D3Publisher has announced that Earth Defense Force 6 is finally getting localized sometime in Spring 2024. It’s coming to PS5 and PC.
Released in Japan in mid-2022, a lot of fans have been wondering if D3 had any intention on bringing it to the West. The series has had some popularity over here since the surprising success of 2006’s Earth Defense Force 2017.
Earth Defense Force 6 is a direct sequel to 2017’s Earth Defense Force 5. 90% of the world’s population was wiped out in the previous invasion, and while the survivors are trying to pick up the pieces, the remaining invaders on the planet are making it difficult. As a result, rather than clean urban areas, you’ll be defending the ruins of civilization from giant bugs and such. Beyond that, it kind of looks like more of the same. You have the four classes – Ranger, Air Raider, Wing Diver, and Fencer – and you’re basically just tasked with killing a lot of kaiju.
My most memorable experience with the series was plucking it from a bargain bin in the early days of the Xbox 360 and playing through it with a close friend. It was jank bordering on kusoge. There was one amazing plasma weapon we got, and whenever I’d fire it, the resulting bright bloom would somehow cross over the split-screen barrier and temporarily blind my co-op partner. It was amazing. I’ve kept up with the series since then, but it really hasn’t changed all that much over the years. And that’s mostly okay. It can be hard to stay invested in more of the same, but the formula endures the test of time.
Earth Defense Force 6 will be coming West sometime in Spring 2024. It’s set to release on PS5 and PC.
