(Apologies for the one week delay. Expected celebrations and unexpected health issues popped up.)
Freedom Planet is not an indie game often held up to the lofty heights of discussions on indie game classics, like Super Meat Boy, Shovel Knight, or this year’s breakout hit Inscryption. However, just because it flew under many gamer’s radars does not mean it isn’t worth every cent to buy (it’s really cheap though) and every second spent playing. Freedom Planet is an immensely satisfying and energetic 2D platformer, and one of the best I’ve ever played.
At first glance, it might be extremely tempting to compare Freedom Planet to a certain spiky blue hedgehog. Now, there’s no surer way to anger diehard Freedom Planet fans than to compare their game to Sonic, but the comparison genuinely has a lot of merit. After all, Freedom Planet actually started as a Sonic fangame before transitioning into a completely unique IP. Regardless, the blue blur’s inspiration is felt through the entirety of Freedom Planet‘s gameplay. In particular, the Genesis-era Sonic games serve as the backbone to this game’s experience.
Except, of course, that Freedom Planet is a massive improvement over Genesis-era Sonic in literally every single way.
(This is arguably one of the most Contrarian opinions I’ve espoused yet on this blog)
If you’ve played the Genesis-era Sonic games before…when’s the last time you actually went back and re-played them? When’s the last time you critically evaluated whether or not they actually hold up, or if it is just your nostalgia goggles hyping them up more than they deserve? To be sure, old-school Sonic is a lot of fun, but it most certainly has not aged particularly well. Those games are riddled with flaws.
I mean, where do you even begin?
Try to count the number of times you’re speeding through loops and twists, only for an unexpected bottomless pit to instantly kill you. Or an unnecessarily frustrating spring to bounce you backwards, killing your momentum. Or an enemy from offscreen bumps into you, causing you to lose all of your rings. Or how the level design is intrinsically designed to be as contradictory as possible, unable to make up its mind whether it wants to be a speedy thrill ride or a slow, exploratory platformer.
Sonic games feel as if they were designed with an archaic, arcade-style design philosophy, where the games are made as unfair and frustrating as possible so as to eat all of your quarters. Problem is, these aren’t arcade games, they’re home console games. I’ve seen diehard fans defend the franchise as “getting better to play the more you play them”, and though I can understand that sort of memorization aspect, what you are left with is still an annoying and unfun first playthrough. Who would bother to give the game a second shot if the first time through was consistently unenjoyable?
Thankfully, Freedom Planet manages to fix every single one of these flaws, while heaping on a ton of entirely new and engaging features, all packed within its own charming identity.
So what’s the plot? Surprisingly, there’s a pretty intricate one.
Intergalactic conqueror, Lord Brevon, leads his loyal army of mutants and robots to the world of Avalice, seeking to claim the magical power of the planet. However, Brevon’s a smart one, and he stages an elaborate and deceptive set-up by killing on of the planet’s kings, brainwashing the king’s son, and maneuvering the citizens into an all-out war while he sticks to the shadows. It’s up to a trio of plucky would-be adventurers (Lilac, Carol, and Milla) to unravel the plot and take Brevon down. They are added by Torque, a member of the space police tasked with taking Brevon down. Adventure and antics ensue.
Which is NOT to say that this is some sort of kiddy plot designed to keep simple children entertained. Though it might be bright and colorful (and it IS frequently humorous in the early levels), Freedom Planet is not a game for everyone. The characters have several intense and emotionally charged arguments, multiple characters are violently killed onscreen, and there is an infamous and extremely uncomfortable torture scene late in the game. Seriously, it’s as hard to watch as it is hard for the characters to endure.
None of this story would work, though, without a proper voice cast, and Freedom Planet definitely has that covered in SPADES (there’s a character named Spade, it’s a joke). Though the cast won’t be winning any sort of high-class drama awards, each voice actor nails their respective character, and handle the serious moments and light-hearted moments excellently. Dawn M. Bennett (as Lilac) and Xander Barriga (as Brevon) are the standout highlights.
