Earthfall

There might have been plenty of co-op shooters since Left 4 Dead, but few managed to wrangle the same fun, fear and frantic combat as Earthfall did.

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"Earthfall is a Science Fiction Shooter game with single-player and multiplayer co-op modes for up to 4 players. Battle an extraterrestrial invasion in the Pacific Northwest using futuristic weaponry and deployable barricades. Experience tense, procedurally generated gameplay and a well-crafted story across 15 levels."

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Reviews

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,122 reviews

gameplay61 positive mentions

stability20 negative mentions

Fun gameplay reminiscent of Left 4 Dead with new mechanics like barricades and turrets.
Good graphics and sound design, creating an immersive experience.
Engaging co-op experience that encourages teamwork and strategy.

Limited content with only two campaigns and a lack of replayability.
AI teammates are often unhelpful and can hinder gameplay.
Weapons feel weak and lack impactful sound effects, diminishing the shooting experience.

gameplay
231 mentions
26 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Earthfall is heavily inspired by the Left 4 Dead series, featuring cooperative mechanics and alien enemies instead of zombies. While some players appreciate the introduction of new features like barricades and 3D printing for weapons, many criticize the overall execution as lacking depth and polish, leading to a repetitive and uninspired experience. The game offers a mix of fun and frustration, particularly in its reliance on basic mechanics and the absence of engaging content, making it a hit or miss for fans of the genre.
- “The gameplay mechanics are a lot better and allow for variety.”
- “Earthfall is a co-op FPS that has a lot of unique gameplay elements while still being somewhat faithful to the Left 4 Dead formula.”
- “The gameplay is nice, the game is actually pretty hard even on regular.”
- “I downloaded it a few years ago out of boredom and thought it was ridiculous, with bland gameplay, horrible visual/auditory design, and enough incoherence in its draft to make each and every gameplay event feel sporadic and disjointed, with a myriad of pieces that don't fit together.”
- “The gameplay, the texture work, the suburbs... everything feels like a Left 4 Dead mod.”
- “The gameplay is very boring.”
story
184 mentions
16 % positive mentions
78 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as weak and unremarkable, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth and character development. While some players found the lore and setting intriguing, the narrative is often described as disjointed and simplistic, primarily serving as a backdrop for repetitive mission objectives. Overall, the story fails to engage players meaningfully, leading to a consensus that it needs significant expansion and improvement to enhance the gaming experience.
- “The story is quite fascinating when you explore, kill, and play as the four main characters.”
- “The setting of Earthfall is a post-apocalyptic world set after an alien invasion, with bits of lore that you can unlock by interacting with your environment and then read later, a pretty neat idea that gradually reveals the backstory without interrupting the game.”
- “The story drew me in; I liked having to explore for the lore, the characters, while a little bland at first, were still interesting.”
- “The story, along with complementary cringe dialogue, could have been written by a ten-year-old.”
- “Almost zero thought went into the narrative and objectives; there is not even an intro or some explanatory tutorial section with some story bits.”
- “There is no decent amount of story to link the characters between one mission and the next, leaving you wondering what the hell happened between the missions.”
graphics
165 mentions
44 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as decent or even impressive, particularly for an indie title using Unreal Engine 4. However, many others criticize the graphics for being inconsistent, with some areas described as "hideous" or reminiscent of outdated designs, leading to a perception of overall mediocrity. While the game can run smoothly on lower settings, performance issues and graphical glitches are noted, suggesting that optimization is still needed.
- “The graphics are amazing.. attention to detail is amazing!!”
- “The graphics are well done.”
- “The graphics look cool and the aliens are very interesting.”
- “While the level design is passable, graphically speaking, the game is hideous - some outdoor areas literally look like that 'painted world' section of Oblivion, and since it's Unreal Engine we are speaking of, we know it's the fault of the developers and not the engine.”
- “Should use more graphics, textures awful; this game is an exercise in how to take one of the best graphics engines, Unreal 4, and make it look as bad as possible.”
- “The graphics really aren't that great, and I'm still getting drops from 90 to 50 in sticky situations.”
optimization
60 mentions
18 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant performance issues, bugs, and glitches even years after release. While a few users noted improvements and stable performance on certain setups, many others experienced frame drops and unoptimized gameplay, particularly on lower-end hardware. Overall, the game appears to require further optimization to enhance the experience for a broader range of players.
- “The game is well optimized.”
- “The graphics are pretty good, and with that, the game is optimized very well. I don't have the greatest PC, but I am able to run this game at 50-80 fps (it jumps according to what environment I'm in).”
- “As far as game performance goes, it is perfectly optimized.”
- “Even years after release, the game is riddled with bugs, glitches, and performance issues.”
- “Game is very unoptimized; they claim you only need a 750 to run it, yet I can't even get solid performance at low settings on an R9 380.”
- “The game needs more optimization for sure, and trust me, it's not my computer.”
music
32 mentions
34 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to create atmosphere and enhance gameplay during tense moments, while others criticize it as forgettable or poorly suited to the game's themes. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's role in building excitement, but a significant number express dissatisfaction, suggesting it lacks variety and imagination. Overall, while some find the music enjoyable and fitting, others feel it detracts from the experience, leading to a polarized reception.
- “Music is good and creates an atmosphere of excitement and urgency.”
- “The story is pretty decent, the shooting is pretty good, and I actually love the soundtrack.”
- “Amazing music and character acting with clear voice overs and witty comments.”
- “Music is like sitting in a lift waiting to get to your floor; it's terrible.”
- “Just bad, 0 imagination and variety of music.”
