EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5

96%
Game Brain Score Based on 5,211 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 Game Cover
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"Earth Defense Force 5" is an arcade shooter set in 2022, where you join the EDF to fight against enormous alien invaders, known as the Primers, in a battle to save the earth. With a variety of missions and weapons, up to four players can play online co-op or local split-screen, fighting against the intelligent humanoid aliens that the series has introduced for the first time. The game promises to bring depths of despair and heights of joy, making it the most jam-packed entry yet in the EDF series.

  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

96%
Audience ScoreBased on 5,211 reviews
story156 positive mentions
graphics50 negative mentions
  • story1,198 mentions

    The story in "Earth Defense Force 5" is characterized by its campy, B-movie style, featuring a humorous and absurd narrative about humanity's struggle against an alien invasion. While the plot is often described as simplistic and repetitive, it serves as a backdrop for the game's extensive mission structure, which includes over 100 missions filled with chaotic action and quirky dialogue. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone and the entertaining voice acting, even if the story itself lacks depth and coherence, making it more of a vehicle for gameplay than a focal point.

    • “The story is a reboot, and it has so many quality of life changes from the previous games that I find going back to the older entries genuinely challenging.”
    • “The story is a radio drama in the same vein as the original War of the Worlds.”
    • “The story is just an excuse to shoot aliens, with b-tier dialogues and humor, but I would lie if I said I didn't enjoy it.”
    • “The story and dialogue sound like the fever dream of an autistic 10-year-old, and it's the story Heinlein wished he had the balls to write.”
    • “The story is light on plot and the enemies could use a few more variations.”
  • gameplay395 mentions

    The gameplay of Earth Defense Force 5 is characterized by its engaging and chaotic third-person shooter mechanics, featuring four distinct classes that offer varied playstyles and a plethora of weapons. While some players note the repetitive nature of missions and dated graphics, many praise the game's fun, addictive loop of combat against hordes of giant enemies, enhanced by quality-of-life improvements and a humorous, campy atmosphere. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a significant evolution from previous entries, providing hours of entertainment, especially in cooperative play.

    • “The developers clearly focused on what matters: the gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay in the series never felt better; now wing divers can dash, rangers have access to epsilon tanks, fencers can equip two passive upgrades, and air raiders have non-clunky mechs and a clean area-of-effect UI to properly aim all their aerial assault weapons.”
    • “Its over-the-top gameplay, massive battles, and diverse arsenal of weapons provide an exhilarating and addictive experience.”
    • “The gameplay can be repetitive and the underground missions suck.”
    • “Boring enemies, terrible graphics and gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is simplistic but well implemented and just plain fun to do.”
  • graphics272 mentions

    The graphics of the game have been widely described as dated, often likened to early PS2 or PS3 visuals, with many reviewers noting that they are not the game's strong point. However, this retro aesthetic is often seen as a trade-off for the game's engaging gameplay and the ability to display large numbers of enemies and explosions on screen without significant performance issues. While some players appreciate the charm of the simplistic graphics, others feel that they detract from the overall experience, especially given the game's price point.

    • “Controls (I use Xbox One controller) are as tight as I could hope for from an EDF, and graphics are the best I've seen from the franchise.”
    • “The graphics are great and run smooth even on my dinosaur desktop with a 2nd gen i5 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT 730. Of course, the 4-player co-op is one of the most fun out there.”
    • “The graphics are fine, especially considering the amount of enemies that spawn.”
    • “Boring enemies, terrible graphics and gameplay.”
    • “Ugly as piss, basically Dreamcast graphics.”
    • “The graphics suck hardcore for a game that expensive.”
  • humor194 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its campy, B-movie style dialogue and intentionally bad voice acting, which many players find hilarious and charming. The absurdity of the scenarios, combined with over-the-top action and ridiculous weapons, creates a fun and chaotic atmosphere, especially in multiplayer settings. While some players note that the humor can be hit or miss, the overall consensus is that the game delivers a consistently entertaining and laugh-out-loud experience.

