Helldivers 2 has taken over the internet, prompting players to help defend Super Earth by spreading democracy across the cosmos. But what about defending normal Earth? That’s a question Earth Defense Force is once again asking with its newest game.
Originally released in 2022, Earth Defense Force 6 is finally becoming available to the global audience on July 25 and has players fighting to stave off extinction for life on Earth as the alien menace, the Primer returns alongside other threats. And, if you have never played an EDF title before, the entire experience will be a glorious mess.
While Helldivers has its own defined personality and storytelling methods, EDF falls into the same category of comedically selling militaristic mindsets to the point where every deployment is fueled by democracy. The main difference is the structure of the games and how heavily EDF has always leaned into the absurdity from a gameplay perspective.
Helldivers 2 is a live-service game that creates parts of its narrative in real-time while players take on ongoing missions, fill orders, and eventually either complete or fail to meet the developer’s challenges—thanks Joel. Meanwhile, EDF is a complete experience that has a set number of missions that tie into an overarching story you can finish, with occasional expansions to add more content.
The gameplay of the latest Helldivers and EDF is closer than that structure, though Arrowhead Game Studios focuses more heavily on creating an immersive, boots-on-the-ground experience where the wild, Starship Trooper vibes stem mostly from the actions of you and your party. Meanwhile, Sandlot is holding a live grenade at all times, allowing players to battle giant insects, aliens, and kaiju-type creatures while chanting with NPCs and flying around with an ever-expanding armory of absurd weapons. “Helldivers 2 and EDF 6 – truly a golden age for friendly fire incidents and bug/bot homicide,” YouTube user DrFrankChibi said.
Whether you’re here for the story, which EDF6 promises to throw even further off the rails following the end of EDF5, or just love running around with friends and battling to complete absurd missions, this game has more reasons than ever to deploy. As Reddit user Pilchard123 said: “There are giant bugs, there are aliens, store-brand Godzilla is here for some reason, kill them all.”
If that wasn’t enough to sell you on the idea of EDF, EDF6 is expanding its crossover offerings with more Vtuber decoys in the worldwide release. This means you can summon decoy models based on Hololive Vtubers Takanashi Kiara, Gawr Gura, and IRyS if you pre-order the game. It’s truly, an experience that makes you want to save our Mother Earth from any alien attack.
