enjoy the story, even if it does get a little generic if you’ve played all the previous games.
PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 8.5 / 10
With a dollop of polish, a variety of new locations and much more challenging enemies EDF: Iron Rain might just be the best entry in the series so far, and while the trademark jank remains, new franchise developer Yuke's has done a fantastic job of tweaking the formula without breaking it. EDF: Iron Rain is a must for fans of the series and fans of fast-paced, deeply fun shooters alike.
DualShockers - Jordan Boyd - 8.5 / 10
It's an insect party in the U.S.A.
Cultured Vultures - Zack Stout - 8.5 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain shakes up the series at its core, and still manages to be a decidedly great EDF game. Character creation and the PA-Gear fit right in and offer a newfound sense of personalization and freedom, while the grim presentation and heightened difficulty will keep you engaged throughout. It's a real gem.
Gaming Nexus - Russell Archey - 8.5 / 10
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.
TechRaptor - Kyle Johnson - 8.5 / 10
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.
Boomstick Gaming - Deadite AGK - 8 / 10
If you're willing to put your brain to the side to just sit back and decimate some extraterrestrials, you might end up finding this to be some of the most pure fun you can have on your PS4 in 2019.
Shacknews - Blake Morse - 8 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain stands out to me as one of the most enthralling, challenging, and gorgeous entries in series, if not the most. It does have some glaring flaws, like the imbalances in the new currency system. Balancing issues like the Jet Lifter running out of boost too quick, or how long it takes the meter to recharge after overheating. I also experienced several crashes while playing.
Despite these issues, I just can’t quit Iron Rain. It’s just too addictively fun to give up on and any EDF fan that’s been around long enough is most likely used to these games having a few blemishes. In the case of Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain, in particular, the good definitely outweighs the bad. I love this game and I will probably be playing it until the next one comes out, which could be a bit since we just got EDF 5 and Iron Rain about four months apart.
Hardcore Gamer - James Cunningham - 4 / 5
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a different beast than the standard series but still an incredible pure-action run & gun shooter.
Twinfinite - Giuseppe Nelva - 4 / 5
If you want a game which is pretty much the polar opposite of the vast majority of modern AAA titles — in most of the right ways — I can wholeheartedly recommend Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain.
GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 8 / 10
Honestly, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain might just be my new favourite Earth Defense Force game.
Forbes - Ollie Barder - 8 / 10
Iron Rain is a solid shooter and reminiscent of what made the mainline games so much fun. However, I think some of the backend changes don’t really work and the visual and aural impact of the weapons feel diminished.
Digitally Downloaded - Pierre-Yves Lanthier - 4 / 5 stars
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is the perfect addition to the series.
Wccftech - Kai Powell - 7.6 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is certainly the prettiest insect-splatting simulation to grace the PlayStation 4 and there are a number of innovations to appeal to a Western audience, but Iron Rain still falls into that campy B-movie aesthetic.
Destructoid - Chris Carter - 7.5 / 10
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).
Niche Gamer - Caitlin Harper - 7.5 / 10
If you’re a big fan of the franchise, or just getting started with EDF, you could do worse than picking up and enjoying Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain.
If you’re just not quite sure about the franchise or genre, perhaps waiting on a price drop before picking up would serve you well. Either way, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain was a lot of fun for the most part, so I would suggest grabbing it at some point.
Co-Optimus - Paul Acevedo - 3.5 / 5 (overall) | 4 / 5 (co-op)
While Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain isn’t quite as huge or tightly-made a game as mainline EDFs, it still stands out as an EDF that truly looks and feels different than the rest. Gorgeous graphics, unique enemy types, the Prowl Rider class, and 6-player online co-op – these innovations would be more than welcome in EDF 6 or even Iron Rain 2. Iron Rain is a great introduction to the series for new players, and EDF veterans will be relieved at how much better it is than Insect Armageddon!
IGN - Joe Skrebels - 7.2 / 10
As flawed and as fun as ever, Iron Rain doesn't dull the core pleasure of EDF, but doesn't manage much more either.
GameSpace - Chris Bowman - 7 / 10
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. I definitely would not have paid the price for this game just based on a gameplay trailer.