    • “Hilariously campy voice lines, excellent gameplay, multiplayer servers seem pretty stable for my first 6 hours.”
    • “The game has a wonderful sense of humor, in which the in-game events and dialogue are absolutely absurd, but the game takes itself completely seriously.”
    • “This game embodies the feeling of watching a cheesy b-movie the best with its hilarious dialogue and non-stop carnage.”
    • “And lately I've been thinking that if I were the leader, I would issue Order 227 because there are a lot of defeatists and panic mongers who like to create drama and demoralize the troops. If this is one of the jokes, then I'd say it's not funny.”
    • “The reason why wing divers have skimpy outfits is because clothes drag them down; it's supposed to be funny.”
    • “(i.e. the chief commander is way too serious and not funny at all.)”
  • music129 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the absence of the iconic EDF song from the previous installment, EDF 4.1. While some appreciate the campy and cheesy soundtrack that fits the game's over-the-top theme, others feel that the new songs lack the same energy and memorability. Overall, the music is described as fitting for the game's atmosphere but not as impactful as its predecessor's.

    • “The soundtrack is a glorious mix of retro alien tech and glorious beats to shoot aliens to.”
    • “As a bonus to an insanely fun concept, the game features seamless multiplayer, an inspiring/eargasmic soundtrack that is a blend of military inspiration, symphonic tension, and good old-fashioned rock.”
    • “The music is good and what you'd expect for such a silly premise; the graphics are appropriately cartoony without being bad, and the voice acting is appropriate for what they're going for.”
    • “The music is average; better to have something on in the background.”
    • “The song is significantly downgraded from 4.1, which is a letdown.”
    • “The new song outright sucks compared to 4.1.”
  • grinding114 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is a significant point of contention among players, with many finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly when it comes to farming for weapons and armor upgrades. While some enjoy the grind as part of the gameplay loop, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, especially given the RNG elements involved in weapon upgrades. However, improvements in item pickup and shared loot systems have made grinding somewhat less burdensome compared to previous installments, allowing for a more enjoyable experience, especially in multiplayer settings.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “If you don't care about completion, though, the game isn't that grindy to just beat the game.”
    • “The grind for new or upgrades of current weaponry that a person has can get tedious.”
    • “Not only is there obscene grinding to get all the weapons, there's often multiple variants ranging from level 1 to 120 and every weapon's stats may be randomly upgraded after mission completion.”
    • “This game does have some big flaws; if you are someone who utterly detests grinding, then I must ask you to think carefully about this game. Unlocking new weapons and gadgets is heavily RNG focused, and it can get very lame when you're getting a lot of upgrades for that one peashooter that you never used, meanwhile your favorite weapon still takes 9 years to reload.”
  • replayability53 mentions

    The game boasts exceptional replayability, with hundreds of hours of content, multiple difficulty levels, and diverse classes that offer unique gameplay experiences. Players appreciate the extensive variety of missions and handcrafted loot, which enhances the replay value significantly. While some critiques mention a grind, the overall consensus is that the game remains engaging and fun, making it a standout in terms of replayability among its peers.

    • “The replayability of this game is amazing, with new weapons and upgrades getting introduced in harder difficulties.”
    • “With over 100 missions, five difficulty levels, and loot for each one (which isn't procedurally generated loot either, every gun is hand crafted and upgradable when you find copies of it), there's tons of replay value here.”
    • “There is an absolute ton of missions, and each class plays very differently, so the replayability really can't be overstated.”
    • “It doesn't make much sense in the first place to have a game that long when one of its main appeals is how replayable it is.”
    • “The game would have more replayability with a lesser amount of levels, but with a higher amount of passion spent on them.”
    • “It's good, I had fun in the first playthrough, then find out there's not much replay value left for single players.”
  • optimization52 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant improvements over previous titles, particularly in handling large-scale battles without major performance drops. However, many users have reported issues such as stuttering, crashes, and poor port quality, especially on high-end systems, suggesting that while the game can run smoothly under certain conditions, it still requires further optimization to enhance overall performance. Additionally, specific tweaks, like adjusting graphics settings in the NVIDIA control panel, have been recommended to mitigate some of these performance issues.

