METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Game
Game2016
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair
Developer SANDLOT
It's a fight for the future of the planet between the Ravagers, a merciless swarm of alien invaders, and the Earth Defense Force (EDF) in this third-person shooter.Play as four different classes in over 80 missions with a range of 800 weapons at your disposal.Co-op play supported. From the Steam store page
226 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
94
LovedLoved
197 positive · 12 negative
95% range 90–97%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 197 | 12 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
17 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
10,037 of 10,567 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 226 · most liked firstMission 26: Crimson (Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair, SANDLOT, 2015)
unlabelledView post →>have friend >friend shows game while I can't play >envy.png >able to play >buy game during sale because am poor >enjoy game >friend can no longer play >sadness.gif I miss my friend
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just go watch the russianbadger video on this game and you'll understand why this game is awesome.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I saw this game in a russianbadger video and thought hmm exploding bugs with orbital strikes looks fun and since i got it it has no disappointed i get to call in massive amounts oh air strikes and punch lizards with a giant robot i feel like i am playing helldivers 2 but i am fighting every type of enemy at the same time while getting chomped by giant ants or i am blowing my self up with a rocket launcher or my own air strike overall 10/10 would recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →itf fun play solo but i want play with friend and dont have
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun game, it's like Helldivers but better. Weapon drops are a bit confusing but keep playing the missions on different difficulties and eventually you'll get something you like.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Top 10 best coop experiences I ever had in my life. People think Helldivers 2 is good because they've never played EDF. Don't get me wrong: Helldivers is super fun. But EDF is divine.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →great father son game. my boy loves it. splitscreen 2p co op
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is just as ridiculous as it looks, starship trooper fantasy x100, plenty of bugs to go boom on, a loose campaign tying it all together but overall plenty of mindless fun. This is my first EDF game and honestly surprised at how fun it was, you get introduced to new enemies every so often as well so its not all base bugs and the later missions are pure chaos with the amount of enemies and bullets flying around.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has a Tarantino level of story telling. You start out shooting very large ants and spiders, then you fight extremely large robots, and then all of a sudden, the game turns into Pacific Rim because you have to fight large, non-descript lizards in Mech Suits, AND THEN it becomes Game of Thrones because the Dragons finally came and now you have to fight those too. ABSOLUTE. CINEMA.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i an on several hundred mg of delta8resellers edibles tonight i was playing EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair and i agve myself hiccups laughing at voice lines
unlabelledView post →Game was stupid fun as a kid and its stupid fun as a adult.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →> Be Lockheed Martin > Earth gets invaded by insects. > Half the population gone. > No more tax subsidies.jpeg > Losing would be counterproductive to shareholder value. > Solution > Give a crackhead a laser pointer, and access to the entire US arsenal of missiles.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Peak Action Combat Game with optional Coop This game is peak EDF (it doesn't have the technical issues and EGS ties that EDF 6 has) and it's just a fun way to spend time, especially with friends, which you can still do btw, via online coop, splitscreen or Remote Play Together. For those who aren't familiar with this franchise, it's a game about fighting aliens, giant monsters, and giant bugs which are invading the Earth in a way that feels a lot like a fun 1950s era B-movie.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm a 71 year old lady and absolutely love this game! It's ridiculously campy like a bad Japanese monster movie, but fun as can be. If you need to play a shooter and like a FPS this one scratches a lot of itches. Plus if an old lady an do it, so can you! :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Battlefield if it was good and made for heterosexual men.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is definitely my game of 2026 so far. I just really like that I can pick it up, spend 10 minutes on a mission, get my action fix and leave or come back for more. I'm at mission 40 something out of 80 something and I'm still loving it. Haven't touched the online but I think it's worth noting that you should pick one or the other as your progress doesn't seem to transfer over.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Model: Walking Fortress Balam Debut: Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair Year: 2015 Designer: Hirofumi Morimoto
unlabelledView post →it’s pretty fun. firing a plasma launcher into a big group of giant ants does something to my brain that i don’t think any other game can.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To save our mother Earth from any alien attack From vicious giant insects who have once again come back We'll unleash all our forces, we won't cut them any slack The EDF deploys! Our soldiers are prepared for any alien threats The navy launches ships, the air force send their jets And nothing can withstand our fixed bayonets The EDF deploys! Our forces have now dwindled and we pull back to regroup The enemy has multiplied and formed a massive group We better beat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →imperial guard vs tyranids
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish I hadn't spent 150 hours in helldivers 2 because I could have being playing this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought about playing Skyrim or Fallout but I'm too sick for that, instead we are going to play Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair. This is like they took the Starship Troopers movie and filtered it through an OLD Godzilla movie.
