EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS 2
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS 2
Game
Game2019
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN
Developer YUKE'S
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a third-person shooter video game developed by Yuke's and published by D3 Publisher for the PlayStation 4. It is a spin-off of the Earth Defense Force series and, like the previous 2011 spin-off Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, is geared more toward Western audiences, with a more serious tone compared to the main series by Sandlot. A Japanese release date was initially set… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
297 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
59
Mixed
108 positive · 76 negative
95% range 51–66%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 108 | 76 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 30 | 3 | 57 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| Mastodon * | 4 | 0 | 6 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
515 of 835 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
58% recommend · 106 yes, 77 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 183 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (907 of 1,535 positive).
Players are divided, with many saying it is a fun but flawed spinoff that differs from mainline EDF. [1][2][3] Some reviewers praise the Prowl Rider class and character customization, while others criticize the AI and weapon balance. [4][5][6] Several posters recommend buying it on sale rather than at full price due to its shorter campaign and DLC issues. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [17]
Does not have the charm or fun of the other EDF games
- [6]
Welp finally completed this pile of... Things calling itself EDF. Pro: - Can customize character to your liking -3 basic and 2 unique armor types - Weapons can be used by any selected armor type - Graphics Con: - AI of NPC are trash - The difficulty is all over the place - Weapon and health need to be bought with crystals and credits - using Items and vehicles will deduct credits from your mission reward Game also …
- [4]
People are WAY too hard on this game. As a veteran of 4.1, I find Iron Rain to be lacking almost nothing. You have a "sprint" now, the Prowl Rider class is really cool, you can customize your character beyond just recolouring armor, and more weapon categories feel like they have some viable members. Many people complain that there is no Air Raider, but this isn't a fair argument. Yes, there is no class who functions …
- [5]
EDF: Iron Rain. Arguably the most hated of the EDF games, sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not. Lets break this down.(Skip ahead for TL/DR, this is gonna be a big one.) Main Cons. 1: Friendly AI. Yes, they're absolute garbage and won't help you at all in a fight. This is one of the few things I see people complain about with IR that I 100% agree with, but its far from the dealbreaker it sounds like. See, if …
- [1]
CONTENT AVAILABLE: ✔️ Coop mission = Offline + Online ✔️ Impressive description about weapons ✔️ Variety of weapons + equipments ✔️ Powerful swords ✔️ Player customization ❌ Squad commands ❌ Content up to 30+ hours ❌ Remove useless gun ❌ Score / Time Attack for replay value GRADE MATCHED WORTH PLAYING? DISCOUNT? A+ 5 Loving it No Wait A 3-4 Liked it No Wait B 2 Half satisfied Wait 50% C 1 Lack of interest Wait 75% D …
Summarised from 34 of the 284 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN sits at 59% positive across 184 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain has an aggregate score of 69 on Metacritic based on 49 reviews.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 297 · most liked firstYour PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup for August: 🐉 Mortal Kombat 1 🕸️ Marvel’s Spider-Man 🏄 Sword of the Sea 👾 Earth Defense Force 6 …and more, all available Aug 19. Full details: play.st/4mEVt3N
neutral · AI labelView post →I think the power of the Earth Defense Force series is that it is the most genuine game series in the history of humanity. If the dialogue says "there's 1,000 ants coming this way" the game stutters for a second as 1,000 ants instantiate. There's no lie in this game.
positive · AI labelView post →The new Earth Defense Force game looks a bit different...
neutral · AI labelView post →My take on video games with lots of enemies on screen at once is that Earth Defense Force is cool and also more smartly designed than it looks and that you should have to play at least one every year in order to have a license to say "[new, reasonably budgeted Japanese game] is like a PS2 game."
positive · AI labelView post →PS Plus Game Catalog | August 2025 ▪️Mortal Kombat 1 ▪️Marvel’s Spider-Man ▪️Sword of the Sea ▪️Earth Defense Force 6 ▪️Unicorn Overlord ▪️Atelier Ryza 3 ▪️Indika ▪️Harold Halibut ▪️Coral Island PS Premium Classics ▪️Resident Evil 2 ▪️Resident Evil 3: Nemesis ➡️ blog.playstation.com/2025/08/13/p... #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →Video game: Earth Defense Force 2017 Language: English Country: United States
neutral · AI labelView post →I used to play everything. Then I developed a sense of taste and learned to recognize what I know I wouldn't much care for, and don't bother with those games. I like shit with complexity, depth of mechanics, and loads of weirdness. Like Dwarf Fortress, Kenshi, Earth Defense Force, and soulslikes. Popular AAA games tend to be anything but that. The newest game of high caliber complexity that is also popular and AAA I do like is Baldur's Gate 3.
