4.5 out of 5 Purr! Purrr.... Great stages and boss battles

Three characters to play as

Catchy soundtrack Hisss! Difficulty spikes a couple of times

Product Info Platform Switch, Wii U, PlayStation 4, PC Publisher XSEED, Marvelous Developer GalaxyTrail Series Freedom Planet Genre Action, Adventure, Platform Players 1 File Size (Minimum) 429.72 MB Release Date (NA) Jul 21, 2014 Purchase From eShop PSN Store Steam



Freedom Planet, originally released for Steam in 2014, is a 2D platformer that takes many cues from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, such as its visual style and sense of speed. As a throwback to 2D games of the ‘90s, the title offers an extremely well-polished and fun experience, even if it doesn’t break new ground.

Story

Freedom Planet takes place in the world of Avalice. It starts with a spaceship crashing into the ground, and Sash Lilac and Carol Tea go investigate. They meet a new companion named Torque who asks for their help getting back a powerful relic that could change their world.

The adventure spans 14 stages, each one consisting of two acts, and each stage is separated by cutscenes narrating the characters’ paths. You can choose to play as either Lilac, Carol, or Milla Basset, and with three storylines, each character has one unique level which impacts their story.

The game features full voice acting, and it is surprisingly good for an indie game. Lilac’s voice actress, Dawn Michelle Bennett, put plenty of emotion into her character. You’ll especially note this during several parts of the game that drive the character to her limits. In addition, you can also find a button press that will trigger bloopers in several cutscenes, so there’s plenty of silliness here, too!

The audio awesomeness isn’t just limited to the voice acting; the soundtrack consists of many catchy songs composed by Woofle and Strife. The basslines are some of the best parts!

Gameplay

As a 2D side-scroller, Freedom Planet takes cues from classic games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man. (Antagonist Brevon’s inspirations are clearly Dr. Eggman and Mega Man X’s Sigma, for instance.) The three characters all have various abilities that affect their mobility and attacks. Lilac, the dragon, can attack with a hair-spinning cyclone or dash at hyper speeds. Carol, the wildcat, can use a Chun-Li type kick and drive up hills with her red bike. Finally, Milla can channel green energy to attack or create blocks. There’s enough variety between them that you’ll find one or more characters that are right for you.

They also nail that seemingly elusive sense of Sonic speed, and it feels really good when you get going.

Freedom Planet offers a Story Mode, as well as an Arcade Mode and a Time Attack. You can also access Bonus Stages and earn extra lives or shields, too. No matter which mode you choose, it’s all good, solid fun, even if there’s nothing terribly innovative.

Stage Design

Much of the level design revolves around running (or riding) at high speeds across detailed stages full of bright, pretty colors reminiscent of a Sega Genesis title. Also, like in Sonic, you can take multiple paths to the goal, so it’s usually okay if you miss a jump and fall to a lower part of the stage. Just don’t fall or run into the path of a patrolling enemy, though you will see a small creature fly away when you destroy them. Yep, no matter where you look, the Blue Blur’s influence is evident, which definitely isn’t a bad thing. Heck, Sky Battalion is a huge nod to the Flying Battery Zone from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Each act, of course, has a boss battle, which is generally against a rival or a large, mechanical being. One boss fight even features a chase scene which serves as a tribute to Gunstar Heroes on Genesis. Battles like this are really cool, but they and the path to them are not always a cakewalk.

Challenging and Then Some

Freedom Planet offers an authentic challenge for any fan of side-scrollers. Your life is run by hit points displayed on the top-left corner of the screen. While enemies do varying amounts of damage, you usually have enough time to recover.

Some foes, however, aren’t so generous. Certain late-game bosses will attempt to fry you in one or two hits on Normal difficulty, which can be irksome. Also, particular boss fights have all three characters participating to take it down in a speed-rushing stage that are a bit of a pain.

Fortunately, only rarely do the stages or bosses become truly frustrating. But for those players seeking to test their limits, a Hard Mode is available for a greater challenge.

Conclusion

Freedom Planet is the Sonic game that never was. It started as a Sonic fan game before becoming an original intellectual property, and yet, at the end of the day, I would vouch that this is the best Sonic game to come out prior to Sonic Mania.

As a result, given the different story paths, the fast-paced action, and the number of stages, Freedom Planet is one of my favorite indie games. It doesn’t feel cheap, it doesn’t feel dated, and it plays extremely well. While it’s not a groundbreaking title, it serves as a love letter for players who enjoy side-scrollers. I recommend it for any system it’s available on, such as PC or Nintendo Switch. Be sure to look out for the sequel when it comes out!

A review code was provided by XSEED Games for this review.