Earth Defense Force

The Super NES version was eventually released on the Wii Virtual Console in Europe on October 29, 2010, and in 2011 for Japan on January 11, and North America on July 14. It was released on the Nintendo Classics service in September 2019.

• Title — Earth Defense Force • Developer — Jaleco • Publisher — Jaleco • Producer — Yuki Arai • Programmer — Yuji Takahashi • Artist — Nekomasa Takeshi Shimizu • Composer — Tsukasa Tawada • Platforms — Arcade, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, iOS • Released — Arcade Super NES • Genre — Scrolling shooter • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer

Released as a horizontal shooter game in the US in 1991, the object of Earth Defense Force is based on survival of the game's levels, punctuated by the defeat of bosses at the end of each one. The player normally begins each level with three "shield" points, each able to absorb one enemy attack. The shield points are represented in the upper right corner by green squares under the heading "Shield". Additional shield points can be earned once a predetermined game score is reached. Up to five shield points are represented on screen, but a player can acquire more than five shield points, but they cannot be seen. This is extremely rare though, due to the difficulty of the game and the score intervals at which additional shield points are acquired. Loss of all shields results in the loss of one of three credits, or continues, and loss of all continues results in the player seeing the game over screen. The game uses a unique leveling system, in which the player gains experience from defeated enemies to gain newer, more powerful versions of the weapons the player has access to.

Subsequent to its release an enhanced version was broadcast via the Super Famicom's Satellaview subsystem to Japanese gamers under the title BS Super Earth Defense Force.