Grab the bug spray, we’ve obtained one other infestation on our palms. A mere three months for the reason that final insect invasion hit our shores, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain invades Steam as we speak. It’s one other a kind of, completely, with loads of alternatives to show hundreds of bugs, robots and monsters into juicy yellow smears on the facet of a mountain. But this time round, EDF needs to be taken just a little bit extra critically, portray a extra up to date image of an extraterrestrial invasion – for higher and for worse.
Iron Rain is a major visible overhaul for a collection that’s largely gotten away with trying like an arcade novelty from the early noughties. But regardless of dropping these laborious edges and fuzzy textures, EDF is simply as involved as ever with splashing bug juice throughout the map.
All that trendy polish is joined by a need to be a bit extra critical, even when that veneer will be blown off with a sneeze. Iron Rain ditches among the campier sci-fi trappings for a character-driven plot with echoes of Starship Troopers and Independence Day. Utterly daft, utterly ridiculous, however with just a little extra plot between ant massacres.
Rather than selecting from a lineup of would-be cannon fodder, Iron Rain helps you to gown up your personal soldier for the primary time within the collection. You’ve been in a coma since beating the bugs seven years in the past – however the bugs are again, and also you’re the final of the MacGuffin-powered supersoldiers who can boot them again into orbit. Like this yr’s Earth Defense Force 5, there are 4 lessons to package out your soldier with. This time round, they simply occur to take the type of exosuit fashions fairly than anime stereotypes.
Turning down the camp is an odd search for EDF. From trying round, ditching Saturday morning sci-fi trappings appears to have soured long-time followers on Iron Rain. Despite the fashionable shine, it’s just a little duller to have a look at, the physics just a little too heavy. At the very least, although, it’s good to have an EDF game let me zip about on a jetpack with out pushing a pair of panties as much as the digicam.
Despite going for nearly 20 years, solely a handful of EDG games have made their approach to PC. If you’ve floor each different bug into the dust, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain will be picked up on Steam for £37/€40/$48.
