TITLE
How Earth Defense Force went from bargain bin to blockbuster
AUTHOR
Sam Byford
PUBLICATION
Polygon
YEAR
2019
ARTICLE TYPE
Interview
FROM THE ARTICLE
There is perhaps no more decadent sight in gaming than a well-executed Earth Defense Force attack. Maybe you’ll fire your jetpack northwest, maybe you’ll fire your rocket launcher southeast, and maybe you’ll detach 10 giant alien ant thoraxes from their abdomens all in one move. Maybe you’ll destroy a skyscraper in the background at the same time.Sure, none of this will look particularly pretty. It might well be happening at single-digit framerates. But that’s all part of the fun.
The Earth Defense Force series is now five core games deep, and this week sees the release of its most advanced entry yet. Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a second attempt at adapting the series’ esoteric charms for a Western audience. But Earth Defense Force has perhaps the most humble origin story of any long-running game series around today.
I recently spent time with developers who were there at the start, as well as those who’ve been working on Iron Rain, and all were happy to speak candidly about how Earth Defense Force became an improbable global hit.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
D3 Publisher
Sandlot
Vicious Cycle
Yuke’s
GAMES MENTIONED
Earth Defense Force [Monster Attack]
Earth Defense Force 2 [Global Defense Force]
Earth Defense Force 2017
Earth Defense Force 2025 [Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair]
Earth Defense Force 5
Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Takehiro Homma
Toshio Noguchi
Nobuyuki Okajima
Naoto Ueno