unlabelledView post →Played this for 50 hours before realizing turning Difficulty up is not the solution to an unbeatable level. Grind is 👍 Anyhow its a complete disaster of a game with bad graphics, horrid balancing and no sense of scale. IT WORKS LIKE CRACK. It's the most f*cking addictive gameplay loop and is so damn fun. Has the highest 'funny moments' per 'time played' in my entire library. Buy this, best money I've ever spent. 10/10 Would trade my newborn child for this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's honestly shameful how some people still prefer to play by themselves in online mode (you know full well that it's meant to be used with others!!) or straight up only have so small an party that everyone else that hasn't made much progress in the game will kick you every time you try to play with them. My advice to you people that do kick players like me? GET. SOME. HELP. or simply STOP KICKING!!! You have the privilege of playing with others and if you're going to abuse that with kicking…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To save our mother Earth from any alien attack From vicious giant insects who have once again come back We'll unleash all our forces, we won't cut them any slack The EDF deploys! Our soldiers are prepared for any alien threats The navy launches ships, the air force send their jets And nothing can withstand our fixed bayonets The EDF deploys! Our forces have now dwindled and we pull back to regroup The enemy has multiplied and formed a massive group We better beat these bugs before we're all…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EDF 4.1 is a great game that is showing its age with jank. The menu navigation does not use a mouse, and overall the game is more clunky and is less flushed out than EDF 5. However, once you get accustomed to the rough edges, this is still a fantastic game. If you are new to EDF. I recommend starting on EDF 5 as they improved a lot of the clunkiness. If you know you will play this one all the way through, go for it instead. This is my favorite game series and I can't recommend it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Accurate representation of the average modern military intelligence. FIX FOR LOADOUT SCREEN MEMORY LEAK: https://github.com/BlueAmulet/EDFModLoader https://pastebin.com/raw/PSiY7Zmj
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hours and hours with friends on PC and Steam Deck! This game is VERY Japanese arcade, pretty obtuse, and the translation is exactly that bad 90s localization energy that honestly brings so much heart to the game. It took my friends and I about two years of playing off and on and it was a great adventure throughout. Big shoutout to the game for supporting local split screen. Also the music frickin' rips dude
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you have ever wanted to both hit a spider with a hammer and beat not Godzilla to death with a not gundam in the same game all while being very overwelmed than this is the game for you! There is also a story but to be honest, it isn't super important to the gameplay. Best played with friends.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring and repetitive. How did this get Overwhelming reviews is beyond me. The grinding is too obnoxious with you having to replay the same missions over and over again in order to unlock better (more fun) weapons+vehicles. Classes are imbalanced, making single player mode frustrating. AI is garbage, always looking for 1 random missing bug on the map. Getting randomly oneshotted and have to listen to the same dialoge 10x in a row isnt fun. Controls are garbage and clunky, I ended up rolling…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been playing since I was 10 on ps4 with me fatha, still just as much fun as I remember.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Genuinely amazing game, I just wish the games didn't force you through the snooze fest that is Normal difficulty to get enough gear (and especially armor, mostly armor actually) to be able to play the higher difficulties (You can probably just coast off a decently equipped friend or randoms if you're not an asocial hermit though) I think I got shellshock from playing this ♥♥♥♥
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it walked so helldivers could run, this ♥♥♥♥ great
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Usually the least expensive EDF game available here. This is the game that first had the four classes all together (Ranger, Wing Diver, Air Raider, Fencer). Being the first "full roster" iteration, it needs some ironing. It has some UI and progression choices that make me play it less than the other later EDFs, but make no mistake, for an EDF fan? This is a must. You are not an EDF fan? Then start here or with 5. It's fun. Just fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If australia and america had a hate baby with god himself cucking them, it would be this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Big fun rocket launcher bugs and buildings go kaboom and wheeee rocket jump silly corny yelling dialogue goofy fun gun shooty kaboom game 8/10 Only con: some of the underground maps are boring and suck. Still 8/10 game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I ALMOST CREAMED WHEN I SAW THE FIRST MISSION SUPPORT TANK
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →amazing game , wild amounts of old school capcom fun ; good times!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Much better then helldivers 2.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →That is so goooood!!! If you like arcade and shoot games that is for you! Dont worry....
