Earth Defense Force (E.D.F.) is a horizontal scrolling shoot ’em up released for the arcade by Jaleco in 1991. Piloting the XA-1 space fighter, players must defend Earth from the mysterious Azyma Empire. Unlike many shooters of its era, you rely on a shield-based health system rather than one-hit deaths, and your weapons level up automatically as you gain experience from defeating enemies.
How to play
Your objective is to survive each stage and defeat the boss at the end, utilizing a weapon chosen at the start of the level. The default arcade controls in the browser are the Arrow keys to move, Z, X, C, or Space to shoot and change satellite formations, Enter to Start, and Shift to insert coins.
Tips
- Master the Satellites: Your ship is accompanied by two satellite options. Pressing the formation button cycles their behavior between fixed forward fire, tracking your movement, or homing in on targets. Switching to homing mode makes clearing swarms of smaller enemies significantly easier.
- Choose Weapons Wisely: You select your primary weapon before each stage. Lasers excel at dealing heavy damage to bosses, while rapid-fire or homing options are better for stages packed with weak enemies.
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