The soundtrack is also out-of-this-world incredible, delivering one banger track after the other as you blast through the wonderful world of Avalice. Each level’s instrumentation perfectly matches the theme of the environment, and every single song will worm its way into your brain for all time. Whether its the adventurous tune of the Relic Maze, the pulse-pounding Boss Theme, or the almost infuriatingly catchy Training Room theme, there’s not a single misstep in this classic soundtrack.
And, as I laid the groundwork for in an earlier paragraph, Freedom Planet fixes every single flaw plaguing the old-school Sonic games. There are no bottomless pits that come out of nowhere for a cheap death. Enemies do not deal contact damage, meaning if you bump into one unexpectedly, it won’t have a negative repercussion. Springs aren’t placed haphazardly to bounce you back and waste time. Levels are also intricately designed to allow for both speedy clears, slow-and-steady exploration, or an equal mix of both. Freedom Planet proudly presents itself as a fusion of gameplay ideas, and not a speed-based game hampered by clunky design.
On top of this, I also mentioned the unique twists and mechanics Freedom Planet utilizes to forge its own identity. There are three separate characters, and each has their own means of combat and traversal. Lilac is a flighty fighter, and can twirl to hover long distances and blast around like a rocket. Carol rides a motorcycle up walls (somehow, don’t question it), and has slashy combos with her sharp claws. Milla bounces around with her ability to generate and detonate squishy slime, and can flutter about with her big ears. Each character brings something new to the table.
I mentioned combat up in that paragraph, and yeah, combat is a much bigger deal in this game than in Sonic. Instead of simple bops on the head, each character can punch, kick, blast energy, and so much more. Likewise, the enemies put up some resistance. To counter this, you don’t drop rings and then die in a single hit afterward like in Sonic. Though you DO pick up little blue gems while racing around the world, you have a legitimate health bar that determines your longevity of life.
That health bar sure comes in handy against the game’s exceptionally challenging boss fights, many of whom will push you to your absolute limits. Basic enemies usually aren’t much more than a temporary annoyance, and most of the platformer in this game is of an expected level of difficulty, but the boss fights can be shockingly touch. I was actually floored by just how many times I died in my first playthrough of this game. Specifically, the showdown with Neera, both fights against Brevon’s battleship, the lengthy clash with Spade, and the final fight with Brevon are some of the toughest fights in all 2D platformers I’ve ever played.
Thankfully, Freedom Planet offers a wide slew of difficulty options to chose from, including a peaceful little Easy mode that ensures gamers of all skill levels can enjoy this game!
It’s so clear while playing Freedom Planet that the entire game is a passionate labor of love. Charm and heart are poured into every single pixel on the screen. Collectable trinkets are tucked into the most secret corners imaginable, rewarding diligent explorers. One level allows you to play around on a giant functional piano, and bust some moves on a disco floor. In another level you ride a giant dragon and shoot lasers at the hapless evil robot army. There’s a bird character who speaks exclusively with the throaty exclamation of “WEH”. There’s even an extremely hidden Mahjong Solitaire minigame. Why? I don’t know, but it’s awesome!
In a gaming world blessed with fun and engaging 2D platformers, Freedom Planet still manages to rise above the competition. The level structures are more exploratory and unique than a Mario game. They aren’t riddled with design issues and purposefully infuriating mechanics like a Sonic game. It’s actually got a genuine story mode with enjoyable voice acting and surprising stakes. The boss fights don’t mess around, and push your skills to the limit. And, of course, the soundtrack is just on a whole new level. It’s simply a phenomenal game.
Freedom Planet 2, after years and years of being stuck in development, has finally been given an official release date of September 13th. With that exciting news, there’s no better time to jump aboard the Freedom Planet hype train than to give the first game a try. It’s available on basically every gaming platform imaginable. Give it a try, and I promise you won’t regret it!
10/10
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 