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My son and I play this game co-op regularly, and the splitscreen mode is perfect for just blasting aliens and bugs for a few hours. I honestly don't have a preference on which EDF game we play, but 4.1 is a sweet spot for loads of content, a huge list of missions and a story that doesn't get in the way too much of the bug-blasting. It's very much in the vein of the Dynasty Warriors games where if you've played one, you've played 'em all, but they're fun for some mindless mayhem and citywide…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Big part of my childhood, but I never got to finish it then or as an adult because thanks to helldivers, its even more niche and underrated. But you can't beat EDF
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I find the game fun, and my appreciation for it grows with each installment in the series i have played. It stands out from most TPS games because it's chessy, features destructible environments, doesn't focus on story or cinematics, and easy a pick-and-play game. It offers a unique ich that no other TPS on the market provides. It's similar to how the Musso/Omega Force games offer a specific ich that no other hack-and-slash game on the market provides. While it's true that these games aren't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Comically silly in usually the best way. It may not be a looker but it's one of those games where if you're playing on low-end enough like console or a Steam Deck, watching the framerate drop as the hardware's brought to its knees means that you're witnessing truly insane ♥♥♥♥ that never gets old. I don't think I've seen enemy counts and the sheer number of things happening at once as high as this since like the Serious Sam games. I do wish progression wasn't so obnoxiously slow and tied to RNG…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is actually suprisingly fun. its absolutely goofy and doesn't take itself serious in any ways, but I think that is what makes this game so great.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spell your name with video games Sea of Thieves Left 4 Dead 2 (Specifically Modded to hell and back) Elden Ring Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair Pathfinder: Wraith of the Righteous Yomi: Hustle (your only move is hustle) also project moon is great
unlabelledView post →Genocide. but not bad
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The helldivers before helldivers
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the game is AWESOME! one small issue, the gameplay (although good) is more fun with other, and the playerbase is... Mostly korean, japanese, or chinese. not knowing ANY of those three languages makes it hard to communicate, so it's really just chance-based on multiplayer lobbies. Apart from that, buy it, it'll change your mind. Also why do crosshairs exist in this game? you can close your eyes, equip a minigun, and just blast randomly and have a 0% miss-rate.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played this game since I was a kid. It's a little strange how its called Earth Defense Force 2025 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but still a great game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →lame weapons and bad balance
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Made me fall in love with video games again. Satisfying. Ridiculous. Fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Repetitive, but enjoyable. Lots of destructibles on each environment, a vast array of weapons, and a thriving online community.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →look at me hectore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-H7DVE8_PM
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Maybe there's a fun game in here somewhere, but I don't see it. I bought this game because I love squad-based shooters, and I thought this might be like Helldivers. While fun on a pure lizard-brain level, it gets old really quickly. You can move, shoot, and jump, you have two different weapons, and that's it. Once you shoot all the enemies in an area, you slowly jog to where the next group are (it felt like 5 mins each time) and shoot them. Lather, rinse, repeat, until you clear the level.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →VERY anoying with missions that are way too difficult on singleplayer. I have no friends that have edf 4 and some are just outright ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is discount Helldivers 10/10 I love shooting 100 anti tank round at kiju monsters and robots with lazer guns and giant bugs
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is the epitome of Chaotic Fun That's It, That's the game I have never felt so patriotic than I have sending these Bug Scum back to God with defense spending so Dummy Thick we say "RETURN TO SENDER"
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great stupid fun with friends. Not the most polished game though
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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