    • “Surprisingly, this didn't negatively impact performance as it still got great framerate during the session.”
    • “The game seems to handle the irresponsible amount of explosions quite well so far without any performance drops that I've noticed.”
    • “In terms of stability and performance, both have been completely fine - no crashes or bugs, or performance drops (at least that I could spot with the eyeball mk-1 benchmarking tool) even during the heavier fights.”
    • “The very first mission is met with horrible stuttering and several crashes.”
    • “Only problem is this is an absolutely garbage port, missing so many basic features and plagued with performance problems.”
    • “I found performance to be pretty dreadful with constant drops.”
  • stability37 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant bugs, glitches, and freezing issues that hinder gameplay. While some players note improvements over previous versions, such as better performance on certain platforms and less frequent crashes, the consensus remains that the game is still quite buggy and can be frustrating to play. Despite these issues, some players find the experience enjoyable and fun, suggesting that the game's charm may outweigh its technical shortcomings for certain audiences.

    • “This one runs great on my Steam Deck!”
    • “EDF 5's concept is simple, but the execution is better than the other games in the series and it runs great on PC.”
    • “Runs great, coop is flawless!”
    • “A buggy mess of a game.”
    • “Less than a minute into the first mission, the game simply freezes and can only be ended with task manager.”
    • “For the things it does well, the simple fact is the game consistently freezes and crashes my machine, despite multiple attempts to fix the game.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is a unique blend of dark comedy and camp, enhanced by cheesy yet endearing voice acting and an intense soundtrack that evokes both awe and immersion. While the premise of an alien invasion is familiar, the over-the-top execution and humorous elements create a surprisingly engaging experience, despite moments of somberness. Overall, the atmosphere effectively complements the gameplay, making it a fun and memorable adventure.

    • “And my personal biggest distinction is the atmosphere and immersion.”
    • “The premise 'alien invasion' is a well-known one, however this game goes all in and above, over the top, with fantastic mission voice acting and a somber/heavy overall atmosphere.”
    • “The soundtrack does a very good job of setting an atmosphere of intensity and in some cases, one of pure awe.”
    • “But overall, the game played in a single-player atmosphere can feel quite depressing.”
    • “So I'd more or less call EDF a dark comedy considering the huge amount of weapons and vehicles that are just plain silly, like grenade launchers that split into two streams, forcing you to lean your character to the side if you actually want to hit anything. It never fails to amuse me when soldiers talk about saving the city while your air raider levels the cityscape with an ICBM.”
    • “The premise of 'alien invasion' is a well-known one; however, this game goes all in and above, over the top, with fantastic mission voice acting and a somber, heavy overall atmosphere.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    Reviews highlight a mixed emotional experience in the game, with some players finding it wholesome and engaging due to cooperative elements, while others feel a lack of motivation and excitement, describing their emotional response as cold and uninspired. The narrative offers moments of emotional depth, particularly in character development and thematic resonance, but the overall execution may not resonate with all players, leading to a varied emotional impact.

    • “Really wholesome experience considering the theme of the game.”
    • “The start from being security personnel to [spoiler] becoming Storm 1 and saving a devastated Earth from the god-like nameless was an emotional rollercoaster.”
    • “I could have sworn that I saw my dad in the game for a second... I find myself struggling with the emotional consequences of shooting them because of their uncanny resemblance to humans.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, battle passes, and rotating store items, providing a refreshing experience free from the pressures of "live services" and FOMO. Players appreciate the straightforward purchase model, emphasizing that it offers enjoyable co-op multiplayer without the typical monetization pitfalls found in many modern games.

    • “No endless microtransactions to bleed you dry, no battle passes or rotating store items to induce FOMO.”
    • “The fact that the game format is also an ideal online co-op multiplayer -- without any of the bullsh*t of 'live services' or microtransactions modern gamers are forced to tolerate these days -- is another big plus.”
    • “No microtransactions.”
  • character development5 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting a downgrade in character designs and dialogue compared to its predecessor, EDF 4.1. However, others appreciate the improvements in gameplay and find the story engaging, despite personal preferences for character aesthetics. Overall, while the character designs may not meet everyone's expectations, the humor and art style contribute positively to the game's charm.

    • “Good game and funny story if you don't listen to the screams, also nice character design and art.”
    • “The first thing you'll probably notice beyond the silliness of the concept and character designs is the game's dialogue.”
    • “Story was pretty good; I just don't know what to complain about. Maybe the character design could be cooler, but that's just a personal grudge of mine.”
    • “Some downgrades in regards to character designs and dialogue.”
    • “The first thing you'll probably notice is the game's dialogue.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

76hMedian play time
107hAverage play time
40-200hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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