[Review] Earth Defense Force: World Brothers - Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Yuke's
Published By: D3 Publisher
Categories: Shooter, Exterminator
Release Date: 05.27.21

Earth Defense Force, at least in a modern sense has a bit of a crap reputation. Yes, it’s enjoyed, but the consensus, especially due to a handful of youtubers is that it’s “So bad it’s good” or “Bad on purpose” That is perhaps the most harmful, backhanded compliment you could give a game and it’s developers. Earth Defense Force has always been a bit silly of a series, in fact a lot silly, but why do people need to put on this charade that they need to ironically like something and not have a sincere appreciation for it?

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers is a bit different this time around. Gone are the realistic graphics, here now is cute colorful voxel graphics. This doesn’t mean the game isn’t as violent or bloody as the others, because it is, just in a blocky way. That said, World Brothers does come off as a bit more light hearted than normal, ramping up the silly factor. At it’s core, it’s still Earth Defense Force however.

Dark Tyrant has invaded a world that seemed to be cubed instead of round, shattering it into pieces. The EDF is fighting all around the world to get it reassembled, but they can’t do it alone and will need to band together. As a commander of the EDF, you’ll go around the broken pieces of the Cube to reunite with your Brothers (and Sisters) in arms. Every country has their own playful stereotype, much like what you’d see in Punch Out, with humor coming from culture shock between plenty of the Brothers you meet. That Ninja *really* wants some Tofu or Miso Soup, which the good ol’ Red Blooded American Cowboy is baffled by. He might just be a little sour about his poor cow’s fate from these alien invaders though.

The core of Earth Defense Force is shooting bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. There’s so many infact that the game can have tendency to lag a little bit when there’s just too much going on. Shoot the bugs, spread their chunks and juices across the stages. Not only can you destroy this infestation, the environment can also be turned to ruin. Dark Tyrant or even yourself can turn the battlefield into a flat plain if you just go shooting and exploding. It’s safe to say that World Brothers is an incredibly chaotic game.

Going back to discussing the colorful cast in World Brothers, you’ll rescue and recruit new members to join your effort to reunite the Cube and fend of Dark Tyrant each level. From characters from past EDF games to those quirky countrymen, you’ll have a large squadron to defeat that pest problem. Everyone comes with their own weapons and special abilities. Some can dash and roll, some fly, some abilities are more related to weapons like throwing a grenade or activating an air strike. While each character has their own unique ability, weapons you can get are able to be used by anyone. Standard rifles, to grenade launchers, to snipers, to guns that home on in. There’s always a use for every gun, pros and cons, and I found it was great to just keep a good variety. Something I learned when replaying stages in multiplayer was that the Brothers you save are also randomized.

My team always had one member with the air strike ability, which is great for bosses. A sniper for big damage at far distances helps too if it’s just not safe to be nearby as well. Rifles and machineguns are great as to shoot lots and not have to reload as often, but mostly can be used to chip off damage. Why would it matter if a team member has a certain weapon though? Well, you can switch to any of the four in your group at any time, for the best use for each instance.

I can confidently say that the online worked fantastic. In the time playing with a friend, outside of drops that would happen even in singleplayer, I had no framerate issues. It was practically like playing singleplayer, but with the added fun and chaos of another person playing with you. The way to play for sure.