Earth's Greatest Defender — Play Free Online

Earth's Greatest Defender is an action and shooting game from the Poki catalogue that runs directly in the browser. You steer a defender around the screen, aim with the mouse and fire at whatever is coming for the planet. Sessions are short and immediate, which makes it a good break between longer games.

If you came to Doodle Jump for quick, reflex-driven play where one mistake ends the run, this scratches a similar itch. The difference is that you are not climbing. You are holding your ground and reacting to threats, so the skill is awareness and aim rather than timing a bounce.

How to play

Move with the arrow keys or WASD, and use the mouse to aim and to select items on menus. On a phone or tablet, tap and swipe instead. There is nothing to install and no account to create; the page loads and you can start straight away.

A round is a loop of positioning, aiming and shooting. Keep your hands on the keys for movement and let the mouse do the aiming, rather than trying to do both with one hand.

Tips

• Keep moving. Standing still while aiming is the easiest way to get hit in any game of this type.
• Pay attention to where threats come from at the start of a round, then position yourself to cover that side.
• If you are on a touchscreen and the controls feel imprecise, a laptop with a mouse is noticeably easier for aiming.

Similar games on Doodle Jump

For another game about holding off waves, try Bloons Tower Defense 2, which is slower and based on placing towers rather than shooting yourself. Day D Tower Rush also leans on defence. If you prefer pure platforming reflexes, Ovo 2 and Helix Jump are the closer matches to the site's headline game.

It suits a few minutes at a time on a laptop, Chromebook or phone, and the controls are easy to pick up without a tutorial.