The next entry in the Earth Defense Force series isn’t out yet — Earth Defense Force 5 will arrive Dec. 7 in Japan — but that hasn’t stopped D3Publisher from announcing yet another new entry. Developer Yuke’s and D3 revealed Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain at Sony’s pre-TGS 2017 press conference, and it looks both familiar and fresh.
As revealed in the game’s debut trailer, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain will still task players with battling giant creatures — alien ants, giant robots and other beasts — in a manner that looks a bit more serious than the series’ traditional campy tone. Many of the game’s traditional third-person shooter elements, including mechanized suits, will return, though D3 calls Iron Rain “new territory” for the franchise.
Check out the trailer for Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain above for what appears to be a grim but better looking take on EDF. It’s slated to hit PlayStation 4 sometime in 2018.