It’s that time of year again!
I’ve been whiling away the hours at work listening to the Freedom Planet 2 soundtrack (because it’s so utterly amazing), and it got me inspired to talk about this gem of a game again! So, I figured, why not tackle a subject that I’ve actually had bouncing around in my head for a while, which is to rank every single level in the game! There’s a ton of them so let’s not waver on any longer and jump into it! I’ll be evaluating levels based off of visuals, gameplay design, soundtrack, end-of-level boss, and general vibe.
Also, just as a quick note, this list won’t include the several super-tiny “levels” that are just a boss fight. That’d be kinda hard to rank.
Let’s get into it!
25) Lunar Cannon
Well, one of these levels had to bring up the bottom of the list, and in my eyes no level was more fitting than Lunar Cannon. The low-gravity gimmick makes all of your jumps really unwieldy, especially in combination with the walls, floors, and ceilings that periodically electrify with minimal warning. The layout is kind of meandering, and the boss at the end is a mess. It’s especially rough considering this is the penultimate level of the entire game.
24) Nalao Lake
I’m perfectly fine with having a level that’s somewhat maze-like, or that tasks me with hunting down various objects within a large space. I’m a little less okay with that when you combine it with copious water sections and entirely too many enemies. Like, so many enemies, a baffling number of enemies. It turns this level not only into a maze, but into a mess so clustered you’re basically just spamming buttons hoping to get out of it faster!
23) Zulon Jungle
This level has a lot of the same enemy-spam complaints as the previous entry on this list (chronologically, this level immediately precedes Nalao Lake). However, it isn’t a maze, and there’s no water sections, allowing you to blitz through the carnage instead of getting stuck in the mire. It’s more fun as a result…until you get to the boss at the end, who is just so miserable to fight. It’s one blemish too many for me to put this level any higher on the list.
22) Sky Bridge
This level shares a lot of the maze-like themes with Nalao Lake, only with a fraction of the overwhelming enemy density, and some cool moments where you get to ride on the back of a jet plane. It’s thematically a cool level, and the end boss is actually one of the game’s best too! Sadly, there’s a few too many low points. There’s too many areas where you have to stop in your tracks and battle waves of enemies, there’s a few too many of those big-headed minibosses, and the layout can be a little too confusing since the plain-blue background of the sky makes it hard to tell exactly where you are in the level (there aren’t many notable landmarks around).
21) Palace Courtyard
This is the shortest level in the game, and represents the dramatic shift from Act One to Act Two. On a casual playthrough, it’s an awesome and memorable level. On a 100% completion playthrough, it’s the worst level in the entire game. It’s very punishing, very strict, and unreasonably difficult, and I hate the boss fight with every fiber of my being (it’s a fight meant to be unfair and force you to lose, but a 100% run requires you to win even though it wasn’t intended to be a winnable fight). It’s terrible…but, again, actually quite cool for just a casual playthrough. So it lands here on the list.
20) Tidal Gate
This is the first level on the list that I don’t really have any gripes against it…I just also don’t really have any big positives either. It’s a good breather from the chaos of Act One’s conclusion as we enter Act Two, but by that very nature it ends up being a level that just sort of exists. It has no relation to anything about the main story or the antagonists, your heroines barely comment on the stage’s existence, and it also doesn’t particularly do anything amazing or memorable (and the boss is the easiest in the game). But, it also doesn’t do anything wrong!
19) Tiger Falls
This level doesn’t only share a water-based theme with the previous entry, but I also hold essentially the same opinion of it. During Acts One and Two, the game is mostly divided into chunks of two levels at a time…except for this weird outlier, which kicks off a three-level-group. It also has absolutely nothing to do with the other two levels, which makes me wonder why it even exists. It’s pretty, the music is nice, and the going-behind-waterfalls gimmick is actually super creative. But the level doesn’t exactly justify why it is even here, and I personally find the boss to be annoying to deal with.
18) Weapon’s Core
The final level of the game, and one heck of a doozy of a finale! Racing through the dark, desolate, creepy interior of Bakunawa’s core is thrilling, especially once the unsettling eye of Syntax falls upon you. If you’re too slow, she’ll instantly kill you while incessantly shouting in a more and more frantic way, turning this level into one of the most tense and heart-pumping in any 2D platformer. I’d love it…if it wasn’t so jarringly different from every other level that comes before it, in a way that I don’t think works as well as the developer’s intended. In fact, they’ve had to patch this level post-launch more than once to make it more bearable!
17) Bakunawa Rush
For being the level that kicks off Act Three, it’s unfortunately a little bit mid. But that’s “mid” by the standards of Freedom Planet 2, so it’s still an enjoyable and fast-paced level that is fun to play! I like the quick speeds, the set pieces of grinding on rails in the vast depths of space, and it does a good job evoking the feeling of busting your way into the main villain’s stronghold. It’s even got a decent boss at the end. I just don’t totally love the introduction of this weird pinball-like mechanic that didn’t land for me, and some of the outside segments are too easy to fall down during (granted, at least you just lose health and return to where you fell, you don’t die).
