Oct 2019
If you're on the lookout for a cooperative first-person shooter to play with your friends while pondering the meaning of life (or why your pizza delivery is taking forever), Earthfall: Alien Horde might just be your jam. Picture this: you and three pals face off against waves of aliens that are so unpleasant, they'd make bad neighbors look like cakewalks. However, be warned: while Earthfall promises captivating hijinks, you might just feel like you're using a cot to battle a horde of gorillas who picked up a controller for the first time.
Earthfall drops you into some post-apocalyptic scenery where you'll form a heroic quartet determined to push back against the alien menace. The gameplay mechanics will feel familiar if you've ever played Left 4 Dead-enemies attack in hordes, there are mission objectives, and you've got a variety of weapons to utilize. There are ten missions available, but here's the kicker: replaying these missions can become a chore due to their linearity. Don't expect any radical shifts in objectives; if you've seen one mission, you've pretty much seen them all. Coordinating with your buddies is crucial, especially when you're dealing with varying types of alien foes, each worse than the last. The game encourages teamwork, whether you're gathering supplies, reviving downed teammates, or just trying not to trip over your own feet while dodging lasers. The special abilities that each character brings can create a fun dynamic, but you may find yourself lost in a confusing mass of alien limbs and poorly designed visual indicators. The gun mechanics are decent, and you can feel the different classes at play-if only it didn't feel like you're wielding a rubber chicken in some instances. The weapons themselves have a gratifying heft to them, making it somewhat satisfying to blast aliens with shotguns, even if the impact feels diluted by the gameplay's occasional clunkiness. You'll want to keep your party stocked with supplies-after all, a well-armed guerrilla unit is a happy one, right?
Cut to graphics and let's just say that Earthfall seems to have a personality that's about as vibrant as a wet cardboard box. While the game runs on the Unreal Engine 4 (which could be quite alluring if executed properly), on the Switch, it feels more like a rushed college project than anything impressive. Low textures, subpar animations, and characters that could easily inhabit a 'minor roles in cutscenes' job fair paint a picture of mediocrity. Environmental design does bring some interesting settings to the table, but they will feel repetitive as you progress. Whether you're in a forest or abandoned city, it's all a bit... beige. The alien designs are a bit more lively, but they won't win any awards for originality. Let's be honest, these aliens feel like a mix between someone's high school art project about extraterrestrials and a team of artists who forgot about colors. You might find your eyes wandering elsewhere by the end of a long session-not because the gameplay is too intense, but because you've memorized all the underwhelming textures.
Earthfall: Alien Horde is like the friend that everyone invites to parties, but you wish they'd just stick to board games instead. It can be fun in a group, perhaps, but prepare for frustration due to its lack of originality and clunky gameplay mechanics. The combat might sink its hooks in for a little while, but the limitations in terms of environments and missions could have you questioning your decisions faster than your parents asking when you're getting a real job. Ultimately, if you're absolutely craving a four-player shooter that's a light-hearted way to kill time, grabbing Earthfall on the Switch might not be the worst idea... but let's be real; you could also just hang out with your friends and enjoy doing literally anything else. So, for anyone deciding if Earthfall is worth a download, only time will tell if you embrace the alien horde or just throw your controllers in exasperation.
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