BaziCenter - Sina Golab Zadeh - Persian - 7 / 10
Despite huge changes, Earth Defence Force: Iron Rain remains loyal to EDF roots, and this is great news for the fans of the series. On the other hand, the graphical upgrades help to convince new players to join up as well. Iron Rain still needs improvements to be considered an elite action title, but it is arguably the best EDF ever made.
We Got This Covered - Todd Rigney - 3.5 / 5 stars
Although Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain attempts to take the franchise in a bold new direction, the latest installment in the long-running series makes too many mistakes to be anything other than a letdown.
GameSkinny - Jason Coles - 7 / 10 stars
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.
Push Square - Liam Croft - 7 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is some of the most pure, unadulterated fun we've had in 2019 so far. It's not pretty and it's not stable, but if you're able to look past its technical drawbacks, then you're in for a supremely wacky, boisterous, and delightful takedown of humanity's greatest threat. Earth Defense Force is proud of its simplistic nature, and that's probably the best thing about it.
Game Informer - Andrew Reiner - 7 / 10
Iron Rain provides plenty of content, but Yuke's EDF debut doesn't change much
AnaitGames - Víctor Manuel Martínez García - Spanish - 7 / 10
The way Yuke’s works with a series as peculiar and unchangeable as Earth Defense Force ends with a positive balance: different and with a unique personality, Iron Rain preserves the spirit of the originals.
GideonsGaming - Joseph Pugh - 7 / 10
It is still very much good old fashioned EDF fun and its refined fun at that. However, being punished for using your hard earned and awesome gadgets by deducting money from your mission rewards is purely anti-fun and the complete disconnect of the on-screen action in multiplayer is unacceptable and disappointing.
GamingBolt - Martin Patiño - 7 / 10
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.
Gameblog - Jonathan Bushle - French - 7 / 10
Earth Defense Force : Iron Rain is another vision of the franchise made by an other studio. The new approach is quite good, more serious and more accessible.
CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 7 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain offers players with a nice change of pace from the hyper-connected and competitive nature of contemporary gaming, with a game that actually feels like a game.
COGconnected - Alexander Thomas - 68 / 100
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is light on narrative and heavy on fast paced action.
Easy Allies - Ben Moore - 6.5 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain pushes the series in a new direction, but loses some of the charm in the process.
Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 6.4 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is definitely a very different experience to past games in the series.
Thumb Culture - Coral Louise - 6 / 10
I personally think Earth Defense Force: Iron rain is pretty good, maybe not so much my style of gaming as I didn’t feel the “nag” of wanting to go back and play it more like I usually would with many other games, the storyline is nice but I also think if I were to play the previous games I would understand the game and enjoy it more! I am going to give this game the thumb culture silver award as it did open my eyes to a whole new genre of gameplay, I just didn’t have the ” I NEED TO PLAY NOW” feeling towards it.
IGN Spain - José Cabrera - Spanish - 6 / 10
Unpretentious entertainment that drags too many technical and artistic aspects too outdated today.
Slant Magazine - Jed Pressgrove - 3 / 5 stars
What hurts the game the most isn't the lack of follow through on its initial critical gumption, but rather a lack of compelling drama in its later levels.
USgamer - Mike Williams - 3 / 5 stars
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain plays around with the concepts players have gotten used to with previous EDFs. Classes are open, and the new Prowl Rider offers a new flavor of play that hasn't been seen in the franchise before. Weapons are open, giving more player freedom in terms of character loadouts. But Iron Rain loses some things from the main series, notably the huge swarms of enemies in favor of larger, more meaningful enemies. It's a fine entry in the EDF franchise, but it doesn't step far beyond its predecessors sadly.
GameSpot - Justin Clark - 6 / 10
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain makes a few much-needed tweaks to the old formula, but it's still just another bug hunt.
MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 2.5 / 5
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.
A more grounded approach and a fresh coat of paint fail to address the series' inherent flaws, as the cheesy charm of fighting giant insects is lost in the process.
ACG - Jeremy Penter - Wait for Sale
Video Review - Quote not available
Posted Apr 11, 2019, 8:51 AM UTC · edited