positive · AI labelView post →I reviewed Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2! It's such a fun game, just as delightful as the first but with more stuff. It's so nice to have an EDF game I actually love. Read more here: www.thejimquisition.com/post/earth-d...
positive · AI labelView post →Nobody makes bad games like Earth Defense Force anymore. Developers used to make bespoke game engines for their horrible experiences. There simply is no charm in a bad game if it's made in Unreal Engine or Unity
positive · AI labelView post →Here's a quick list of inexpensive games I think your kids could enjoy. All of these are shared screen games and I've played (almost) all of these with my kid who is around the same age. All of these run great on my Steam Deck. - [BattleBlock Theater](https://store.steampowered.com/app/238460/BattleBlock_Theater/) $15 on Steam - [Broforce](https://store.steampowered.com/app/274190/Broforce/) $15 on Steam - [Castle Crashers](https://store.steampowered.com/app/204360/Castle_Crashers/) $15 on…
neutral · AI labelView post →Has there ever been a series more true to itself than Earth Defense Force. It was born a PS2 game and continues to be one to this very day.
positive · AI labelView post →have you ever thought to yourself “this video game is good but I wish it felt more Video Game?” if so I highly recommend Earth Defense Force 5. it’s the Most Video Game™️
positive · AI labelView post →Mentioned it before, but The Last Salvage Squad is shaping up to be a very fun little arcade FPS, with a 'What if Earth Defense Force was a Virtual Boy game' aesthetic. A team of giant robot women defend a ruined earth with only one gun. If you die, your next character/life has to recover the gun.
neutral · AI labelView post →Ep. 368 - Are You There, God? It’s Me, The Witcher Our panel designs a game based on John Brown’s slave owner-killing rampage across America, explains Earth Defense Force, and discovers the unreleased MC Hammer Sega CD game. listen: insertcredit.com/show/368
neutral · AI labelView post →Before Helldivers we have EDF
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for August: Mortal Kombat 1, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Sword of the Sea, Earth Defense Force 6 and more. ow.ly/PnEe50WFlH8 PlayStation Plus Premium: Resident Evil 2 & 3 (PS1 Versions)
neutral · AI labelView post →Aquaplus becomes a subsidiary of Yuke's The company is best known for developing the WWE game series, based on professional wrestling. It also developed a few spin-offs of the Earth Defense Force series
neutral · AI labelView post →Earth Defense Force is so good. You have to play for hours to get this, grinding away, and your reward is a ridiculous stupid idiot weapon. It's a good video game.
positive · AI labelView post →My all time favorite co-op games are: Helldivers 2, Vermintide 2 and Deep Rock Galactic. They are very much online games tough. For offline local co-op my picks would be: the entire Trine series, Streets of Rage 4, Earth Defense Force 5 and Renegade Ops.
positive · AI labelView post →Does not have the charm or fun of the other EDF games
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You might think there's a redeeming factor in Earth Defense Force 6 despite it being a bad game, but it being bad is part of the draw, and it is bad in so many ways that will surprise you. Genuinely a game that would've lived on the 360, released in 2024 for 60 of god's own dollars
negative · AI labelView post →I got an item drop in second mission that required paid DLC to use.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You need an Epic Games account for online play in Earth Defense Force 6 on Steam, and fans are reviewbombing the game. This requirement was also not made clear before launch. EDF6 devs are looking into making some changes.
neutral · AI labelView post →Our list of Switch 2 Game-Key Card releases updated to include Earth Defense Force 5 and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition (CERO confirmed for now): www.dekudeals.com/guides/about...
neutral · AI labelView post →So here are some restocks. The Earth Defense Force games are a lot of fun and Vampire Hunter is one of my favorite fighting games. Don't sleep on Game Boy Zelda, Band Brothers DX or the 2nd Katamari Damacy game either. Again: Use discount code “BSTariffRefund”. Site: japanretrodirect.ocnk.com
positive · AI labelView post →I spent all evening finishing Star Fox Assualt. A game that is Earth Defense Force, Panzer Dragoon Oorta, Sin And Punishment, and maybe a few others in there. The last third of the game is a pretty long slog with overly big levels. and the final level is super hard.
