Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair
Jul 18, 2016 10 years ago
This updated version of Earth Defense Force 2025 marks the series first current-gen appearance. It sports improved performance, new content amounting to more than 50 percent of the original, two-player local co-op, and four player online co-op. The game is also being ported to PC "It's a fight for the future of the planet between the Ravagers, a merciless swarm of alien invaders, and the Earth Defense Force (EDF) in this third-person shooter. As an EDF soldier you will go head to head in fierce combat against the hordes of giant alien insects and their slaughtering machines. Play as four different classes in over 80 missions with a range of 800 weapons at your disposal. The most overwhelmingly numerous forces of Ravagers the series has ever seen will take the EDF fighters to the depths of despair and back! Online co-op play supported."
What it’s like
Earth Defense Force 4.1 delivers an unabashedly chaotic, arcade-style third-person shooter experience where the primary goal is obliterating overwhelming hordes of giant insects and alien machinery. The premise is simple: you are a soldier in the Earth Defense Force fighting for survival against the Ravagers across city-wide battlefields. The tone is intentionally over-the-top and non-immersive, embracing its identity as pure, unadulterated video game spectacle rather than serious narrative drama. Gameplay revolves around selecting one of four distinct classes—Ranger, Wing Diver, Air Raider, or Fencer—and wielding from a massive arsenal of over 800 weapons. The core loop involves running, gunning, and managing ammo while coordinating with up to three other players in online co-op or two in local split-screen. While the story serves merely as a backdrop for the action, the depth comes from weapon customization and class-specific abilities, offering substantial replayability through varied combat styles against increasingly dense enemy swarms.
Strong in Co-op / MultiplayerCombatGameplay / MechanicsPolish / PerformanceProgression / ReplayabilitySystems Depth / Build Variety
Keep in mind The narrative and character writing are virtually non-existent, serving only to justify the shooting; do not expect emotional engagement or plot. The visual style is intentionally cluttered and chaotic, which can make tracking individual enemies difficult during peak moments of action.
AI-generated from catalog data, informed by reviews from pcgamer.com, metacritic.com, wise-cafe.com, destructoid.com, ztgd.com, gamespew.com.
Screenshots
Releases
| Platform | Region | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 4 | Worldwide | Full release | Feb 12, 201611 years ago |
| PC (Microsoft Windows) | Worldwide | Full release | Jul 18, 201610 years ago |
