Earth Defense Force 6 is the perfect podcast game

This month, considered one of my favorite video game podcasts revealed a trio of mega episodes that, in whole, spanned 24 hours. (A whopping 6.5 hours focus fully on an exhaustive dialog about the Nintendo GameCube library.) I had accepted that I, a grown man burdened by the ceaseless obligations of maturity, would by no means attain the end line of this audio marathon.

However then an angel descended from the heavens. And by heavens, I imply “the furthest corners of outer space.” And by angel, I imply “giant cyborg frog carrying a laser canon.”

Earth Defense Force 6 (EDF6 for the sickos) is the newest entry in the iconic mid-budget collection during which you defend Earth from big bugs, robots, UFOs the measurement of skyscrapers, and sure, big cyborg frogs. You begin as a soldier with a puny set of machine weapons and slow-loading rocket launchers, however inside a couple of hours, you unlock the instruments to fly atop a manufacturing facility, launch a half dozen drones, unload a heat-seeking nuke, and deploy a mech swimsuit to push deeper into the chaos.

EDF 6 is additionally the newest entry in a quickly rising canon of “podcast games.” This micro-genre distinguishes itself with shameless repetition, spectacle, and the capacity to be loved with the pontificate — with out concern of lacking some profound dramatic beat. Reasonably than problem your mind with advanced concepts, podcast video games reward the most minimal accomplishments with a drip of dopamine and serotonin.

Fashionable podcast video games embrace Vampire Survivors and its spawn, together with any free-to-play game that hooks you with day by day errands. you, Zenless Zone Zero.

Every degree of Earth Defense Force 6 follows a podcast-friendly method: choose a soldier, equip them with preposterously highly effective weaponry, deliver down a couple of dozen aliens (and doubtless some buildings too), and gather the weapons and upgrades that drop into the rubble. You don’t must learn any textual content on the display screen or hearken to in-game narratives (the collection is fashionable amongst individuals who purchase Japanese video games on-line however haven’t any Japanese-language abilities). You don’t must learn guides or devise a fancy technique. You simply must kick some ass and survive until the display screen says Stage Full.

Picture: Sandlot/D3Publisher

Consider the “podcast game” as the equal of fussing with a sensory toy throughout a gathering, or doodling on a scratch pad throughout a protracted faculty lecture. The podcast game paradoxically and persistently gives a small novel distraction, permitting your mind to maintain curiosity elsewhere for an prolonged time.

In the best-case situation, the podcast and the podcast game type a mutually helpful relationship.

Regardless of many sequels throughout many years of growth, the Earth Defense Force collection’ gameplay isn’t refined to create an addictive behavior that consumes your whole life. Ranges take just a little too lengthy, about 20 minutes or so. And there’s no narrative payoff to your journey. You play the game to unlock cooler weapons, so you’ve just a little extra enjoyable enjoying the game as you unlock extra weapons. There’s an incentive loop, however there’s loads of friction, too. Mountain climbing from one finish of a metropolis to a different, accumulating weapons from the decimated stays of workplace buildings and spacecraft affords you loads of time to assume. About something, actually. Even when it’s simply the forgotten JRPGs of the Nintendo GameCube.

Please don’t mistake my case for the podcast game as an assault on both the podcasts or the video games that match into this class. Like a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, they’re each completely nice solo. However mixed, they attain the divine.

Per week into my journey with Earth Defense Force 6, I’ve listened to 14 hours of video game convos and unlocked the area cannon that kills dozens of hulking robots in a single aerial strike. In case you have a podcast you’ve been which means to compensate for, I can’t advocate Earth Defense Force 6 sufficient. And when you’ve already begun your struggle to save lots of the planet from the worst the galaxy has to supply, you would possibly take pleasure in Into the Aether. The newest episode on the best games of the ‘00s is almost 16 hours lengthy.

Earth Defense Force 6 was launched on July 26 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Home windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC utilizing a code from D3Publisher. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These don’t affect editorial content material, although Vox Media might earn commissions for merchandise bought by way of affiliate hyperlinks. You could find further details about Polygon’s ethics coverage right here.