neutral · AI labelView post →EDF Iron Rain is no Mainline EDF And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The core gameplay loop is different, yes, and the campaign is shorter, yes. But it has its charms and if you go in to it expecting some good stupid fun, you'll be pleased. It is in no way as bad as everyone says it is
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →CONTENT AVAILABLE: ✔️ Coop mission = Offline + Online ✔️ Impressive description about weapons ✔️ Variety of weapons + equipments ✔️ Powerful swords ✔️ Player customization ❌ Squad commands ❌ Content up to 30+ hours ❌ Remove useless gun ❌ Score / Time Attack for replay value GRADE MATCHED WORTH PLAYING? DISCOUNT? A+ 5 Loving it No Wait A 3-4 Liked it No Wait B 2 Half satisfied…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →People are WAY too hard on this game. As a veteran of 4.1, I find Iron Rain to be lacking almost nothing. You have a "sprint" now, the Prowl Rider class is really cool, you can customize your character beyond just recolouring armor, and more weapon categories feel like they have some viable members. Many people complain that there is no Air Raider, but this isn't a fair argument. Yes, there is no class who functions exactly like the Air Raider, but everything the Air Raider DOES is available…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is most certainly one of the EDF games ever made. It handles well enough on a good rig, and the gameplay isn't any more or less clunky than older (or even newer) titles. In terms of overall rating I'd slam a hefty 7/10, not enough missions. For context: Most mainline EDF games contain 100+ missions, each with the ability to play on any of the 5 difficulties, however Iron Rain only contains 52 base missions, with 14 DLC missions for about the same pricing. (Currently $60 USD for the base…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wish there was a neutral option for reviews, the game is fun but there are also alot of downgrades from EDF 4.1 PROS -Prowl Rider is the most fun class out of ALL the EDF games, literally being Attack on titan flying around while fighting giant robots instead of titans and transforming into a giant Scorpion instead of a titan -Graphics are great -Customization is awesome (the choice of clothes/masks/helmets atleast) -The characters are somewhat likable for me to actually remember some of their…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very fun game! Just uh don't get it for 60 bucks
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →D3Publisher announced the updated Earth Defense Force 6․2 INVADERS FROM ANOTHER WORLD game for PS5!
neutral · AI labelView post →I give the thumbs up solely because it's just not bad ... before you compare it to the other EDF series. If this is your first EDF game, you can grab it at $10 on sale, play through it as a warm-up, then purchase EDF 5, 6 to reach ultimate climax. But if you've already experienced true fun from EDF 5, 6, this game will likely disappoint you, might as well skip this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing my first ever Earth Defense Force game— This shit is so fucking lit omg
positive · AI labelView post →Today you should play some Earth Defense Force! EDF! EDF! Oh and if anyone has the first game going, let me know!
positive · AI labelView post →My absolute favourite is a real deep cut - Zangeki no Reginliev for the Wii. A norse myth take on the Earth Defense Force series, now (unofficially) translated. Many hours in, you beat the big villain, credits roll, and... then Ragnarok happens. Mid credits. Then the last third of the game begins.
positive · AI labelView post →Very clunky and lacks the core elements that made the franchise good
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Earth Defense Force 6․2 Invaders From Another World game will launch for PS5 on March 18, 2027.
neutral · AI labelView post →Of the EDF games, this is one of them. Unfortunately, that does not make it a good game. At the end of the day... maybe the Iron Rain were the friends we made along the way suffer playing this in co-op...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EDF: Iron Rain. Arguably the most hated of the EDF games, sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not. Lets break this down.(Skip ahead for TL/DR, this is gonna be a big one.) Main Cons. 1: Friendly AI. Yes, they're absolute garbage and won't help you at all in a fight. This is one of the few things I see people complain about with IR that I 100% agree with, but its far from the dealbreaker it sounds like. See, if you've played EDF games before, you know that-bar a few large scale missions-the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played some Earth Defense Force 5 with @mralarm.bsky.social and what a fun time that was. Of course the company was good, but the game itself? Chef's kiss. Beautiful.
