Freedom Wars Remastered marks the comeback of the beloved, futuristic action game akin to Monster Hunter, initially released by Sony for the PS Vita back in 2014. Despite the PS Vita not quite reaching the popularity it should have had, we’ve always felt that this innovative title didn’t receive the recognition it deserved. Now available on both PS5 and PS4, Remastered aims to showcase the franchise at its best, albeit with some areas feeling slow-paced.
In a dismal future, extensive environmental degradation and nuclear conflicts have driven humankind to inhabit colossal underground complexes known as Panopticans – self-governing city-states vying over meager resources, where the majority of inhabitants are essentially confined and forced into labor under penal conditions.
Because of severe scarcity of resources, these individuals are punished for the grave offense of simply being alive, with newborns receiving sentences lasting a million years. However, reducing this sentence can be achieved by participating in the continuous struggle between Panopticons. These foreign invaders, along with advanced beings from a place known as On High, use futuristic Abductors to capture unsuspecting individuals. Engaging and defeating these formidable enemies is a significant aspect of gameplay, and it turns out to be an intricate spectacle as well.
Initially, Freedom Wars was jointly produced by three different studios, resulting in an unusual creation. Shift studio took charge of its concept, visuals, and overall design, while Dimps collaborated with Japan Studio to refine the mechanics and gameplay, effectively making it a first-party release.
Initially, Push Square’s Robert Ramsey evaluated it at its debut, and while numerous issues from the original persist in the Remastered version, a significant graphical enhancement greatly improves it. Similar to most games (particularly when set to performance mode), it becomes significantly more enjoyable due to a constant high frame rate. The shift from PS Vita input to DualSense is noteworthy; the original’s contentious controls have been updated, haptic feedback provides weightiness, and with L2 and R2 triggers, you no longer need to depend on the PS Vita’s peculiar back touch pad for fundamental gameplay functions.
Freedom Wars showcases its strengths primarily in its unique setting and engaging gameplay. However, as the game unfolds, neither aspect seems to develop or grow, which can make the initial stages feel repetitive or tedious, intentionally so to some extent.
The premise is captivating, but its application within the game can sometimes feel restrictive, such as penalizing players for actions like entering certain areas or straying too far from your constant companion, the Accessory, until certain privileges are unlocked. This can make the early hours particularly challenging.
Moreover, while the variety of weapon types is welcome, the basic crafting system becomes a chore as it’s necessary to maintain a steady growth in the health pools of the increasingly powerful Abductor enemies. This feels more like unnecessary busywork than an integral part of the gameplay experience.
The game’s structure for quests and missions isn’t effective; it was originally designed for short, portable gaming sessions on the PlayStation Vita. The gameplay frequently involves lengthy conversations and running around as your custom character interacts with other characters, including sinners and captors. This often leads players to explore the monotonous corridors of the Panopticon, completing repetitive fetch quests that seem endless.
During your assigned combat mission, you’ll either receive a pre-selected group of AI companions or have the option to choose one. Together, you’ll embark on straightforward objectives such as eliminating targets, rescuing hostages, securing resources, and giving commands. As both you and your AI allies can customize your Accessories (like a cyborg bodyguard or parole officer), these missions offer an engaging and enjoyable experience, though they may become repetitive over time.
In this game, you have the option to attach different types of Thorns, which function as grappling hooks or can be used for healing and boosting allies. This feature significantly enhances the gameplay by introducing more layers and vertical exploration. Over time, you’ll also learn to command your team using a customizable list of orders that they execute with remarkable precision. When it comes to combat in Freedom Wars, it remains highly captivating. However, while the haptics make it serviceable, both melee and ranged combat lack the complexity found in similar action-hunting games. The skill ceiling is lower, and the combat can feel a bit ungrounded at times.
In this game, NPC (Non-Player Characters) opponents can be swapped with real human players for a more engaging experience, though it’s also perfectly playable on its own. During our review, we didn’t have any companions to join us, but we’re happy to share that the League of Panopticons leaderboard is operational. Additionally, excess equipment can be given away to benefit the larger community, thereby improving the status of your chosen ‘Con (Community).
You have a selection of 47 prefectures from Japan, and an additional 50 international cities were included later on. There may be more expansion like this in the future. Boosting your position and growing your community continues to offer benefits, as there are constant motivational leaderboards within each user’s account.
As a dedicated fan, I’ve come to expect a bit more speed in today’s gaming world, especially with the powerhouse that is the PS5. However, diving into Freedom Wars Remastered, I’m reminded that it’s not a remake but a remaster, which means the hardware limitations of the PS Vita are still in play. This means I’m often faced with lengthy loading screens, whether I’m transitioning between areas within the Panopticon or engaging in combat. It’s a small price to pay for revisiting this classic, but it’s definitely a change from the seamless transitions we’ve grown accustomed to in modern gaming.
Freedom Wars showcases an unique artistic flair and a haunting dark-synth soundtrack that makes it visually appealing for its genre. There’s more voice acting in this version too, with your Accessory joining the fray as well (sounding like a text-to-speech device, which can become repetitive). In the heat of battle, the voices of your character, allies, and Accessories can sometimes be a bit grating, but personal preference may differ on this point.
Ultimately, the characters you meet lack complexity, often fit stereotypes, and appear shallow. It seems the intention was to give players a wide array of potential companions, but perhaps a smaller number with more depth would have been more beneficial. The gritty and appealing atmosphere that Freedom Wars aims for is somewhat undermined by characters whose purposes and worries sometimes seem inconsistent with the supposed weight of the scenario.
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2025-01-08 19:06