Earth Defense Force
🙂 6.4/10
(Super Nintendo - US, Shoot'em Up)
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Complete
$59.39
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Developed_By:
Jaleco
Published_By:
Jaleco
Released On:
25 Oct 1991
Earth Defense Force , released on the Super Nintendo in 1992, tells the story of an evil organization called AGYMA that threatens 200 years of peace in the galaxy. From their base on the far side of the moon, they have infiltrated many important locations on Earth, prompting the player to take control of a special craft, the XA-1, as part of the Earth Defense Force.
The gameplay is fast-paced and action-packed, with six levels to complete and eight powerful weapons at the player's disposal. With a variety of state-of-the-art armaments to choose from, players must use their skills to fend off AGYMA's attacks and thwart their plot to destroy Earth and disrupt peace throughout the cosmos.
UPC-A:
032264700037 (United States)
eBay Product ID:
4634 (United States)
ASIN:
B000035Y6K (United States)
Nintendo Media PN:
SNS-ED-USA (United States)
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Number of Players Supported:
1 Player
Prices as of 30 Jul 2026
Typical $59.40–$65.26 (last 90 days)
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Market activity: active · about 101 sales a year
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
*Earth Defense Force* is a sci-fi shoot 'em up game where players must defend the universe from a sinister organization known as AGYMA. As the commander of the advanced XA-1 mechanized fighter, the player must pilot their ship through various hostile environments, including daylight skies, cityscapes, and underwater caverns. To save Earth from annihilation, players must utilize an arsenal of deadly weapons to defeat waves of enemy ships and powerful bosses.
Story
The Briefing
Date: September 14, 4129
Location: E.D.F. Headquarters, Planet Earth
Subject: Fate of the Universe
Welcome to E.D.F. Headquarters, Commander. You've volunteered for the mission of a lifetime — a life-or-death struggle against the forces of evil in the universe.
Our universe has been at peace for the last 2000 years, ever since the Union of Federated Planets was formed to promote harmony and understanding between the thousands of member races. Now, that peace is threatened.
The Threat
A mysterious organization known only as AGYMA has been plotting to gain power and plunge the universe into chaos. Already, trouble is brewing in a distant corner of Galaxy Zena-2.
AGYMA forces attacked civilian populations on Urasium and Mentar, igniting a centuries-old feud between the two neighboring planets. Reports of similar disturbances continue to come in from other galaxies and solar systems — all of them the work of this one sinister organization.
The Mission
By infiltrating AGYMA, the Galactic Intelligence Force has learned just in time of its next deadly mission: annihilation of the Earth, charter member of the Union of Federated Planets and home to the Union Council. AGYMA forces have already set up home bases at several Earth locations, including a heavily fortified stronghold on the far side of the moon.
The only hope of stopping this ruthless conspiracy is E.D.F. — Earth Defense Force — and the latest in its line of special mechanized fighters, the XA-1. Outfitted with eight deadly weapons and accompanied by two smaller fighters.
Stage 1: First Encounter
Your first exposure to the AGYMA Empire. You'll be flying a daylight mission over the Earth.
Watch out for enemy ships armed with deadly lasers and radioactive fuel rods. If you want a shot at the Big Boss, you'll have to make it past the Middle Boss in this stage.
Stage 2: Midnight Intercept
A nighttime mission over the city of Megalopolis, now under the control of the AGYMA Empire.
The enemy adds plasma beams and ripple lasers to its arsenal of weapons, testing your skill in strike and evade maneuvers. Look out for surprise attacks behind you.
Stage 3: Deep Blue Cave
Your third mission is in a huge underwater cavern that AGYMA has converted into a hidden base.
Don't be discouraged by the wrecked hulls of E.D.F. naval ships filling the water below. Fight and destroy the Middle Boss to reach the big showdown at the end of this stage.
How to Play
The Mission
The XA-1 represents state-of-the-art battle technology, the best Earth has to offer. You must proceed immediately to the launch site, take the controls of the XA-1, and lead the counter-offensive in a last-ditch attempt to save the Earth and thwart AGYMA's goal of universal domination.
Your mission is to attack AGYMA strongholds and destroy the six Big Bosses who control the organization. They are protected by tons of mechanized armor and heavily guarded by a host of renegade forces.
What To Do
There are six stages in E.D.F., each of them more difficult than the last. In order to win the game, you must defeat the enemy in all six stages as hundreds of alien fighters attack your ship from all sides.
The enemy ships come in a weird assortment of shapes and sizes, including tanks with wings, dive bombs, flying hands that hurl deadly fireballs, spinning discs, killer bees, and mechanized creatures. To survive, follow this simple rule of thumb: If it moves, shoot it down.
At the end of each stage you confront a Big Boss. Some stages also have a Middle Boss, which is not quite as deadly as the Big Boss, but still a challenge. You will know the Big Boss is near when you see lightning bolts on the screen.