16) Robot Graveyard
Another mostly inoffensive level, though with enough cool features (no snow-pun intended) to land at this point of the list. I love the return of the previous game’s main villain’s leitmotif as you discover the remnants of his robotic army, that’s a cool musical throughthread. The labyrinthine layout of this level works in its favor due to a plethora of recognizable landmarks, and I think the mechanic of rolling into a snowball is neat! Fighting Syntax at the end is always a pleasure too. And so with a few positives to its name, and no negatives, this is where it fits on my list!
15) Avian Museum
Aside from one section that stands out as being pretty terrible, this level as a whole is actually quite good! That’s why I rate it above the previous entry, as even though that one had no flaws, this one’s highs are a little higher (the low part, by the way, is this bit with falling blocks that can be hard to avoid, and are one of the only moments of insta-death in the whole game). I like how much there is to explore, I like the twisty-turny speeds on some of the hills, I like the trippy vaporwave-esque final section, and the end boss (while tough) is a good foe to overcome. I also like how this level becomes a hub you can revisit and repair as you play the game, essentially becoming this game’s version of a Gallery Mode.
14) Shenlin Park
The second level of the game, and a strong continuation off of the fantastic opening level (which you’ll note hasn’t put in an appearance yet). It’s a shockingly complicated level given how early it appears, but that complexity helps it stand out even more. You ride on trains, swim through tunnels, explore a busy harbor, and tackle one of the game’s best bosses (a big red bird that is basically a walking arsenal). There’s a lot of hidden goodies, some light puzzle solving with switches, and one of the best level themes playing the entire time. A really great level!
In fact, everything from this point on is pretty great (not that the past few entries weren’t at least “quite good“!)
13) Gravity Bubble
It’s largely held as fact that water levels in video games are supposed to suck, but Gravity Bubble certainly didn’t get that memo! Despite taking place 95% underwater, the level is so cleverly designed that you simply never have to worry about running out of air, allowing you to simply enjoy exploring this vast submerged cavern filled with suction tunnels, aquatic lifeforms, and beautiful coral structures. The soundtrack is phenomenal too. Plus, there’s a neat twist of ending the level with a tense chase sequence instead of the expected boss fight, which brings things to a hectic and memorable conclusion.
12) Inversion Dynamo
While this level theroetically has some of the same issues with enemy spam that Nalao Lake did way earlier in this list of mine, Inversion Dynamo counterbalances that by allowing you to go…really…fast! It’s one of the game’s fastest levels (though not the fastest, more on that later), so even though there’s a veritable armada of enemies all converging on your location, you can just blast right past them through teleporters, bounce pads, and grind rails. The music is a jam, the visual design is super cool, and the frenetic pace never lets up from start to finish. Sure, the ending portal maze can be a tad confusing, but it’s a faint blemish I’m willing to put up with on an otherwise fantastic stage.
11) Globe Opera 1
While I honestly consider this level a little bit forgettable in the grand scheme of things (it blends in a bit with the rest of the craziness of the Act One climax), it’s actually quite great. So even though it never sticks in my mind much, it’s one that is worthy of being this high on the list upon reflection. You can achieve some crazy speed thanks to these little launching cup swings, the gimmick of creating your own platforms via the grid system is clever, and it’s one of the game’s best showcases for just how versatile each heroine can be at traversing a stage’s layout. The aesthetic and tone of the stage is great too, and really pumps you up (an invigorating soundtrack too). The boss at the end is kinda weak, but when the rest of the stage is this good it’s something I’m able to overlook.
10) Globe Opera 2
The first of three levels in the game that follow a “mini-challenge” setup (a level based around a central hub that you branch out from to complete small challenges, then return to the hub). There’s also a super cool introductory section where you enter a lights-out version of the Globe Opera, and have to slowly turn everything on (which cranks up the music intensity too). This is also the only “mini-challenge” stage in the game that doesn’t require doing each challenge, adding a sprinkle of replayability to an already pretty fantastic stage. There’s a whole lot packed into this one!
9) Magma Starscape
This level gives me massive Chemical Plant from Sonic 2 vibes, in that it’s so blisteringly (no lava-pun intended) fast that the screen scroll can barely keep up with you! The speed you can achieve on some of these hills and loops is crazy, and it really matches with the intensity of scaling an exploding volcano! There’s a heat-gauge gimmick that doesn’t overstay its welcome, some unique platforming sections around crumbling platforms, and a mind-boggling number of paths to take that ensure that no matter which direction you’re moving you’re progressing towards the goal. And the soundtrack is stellar too. It’s such a good stage that the pros far outweigh the biggest con of having a lackluster boss battle.
8) Clockwork Arboretum
The final (chronologically-speaking) “mini-challenge” level, and the level from Act Three I always most look forward to returning to! I didn’t think I’d enjoy these “mini-challenge” levels at first, but they really do have an addicting setup and execution that allows for so many interesting and varied ideas to be crammed into bite-sized packages all within a single stage. There’s a maze that locks the camera, a room where a big dragon chases you, one where the steps you take on the way out create obstacles you have to avoid on the way back, and plenty more. With one of the best level themes in the game motivating you forward, and a pretty decent boss awaiting at the end (especially if you’re playing as Carol), it’s a stellar level that helps push the game forward to ending on a high note.
