Of all Earth Defense Force games, World Brothers is easily its most easily recognizable, with its colorful presentation, voxel-like graphics, and light hearted premise. It’s also, ironically enough, the most polished, and dare I say, fun, of all of the many games in the franchise to have ever been released by D3 Publisher ever since its inception, more than twenty years ago. A follow-up to this successful spinoff was more than obvious, but I never thought Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 would basically come out alongside the newest mainline EDF, Earth Defense Force 6.

And honestly, if you need to choose one title between the two… World Brothers 2 is the way to go. But do take into account that this is far from being an essential purchase if you own its predecessor, and if you’re still playing it to this day.

It’s not that Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is bad. Far from it. Just like its predecessor, it’s easily one of the most accessible, content-filled, and polished games in the franchise. In technically terms, this is possibly the best EDF game ever made, and that’s no exaggeration from my part. I haven’t been able to find a single framerate hiccup, game-breaking bug, glitch… nothing. As polished as it could be. But the thing is that this game is very similar from its predecessor. Maybe too similar.

The core gameplay is still the absolute same. World Brothers 2 is comprised of dozens upon dozens of small levels where you and three more friends can team up and destroy a ton of alien invaders and giant ants. You are also to fully enjoy the game by yourself, as you can freely swap between the four members of your team with the press of a button. Each of the bagillion characters you can choose from has specific attributes, weapons, silly one-liners (there’s even a vampire that speaks like the Count from Sesame Street, of course), and an ultimate attack. There’s quite a bit of room for experimentation due to how easy the game is to simply pick up and play.

I’ve decided to review this sequel on a PC instead of a console, just to see if I’d face the same kind of issues I’ve had while reviewing Earth Defense Force 6, just a few weeks ago. Let’s just state the obvious: Yuke’s is a much more talented team, so they made sure to properly integrate mouse and keyboard controls to the menus. The framerate is fully unlocked and smooth as butter, and the controls are super simple to understand. The visuals are just a tad bit more polished than before, with the same voxel-like structure, but improved lighting and post-processing effects.

The biggest gripe I’ve had with the original World Brothers was the faulty sound mixing (believe me, it’s a pain in the butt when 40% of the entire game is comprised of one-liners). Yuke’s made sure to fix that issue, and in no moment did the sound department irritate me. Sure, the music is merely passable, and the voice acting can still feel a bit too silly, but it’s EDF. Being trashy is part of what makes the franchise so charming after all.

But you’re not going to buy a brand new game in the franchise just because the visuals are a little bit better, or the sound design isn’t as crappy as before. The main reason you want to play World Brothers 2 is to enjoy a brand new plethora of levels and stupid character designs. Thankfully, this game has new designs in droves. From a coffee-themed Ethiopian soldier to a teen pop singer wearing a Jason Vorhees mask, there are tons of characters to play as. I also had a blast just spending twenty to thirty minutes a time with the game. That would be enough to play two missions, unlock new characters, have an occasional laugh with the tons of silly things happening onscreen, and not get tired with it as a whole.

In a way, I get it: there isn’t a lot that differs Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 from its predecessor. It’s a bunch of new levels and characters, with the added benefit of feeling a bit more polished than before. With that being said, just being able to enjoy more of a shockingly competent formula with slightly better visual effects, less glitches and even more content is already great in my books. It’s still tons of fun, so “more of the same” in this case is a good thing.

Graphics: 7.5 The same visuals as its predecessor, but with some slighty improved visual effects. All in all, it’s cute, silly, polished, and colorful.	Gameplay: 8.0 Mouse and keyboard make this game feel incredibly easy to pick up and play. It’s still super fun and intuitive with a controller. The framerate is solid, and I couldn’t find any bugs or game-breaking glitches.
Sound: 7.0 The sound mixing was one of my biggest gripes with the first World Brothers. Thankfully, Yuke’s has corrected those flaws, with the game sounding a lot less irritating this time around.	Fun Factor: 8.5 In a way, there isn’t a lot that differs Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 from its predecessor. It’s a bunch of new levels and characters, with the added benefit of feeling a bit more polished than before. It’s still tons of fun, so “more of the same” in this case is a good thing.
Final Verdict: 8.0

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is available now on PS4, PS5, PC and Switch

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 was provided by the publisher.