Play It Again, Sam
There are four XA-1 fighter ships at your disposal. Each time you lose one, you are given the option of continuing with the next ship or starting over. When the last one is destroyed, the game ends.
Each ship has up to three shields, depending on the number you choose on the Config Screen. These shields protect the XA-1 from damage, but are themselves destroyed by enemy fire. Once your shields are gone, the ship is vulnerable and will be destroyed if shot.
The Arsenal
The XA-1 has access to eight different types of weapons, each providing its own unique advantages. You are allowed to use only one weapon at a time.
The more experience you gain as a fighter, the more powerful your weapons become. You can switch weapons during the game, but only between stages or after you lose one of your ships.
Experience Counts
As your battle skills improve, so does your experience level. You begin at Level 1 and can progress to Level 5 by shooting as many of the alien ships as possible.
With each new level, your weapons gain greater firepower. The shots look different on the screen and it takes less of them to destroy an enemy ship.
A Little Help From Your Friends
You are accompanied by two smaller satellite ships which can assume up to four different formations during battle. Unlike the XA-1, these satellite ships are indestructible.
Like your weapon power, the types of formations available to you depend on your experience level. The more experience you get, the more options you will have.
Getting Started
•
1. Place the E.D.F. Game Pak into your Super Nintendo Entertainment System® and turn on the unit. The title will begin to scroll by. Press any button to bypass this sequence.
•
2. When the title screen appears, your options are START and CONFIG. Press START to begin the game. To change the game configuration, highlight CONFIG using the Control Pad (or SELECT), then press START.
•
3. If you select neither option, a demo sequence will begin. Press START to exit the demo sequence and return to the title screen.
Level Indicator
The current Level (1-5) is indicated at the top center of the screen. Beneath the level number, an experience bar indicates how close you are to reaching the next level.
When the bar turns completely orange, the words LEVEL UP appear and the level indicator increases by one. With each new level, your weapons gain greater firepower and the variety of satellite ship formations available to you increases.
Speed Settings
Your speed is indicated by the number of arrows displayed to the right of the level number:
•
> = Slow
•
>> = Medium
•
>>> = Fast
You begin each battle at the medium speed and can change your speed at any time during play by pressing the X button one or more times. The speed you set remains in effect until you change it or until the game ends.
Shields Indicator
Depending on how you have set this option on the Config Screen, you will see either one, two, or three shields in the upper right corner of the screen at the beginning of each battle.
These shields protect your XA-1 but are themselves destroyed by enemy fire. When the last shield has been eliminated, your ship is vulnerable and can be shot down by the enemy.
Stage 4: Space Ambush
You leave the Earth and head toward AGYMA's fortress on the far side of the moon. Fighting begins as you approach the Space Colony.
The Big Boss on this stage is determined to stop you at all costs, using satellite ships of its own that fire search lasers at the XA-1.
Stage 5: Lunar Landing
As you approach AGYMA's lunar base, enemy defense forces are there to greet you. If you survive the meteor shower, a Middle Boss attacks with super-charged, heat-seeking photon lasers.
The Big Boss guarding the base is equipped with ice armor, which also becomes its weapon in the final attack as it twists and turns to evade your fire.
Stage 6: Final Fortress
At last, you're inside AGYMA headquarters! Now the real battle begins, as you fly through the steel fortress protected by
Controls
Control Pad
Highlight each option (on Config Mode Screen) / Move the XA-1 up, down, left or right (during a game)
A, B, X, or Y button
Change that option (on Config Mode Screen)
START
Return to the Title Screen (from Config Mode Screen) / Pause the game (during a game)
A button
Change music selections (in Sound Mode) / Change the satellite ship formation (during a game)
B button
Play that selection (in Sound Mode) / Fire your weapon (during a game)
X button
Change your ship speed (slow, medium, or fast) (during a game)
Items & Weapons
VULCAN
Shot spread out in a fan-shaped pattern.
LASER
Concentrated shots cause severe damage at the point of impact.
ATOMIC
When an atomic shot hits an enemy ship or is hit by enemy fire, it explodes over a wide area and engulfs all enemy ships around it.
HOMING
Shots home in on enemy ships.
EXPLODE
Shots explode on impact and destroy all enemy ships in the area.
SEARCH LASER
Slow, powerful shots that home in on the closest enemy ship.
PHOTON
Hold the B button to accumulate energy, then release it to fire a powerful shot that can pass through objects.
GRENADE
These air mines explode at timed intervals, or when touched by an enemy ship or enemy fire.
Tips & Maps
The Jaleco Major Player's Hotline
A telephone service available between 8:30AM and 5:00PM Central time, Monday through Friday, where game counselors provide tips and help with game problems.
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