7) Ancestral Forge
The second of the three “mini-challenge” levels, and the one that maximizes the concept to its fullest potential. Taking a break from the Sonic inspiration Freedom Planet 2 proudly wears on its sleeve, this level is ripped straight out of a Zelda game. The Ancestral Forge is more a dungeon than a platforming stage, focusing around different rooms that are heavily puzzle focused. Raising and lower water levels, rotating room gravity, turning on-and-off barriers…it’s got it all. And even in the face of its length (a casual playthrough can genuinely be upwards of 20 minutes), it still has plenty of fast and speedy moments that make replaying the stage just as much fun as the first time around!
6) Airship Sigwada
Maybe this is just me, but I kinda think that a level is immediately going to be a banger when I jump in and find out it involves airships, no matter the game I’m playing! So even though this is a reused level aesthetic from the first game, I love the stage on principle. Thankfully, it’s excellent even aside from its thematic elements! From the great music to the fast-paced beginning of being shot out of a cannon and into the sky, Airship Sigwada has one amazing moment after another. The big green bird robot is a challenging mid boss, and the end boss is fun too. I like looping around the crazy interiors of these airships, and the puzzle gimmick of punching those little fist things into their appropriate sockets is both satisfying and entertaining.
5) Phoenix Highway
Sometimes you want to solve puzzles, do some exploring, or beat up baddies in a platformer like Freedom Planet 2…and other times you just wanna go really fast! Befitting its moniker, Phoenix Highway really does make you feel like you’re cruising down the world’s fastest and most reckless highway, and even has these tricky little traffic-light-robots that are super satisfying to overcome so you can just keep on running! This is another level that thrives on allowing you to be as fast as possible, and yet if exploration is more your style, there’s tons of goodies to discover in the cave portion in the level’s second half. It’s a level that’s got something for everyone, and caps it all off with a pretty memorable boss encounter.
4) Lightning Tower
On the opposite side of the spectrum from the previous entry, we have this super-cool level that is extremely vertical-focused, and all about solving little puzzles as you make your way up this huge tower! So while there’s a bit less speed, there’s a much heightened sense of progression and skill as you solve puzzles and platform your way to the top. It’s hard to fully explain, but this level does a really amazing job of making you feel good at the game while playing! There’s a ton of awesome setpieces too, like toppling a big robot spider so it breaks away parts of the level and allows you to progress. The big boss awaiting you at the top is one of the most creative showdowns in the game too. And then this level also has the honor of having the best stage soundtrack in the whole game!
3) Shade Armory
The perfect “hard” level, Shade Armory manages to strike this impeccable gameplay balance of having tricky-but-fair sections, tough-but-manageable enemies, and plenty of moments with speed interspersed with moments of slower precision movement. You’re infiltrating the secret base of the previous main villain, after all, so of course it’d have to be epic! Robotic troops roam the halls, moving platforms make navigation tricky, and there’s a fair bit of back-and-forth pressing switches to progress. And then all the while you’re being hounded by everyone’s favorite evil robo gal, Syntax in some really funny moments. This is a level I adored seeing my skill at completing grow upon many repeat playthroughs, and bashing Syntax at the end of the level is quite enjoyable too!
2) Dragon Valley
Not every game just utterly nails each and every aspect on the first level, but Freedom Planet 2 sure does! You can reach almost unfathomable speeds as you cruise through these rolling hills, especially on that last at the level’s end. The level is crafted immaculately to allow each of the four core heroines to flex their skills to the fullest, achieving maximum enjoyment. The path to the finish is quick and entertaining, but secrets right off the beaten path encourage exploration (not to mention all the different ways you can make it to the end). All of the game’s mechanics are taught so organically and creatively that you’re pretty much a master by the time you reach the end and clash with a robot crab. And the music? That remix of the original game’s Dragon Valley theme? Sublime!
1) Zao Land
I’ve heard a lot of people praise the casino-themed levels from Sonic, and yet they never meshed with me (they’re always stuffed with annoying bumpers and springs, insta-crushers, or enemies ready and waiting to rob you of the rings you just got from a jackpot). So imagine my surprise when I put this list together and found myself unable to stop from putting a casino-themed (or, rather, an amusement park themed) level at the top of the list. But I can’t help myself, it’s so fun!
Honestly, the “Zao” focused levels in both Freedom Planet games are stellar. But while the original game’s Fortune Night took place in a shopping mall with playable floor pianos, wacky escalators, and a dancing idle animation that played if you put the controller down, Zao Land has it’s own unique and unforgettable experiences. Twisty rollercoasters for you to grind on, rocketing poles for you to launch off of, balloons to pop and bounce around on, waterslides to slip on, and barrels to blast out of.
And that’s not even to mention the baseball machine! Hop on the ball, aim your shot, and go flying through the air at mach speeds, popping balloons and riding the wind all the while! It’s insanely entertaining, and really brings out the core strength of Zao Land: being fun. The level is just pure fun, distilled into a five minute romp through a bright and cherry amusement park. And the icing on the cake? One of the game’s best bosses awaiting you at the finish line!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 