Freedom Planet is a masterpiece. I love this game so much. I preface this entire review with the fact that I love this game.
My back story is that I am a die hard Sonic fan. Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 were paradigm shifts for me. They are the games that defined my childhood and got me into gaming. I have bought and re-bought those games on every platform available.
Sonic 3 was good, and Sonic 4 was a disappointment (but I will replay both episodes soon, to make sure). Now fast forward to this Kickstarter project. Sonicretro.org forum member Stephen “Strife” Diduro made this game with a little help from some friends. This went from fan game, to kickstarter funding success, to masterpiece.
What is Freedom Planet? Freedom planet is a dream come true to fans of Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis games that never thought they would get a new game. It is a 16-bit 2D platformer with diverging paths to the end of each level. Every level is broken up with mini-boss fights and each level culminates in a challenging boss battle. This game incorporates Rocket Knight Adventure, Gunstar Heroes, Pulseman, and many other classics. Somehow the game still manages to feel unique. There are 3 playable characters as of now, and each character feels like a different game.
Carol plays like a Tails and Mega Man X character, while Lilac plays more like Sonic. Milla plays like….. Mario 2? I don’t know… The goal of the game is to make to the end of each level and beat the boss. There are trinkets to find along the way and multiple paths that only certain characters can access.
How does it play? I used a wired Xbox controller for PC (Steam). Utilizing the d-pad on that controller the game played very smoothly and precise. There is a great physics engine in the game that feels like a Sonic game (weighty, can’t quite stop on a dime) but some liberties were taken. You can walk up walls even when you don’t have enough momentum to really climb up. It’s a nice decision that keeps the game flowing well. You have an attack button, and a special attack button, as well as a jump button. There is a nice focus on attacking in this game. You can dispatch enemies in many different ways. Each special attack has invincibility frames within them that are crucial to learn and utilize if you want to beat bosses. The only weird thing about the controls are that you can’t just press down and roll with all of the characters like in Sonic. It’s a small thing but I kept finding myself trying to use momentum and be in a ball rolling but couldn’t.
How is the story? Weirdly dark tone but fully voice acted. There are 2 modes to play the game in; Adventure mode with the story cut scenes between levels and then Classic mode where you just play levels in order with no story. I enjoyed the story and the voice acting. It’s cheesy and overly dramatic but in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way and I liked that. It’s violent and get’s a little….weird at the end. I won’t spoil things though.
The music? It’s incredible. Here. Listen, thank me later.
Is it just a lazy Sonic knock-off? Not in my opinion. It might look like Sonic but it so much more than a knock off. It’s a fun unique take on a genre that is in decline. 8-bit games and NES style games seem to get remade a lot but 16 bit mascot platformers have seemingly died out. This is a great revival.
Why do you like it so much? Because I have a soul.
Are there black people in it? Maybe, the Japanese Panda sounded black to me…..
Also, the game features 3 strong female protagonist.
In conclusion, Buy it. Right now. This game seems to have been released without much fanfare, and I hop it doesn’t get lost in the fray. It’s on Steam for $14.99. Worth it.
J3Blackgamer 