positive · AI labelView post →Video game #promosky be like: * Hades I & II * Star of Providence * Binding of Isaac * Noita * Dead Cells * Many more roguelikes / roguelites * Elden Ring * Tekken * Guilty Gear * SNK nostalgia, even if I can't stand to play them anymore * Dying Light * Control * Earth Defense Force * Indie stuff
neutral · AI labelView post →(Don Draper pose) Do a Dirty Pair game with an engine kinda like the Earth Defense Force games. Nothing is stopping you from destroying the whole area, but Gooley will shout at you at the end and withhold your bonuses.
neutral · AI labelView post →The game is nice, but the DLC sucks. How can you sell ... in-game money for real money?? Morally. I mean, wow. That's low.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spell your username with video game titles! This will be fun 😅😅 Tekken Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Blood Alundra Zaxxon Earth Defense Force Final Fight
neutral · AI labelView post →Welp finally completed this pile of... Things calling itself EDF. Pro: - Can customize character to your liking -3 basic and 2 unique armor types - Weapons can be used by any selected armor type - Graphics Con: - AI of NPC are trash - The difficulty is all over the place - Weapon and health need to be bought with crystals and credits - using Items and vehicles will deduct credits from your mission reward Game also adds a feature called overcharge which makes you shoot and reload at insane…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wishing a very happy New Earth Defense Force Game Day to all who celebrate.
neutral · AI labelView post →For the sake of your time and sanity please just buy EDF 6 instead
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game can't stop crashing on a 4080 super with 64GB DDR5 Ram. I wish the devs would release some updates to fix the constant crashing
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think I played more of the Earth Defense Force series this year than any other game. Specifically 6 if you need just one
positive · AI labelView post →Also very unrelated but Oh my GOD HELLDIVERS IS LITERALLY TURNING INTO EARTH DEFENSE FORCE THIS GAME IS SO FUCKING GOOOOOOD
neutral · AI labelView post →6/10, it's ok I guess, I would recommend any other EDF game on Steam (aside from Wingdiver and Insect Armageddon) over this one + visuals, dismemberment and explosions look nice and crispy + cool classes, especially the prowl rider + character customization +- collecting energy crystals and credits instead of boxes can be grindy in the later stages of the game, but it does give you choices which equipment to buy +- story is meh - you can only use overdrive once during a mission - less enemies,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The worst part of the series.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not like the other EDF games. Weapon drops are not great and they tent to be DLC drops. The clothing unlocks suck and you have to buy 30 other clothing drops to unlock the ones that I think look good. You can't unlock 30 other clothing pieces because they don't drop often enough. You also can't redo the mission on another difficulty to try for more drops. The dialog is stupid and the voice acting is bad about 60% of the time. It caused me and my friends to turn voice volume off. They have a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still looking forward to EDF6 and loved ED5, but Iron Rain was a let down. The graphics look great sure, but you pay for that by having way less critters which hurts the fun factor as I loved the overwhelmed but having overpowered DPS to counter that. Weapons tried to be balanced like some some of Battle Royale, so instead of getting better weapons everything has big drawbacks (low DPS, 10 second+ reload time(!!), etc etc). Too many critters are gimmicky. Combat was a lot less fun because of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Every single feature in this game has problem. Cheap imitation of EDF. Any weapon has critical defect so there is no weapon fun to use. Your AI teammate has brain damage so they are keep shooting to void. So they are exist to keep complaining when you friendly fire them. They are useless. They can not put massive number of enemy in game instead make enemy tougher. Worst point for me is about every single button input has response issue. The character movement feels bad and annoying. I can not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought it couldn't be THAT bad, but I ended up not really enjoying this very much compared to the other games. The missions, sound and overall feel of the game doesn't feel like EDF at all. The shooting doesn't feel fun, enemies are kinda spongey and everything feels the same in a bland unfun way. Online is completely dead too. Not to mention having to install the EDfix mod just to get resolution scaling to 100% instead of the default 83% as well as being able to adjust fov is bizarre.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A piece I did of one of my favorite game franchises Earth Defense Force! I highly recommend it as it’s got everything: giant bugs, aliens, dance emotes, giant mechs, humans… EDF! EDF! #earthdefenseforce #art #ginyuforcepose #videogames
positive · AI labelView post →Helldivers 2 isn't the only game to have butt clenching near-misses. Game: Earth Defense Force 5
neutral · AI labelView post →
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