Co-Optimus: Many EDF games have weapons and equipment that are offered as preorder bonuses or sold as DLC. These weapons are usually balanced for low difficulty levels, preventing them from being useful when playing the game on higher difficulties. Have you ever considered allowing the DLC equipment to scale with the mission/difficulty so that players can get more use from them?
Okajima: We have never considered this. These DLC weapons are planned and designed as items that will give you an advantage in the early stages of gameplay. The stronger weapons are worth playing for because they are acquired within the main game and acquiring them gives the users happiness and sense of accomplishment. On the other hand, the additional DLC missions are devilishly difficult. They are designed for elite EDF members who have acquired strong weapons to test their gear and skills.
Co-Optimus: Recent EDF games feature four playable classes, including the Fencer, the “tank” class. Depending on the weapons equipped, Fencers can dash, boost jump, and deflect damage. Since weapon abilities have such a major impact on how the Fencer plays, would it be possible to display the weapon abilities so that players don’t have to memorize them or look them up?
Okajima: Oh, that might be a good idea... Wait, no. I think it is irresponsible to go to the battlefield to fight unknown aliens without knowing the function and performance of the weapons you have equipped.
Co-Optimus: Now then, let’s focus on Earth Defense Force 6. How long was the game’s development time, and did you experience any big challenges during development?
Okajima: The game was in production for about 5 years. There was a period during which a global pandemic affected our scheduling. I am sure many of us can agree that we were no longer able to work the same way we did before.
Co-Optimus: What are a few of the improvements and/or new features of EDF 6?
Okajima: There is a wide range of improvements regarding gameplay. I will only mention a few regarding the evolution of the playable characters. Since they are fighting in a city of rubble in a devastated world, the playable characters have more actions and features that allow them to fight without worrying about obstacles.
Also, since it is impossible to request air support in a devastated world, Air Raiders fight using combat drones instead of air strikes, and the number of weapons they can equip has increased. Rangers and Wing Divers now have more secondary equipment and sub-weapon slots, and more options for fighting with a full complement of equipment. Fencers, who have seen the fewest changes, can also look forward to more new weapons.
Co-Optimus: Earth Defense Force 6 includes several strange new enemies to battle against. Do you have a favorite among the new enemies, and which one do you find the most challenging to encounter?
Okajima: The new enemy I recommend is the Android. I think the introduction of this enemy has improved the enjoyment of combat with ants, spiders, and other enemies that appear in large numbers. It is difficult to decide which enemy is the most difficult to defeat, but the most feared by Japanese EDF members who have already played the game is the Excavator [(a flying mechanical drone that resembles a clam and shoots flames, also called Naker)]. Be especially careful with the Red Excavators.
Co-Optimus: Whereas EDF 5 and several previous games kept player’s offline and online mission progression separate, Earth Defense Force 6 shares the same mission progression between offline and online play. What influenced this (very welcome) change in how progression is handled?
Okajima: EDF6 contains the largest number of missions in the series ever. This is what many users want, and when the number of missions is this large, it would not be trendy to separate the game progression between online and offline.
Co-Optimus: Back in April, Epic Games published an article that claimed that Earth Defense Force 6 has “added crossplay by adopting Epic Online Services.” Does EDF 6 actually have crossplay between different platforms? If so, which platforms can play with each other?
Okajima: While maintaining the online play features that were well received in the previous version, EOS has been introduced to enable cross-play between the PS5 and PS4 versions. Cross-play between PS5 and PS4 is now possible.
Co-Optimus: The time between the Japanese release of EDF 6 and the worldwide version has been about two years. Why did it take longer to release the worldwide version than it did for previous installments?
Okajima: After finishing the main Japanese version of the game, the creators began working on updates and creating additional missions. We did not wait to start localization of the game until after the release of the game, as the worldwide version production began after that. Also, compared to a standard third-person shooter game, this game requires a large amount of spoken dialogue. Recording all the different languages takes a good amount of time. We apologize to those who have been waiting for the worldwide release, but it's not all bad news. Since the Japanese version has been released earlier, you can play the game in the latest state with many updates. Also, last year we won the Excellence Award at the Japan Game Awards 2023. Although it was not our goal to win this award, we believe that the western users will have more confidence in the game content and purchase it.
Co-Optimus: It has been great discussing Earth Defense Force with you! Do you have any final messages for international EDF fans?
Okajima: Thank you for waiting. EDF6 is now available worldwide. The invaders will try to eliminate humanity by all means and by all quantities. As you know, there are not enough EDF members to keep the peace on earth. We need your help. EDF6 is waiting for you to join us. EDF! EDF!
Don't miss our full EDF 6 co-op review!
Earth Defense Force 6 is now available on PlayStation and Steam for $59.99. On PlayStation, a deluxe edition is also available for $89.99 that bundles the game with DLC. The Steam version of EDF 6 is fully Steam Deck compatible.