Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Earth Defense Force 2017 places you squarely in the boots of an EDF infantryman, facing down ceaseless waves of giant insects, alien combat mechs, and towering robots across sprawling, destructible environments. Each mission feels like a frantic struggle for survival as you dodge acid-spitting ants or rocket pods from hovering alien cruisers. The sheer scale and number of enemies on-screen at once create a delightful chaos that few shooters dare to replicate.

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The core progression revolves around collecting Weapon objects dropped by fallen foes, granting you random new pieces of firepower. With 170 weapons spanning assault rifles, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, grenades and more, experimenting with different loadouts becomes a key part of the fun. Some guns excel at rapid crowd control, while others are perfect for delivering devastating one-shot kills on giant bosses.

Adding depth to the battlefield, EDF 2017 features controllable vehicles—helicopters, battlemechs, tanks, and motorcycles—sprinkled throughout select maps. Jumping into a hovercraft to mow down rooftop arachnids or commandeering a mech for a close-up brawl with a colossal alien walker keeps the pacing fresh. The inclusion of AI-controlled friendly soldiers for the first time in the series also makes the battlefield feel more like a warzone, as squads of marines rush in to support your push.

For those craving cooperative action, the Xbox 360 version’s two-player split-screen mode offers both cooperative and competitive play. Teaming up to tackle the 53 missions elevates the carnage, allowing you to strategize with a friend—one covering air targets from a chopper while the other racks up kills on street level. Even in versus mode, chaos reigns supreme as you fight for kill counts amidst alien onslaughts.

Graphics

Visually, Earth Defense Force 2017 embraces a rugged, arcade-inspired aesthetic rather than cutting-edge realism. Character models and insect enemies are blocky by modern standards, but this rough-around-the-edges style contributes to the game’s charming, B-movie vibe. Explosions flare with satisfying gusto, and buildings collapse in spectacular fashion, reinforcing the feeling that you’re in a full-scale invasion.

The game’s large-scale maps—ranging from urban streets to underground caves and coastal zones—offer varied backdrops for the action. While environments can sometimes feel sparse or repetitive, they allow for maximum public destruction without choking the frame rate. Even when dozens of enemies swarm the screen alongside particle-heavy explosions, EDF 2017 rarely dips below a smooth 30 frames per second.

Texture pop-in and simplistic lighting effects are noticeable if you scrutinize every pixel, but they’re easily forgiven given the relentless pace of combat. In fact, the game’s technical modesty ensures that player movement and enemy animations remain crisp, avoiding sluggishness during the most intense firefights. Occasional draw-in of distant enemy columns is a small price to pay for maintaining that trademark EDF intensity.

Color palettes shift nicely from neon-lit cityscapes to the earthy tones of subterranean tunnels. Alien bio-lights and weapon muzzle flashes stand out impressively against darker backdrops, guiding your eye to the most critical battle zones. The occasional technical quirk becomes part of the experience—after all, EDF’s unpolished charm is its selling point.

Story

Story in EDF 2017 is straightforward: it’s humanity’s last stand against an overwhelming alien menace in the year 2017. There’s no sprawling narrative or deep character arcs—just nonstop, globe-spanning defense operations. This simplicity works in the game’s favor, keeping the focus squarely on the thrill of firefights rather than cutscene exposition.

The lore is lightly sprinkled through mission briefs and radio chatter, painting a picture of a beleaguered Earth Defense Force scrambling to hold the line. English releases retain the original Japanese voiceovers, lending an authentic, militaristic edge to command directives and soldier banter. Hearing panicky reports of giant ants overrunning downtown Tokyo never gets old.

Each mission adds a small piece to the broader alien-invasion puzzle, from citywide evacuations to desperate last stands on crumbling beachheads. While the narrative can feel repetitive—aliens attack, EDF fights back, aliens regroup—it’s precisely this formulaic loop that keeps the adrenaline high. When a massive UFO finally descends onto the map in the penultimate missions, you feel the years of alien terror crescendo in a thrilling finale.

For players seeking a narrative with twists and moral dilemmas, EDF 2017 may come off as light. But if you relish pure, unadulterated action punctuated with dramatic radio updates and simple mission objectives, the story framework here is more than sufficient to drive you forward through all 53 levels.

Overall Experience

Earth Defense Force 2017 delivers a uniquely satisfying blend of over-the-top action, massive enemy numbers, and an unapologetically retro charm. The game never pretends to be anything other than a B-movie shooter, and in embracing that identity it carves out an experience unlike any other mainstream title. Every mission feels like the climax of a disaster film, complete with towering monsters and backdrops in ruin.

Replayability is formidable thanks to the vast arsenal of weapons and the random nature of weapon drops. Rushing through missions on higher difficulties and trying out new loadouts keeps the gameplay loop fresh long after your first completion. The split-screen multiplayer adds replay value for couch co-op fans, though an online mode would’ve been a welcome addition.

Performance remains rock-solid even in the most chaotic encounters, and while the graphics lean on the simplistic side, they never detract from the core fun. Sound design—especially the retained Japanese radio chatter—heightens immersion, making every mission feel like a crucial battle for Earth’s survival.

Ultimately, Earth Defense Force 2017 is a budget-priced gem for action enthusiasts. It doesn’t overreach or overpromise; instead, it delivers exactly what it advertises—an unrelenting, high-octane war against colossal alien invaders. If you’re prepared to embrace the game’s quirks and revel in mass insect eradication, you’ll find few shooters as pure and unhinged as this EDF entry.

Retro Replay Score

7.3/10