- “But the music in missions is so crappy I had to disable it because my ears were bleeding.”
stability
24 mentions
13 % positive mentions
4 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and performance issues even years after its release. While some users experience minor lags and occasional glitches, others describe the game as a "buggy, broken mess" that can lead to frustrating gameplay interruptions. Overall, the stability issues detract significantly from the experience, although a few players have noted smoother performance under specific conditions.
- “The game runs great, but when you zoom in with the sniper it just feels buggy.”
- “First, I'm playing this on Linux Wine, it runs great, solo and online (at the moment). Hope devs support it ahead.”
- “Looks good, runs great.”
- “Even years after release, the game is riddled with bugs, glitches, and performance issues.”
- “This game is a buggy, broken mess.”
- “Several FPS drops, bugs, glitches, exploits, and so on.”
humor
17 mentions
88 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of playful and situational comedy, with some players finding the character remarks and lore amusing, while others note that the humor doesn't reach the memorable heights of other co-op games. The chaotic interactions, such as friendly fire and AI antics, can lead to both funny and frustrating moments, contributing to an overall lighthearted experience despite some gameplay issues. While the game has its comedic elements, it may not consistently deliver the same level of humor as its predecessors in the genre.
- “Action co-op FPS with strategy elements, the game is really funny and alive by itself.”
- “There is lots of humor and very well-crafted lore scattered around for you to enjoy.”
- “Having a lot of fun, the story is much better for me than a zombie outbreak and the lore is so funny haha.”
- “It seems lately (and by lately I mean in the last 5-6 years) that co-op shooters ending with -fall have had some kind of curse placed on them that makes them end up an absolute unfunny mess.”
- “They're playful but not funny.”
replayability
17 mentions
35 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the inventive maps and co-op gameplay that encourage multiple playthroughs, many criticize the limited content, linear levels, and lack of diverse game modes, leading to a perception of low replay value. Despite some enjoyable mechanics and a challenging survival mode, the consensus suggests that the game may become repetitive quickly, with insufficient variety to sustain long-term engagement.
- “There's even an overall story essentially across 2 campaigns, but this is a replayability game.”
- “Pros: reasonably priced; inventive, highly replayable maps; lots of guns and melee weapons; beautiful graphics; blistering combat sound effects and moody atmospheric sound effects; music that reflects the moment: tense and expectant or heart-bursting and terrifying; co-op is the best to come along in ages; satisfying gameplay; has that gotta-play-one-more quality; has a superior survival mode, in which you must withstand 20 waves of enemies, while using varying resources to protect yourself and your squad, and to eliminate all the clawing, spitting, exploding, crushing, biting, and lasering beasts thrown at you.”
- “The only downside to this game is how short it is, but the replay value is definitely there all the way, especially with multiplayer and the various difficulties.”
- “Not enough content, not enough replay value, not enough new ideas.”
- “Once finished, replay value is low given the linear levels and gameplay.”
- “My only complaint is that it quickly becomes repetitive and has low replay value due to having few levels.”
atmosphere
16 mentions
50 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the fresh and slightly eerie setting of an alien-occupied land, complemented by decent graphics and effective sound design. However, many reviewers feel that it falls short compared to similar titles like Left 4 Dead, citing a lack of depth and immersion, as well as underwhelming enemy design. While there are commendable elements, such as engaging music and a sense of urgency, the overall execution leaves room for improvement.
- “The atmosphere, gunplay, and the skill system, although grindy, are worth more than nothing at all.”
- “Music is good and creates an atmosphere of excitement and urgency.”
- “The graphics and atmosphere really look cool and immersive.”
- “And for attempts in the field of atmosphere and plot, at least an attempt, I will never raise my hand to dislike the game and hate the authors. Thanks to the haters, we got an absolutely plotless and atmosphereless 'Back 4 Blood'.”
- “The atmosphere is nowhere near as creepy as Left 4 Dead, perhaps due to the nature of the enemies in this game (aliens); the maps are expansive and, although pretty linear, there is a bit of space to explore and find new weapons.”
- “Currently, the guns feel weak, the sound seems odd (it sounds like some sounds are missing or not playing for some reason), and this makes the game lack atmosphere, which Left 4 Dead had in spades.”
grinding
12 mentions
8 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort to progress through skill trees and achievements. While some appreciate the meaningful rewards tied to grinding, many express frustration over the repetitive nature and disproportionate demands of skill progression, suggesting it detracts from the overall experience.
- “No progression, thus no grinding, only skill matters.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Disproportionately grindy skill progression.”
- “I do feel the current skills progression is too grindy in some skills (150 bosses killed just to unlock a skill?) but it's a step in the right direction.”
monetization
7 mentions
14 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
86 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is primarily centered around the inclusion of ads, which players feel enhance gameplay by allowing for features like deployable barricades and turrets. While some appreciate the added mechanics, others express a desire for more pronounced effects and improvements in gameplay elements, suggesting that the reliance on ads may overshadow other aspects of the game.
- “There's ads to make those headshots easier.”
- “Really, the only thing this game has over L4D2 is ads; that's about it.”
- “4 player co-op FPS that takes the standard formula (pull the lever, wait for script, shoot some guys, save your friend who is being eaten at the moment, collect seven unicorns, make it to the end of a level alive, repeat) and ads deployable barricades and turrets.”
emotional
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find it to be a wholesome and fun experience, others feel that outdated references and repetitive gameplay contribute to a lack of tension and immersion, leading to feelings of frustration and nausea. Overall, the emotional engagement is hindered by poor sound design and uninspired character presence.
- “All around wholesome fun game.”