In today’s gaming landscape, the remastered version of “Freedom Wars” seems a bit anachronistic. Originally launched for the PlayStation Vita in 2014 by Sony Interactive Entertainment, with Japan Studio contributing to its development, this is an action RPG tailored for the handheld market. The game’s missions are perfect for short gaming sessions, and its simple hack-and-slash combat style isn’t dissimilar to titles like “Monster Hunter Portable 3rd” from the PSP era.
More than ten years have passed since we last saw Freedom Wars, but the gaming world has undergone a significant transformation. Mobile games have taken over from handheld gaming, and many action RPGs now offer expansive open worlds and high-quality production. If you’re familiar with Monster Hunter Rise on the Nintendo Switch, you’ll find that its feel is easily transferable to current-generation consoles. Despite being more streamlined than its contemporaries, does Dimps’ original title still retain some charm in today’s gaming landscape?
Another less appealing change is the fresh voices for Percy Propa, our committee’s mascot, and your companion, the AI assistant that tracks your actions and offers help during battles.
For those eagerly anticipating its return, the remastered version of “Freedom Wars” might resonate with you (available on console, but details about that soon). Those who are curious about the buzz surrounding it will find an action RPG offering a mix of exciting highs and lows, along with an intriguing, though somewhat outdated design.
In a distant future when all resources are depleted and even minor actions are considered crimes, you take on the role of an individual labeled as a Sinner, who has committed the most severe infraction: Existence itself, since birth is now seen as illegal. The world has been consolidated into Panopticons, rival entities fighting over whatever scraps remain.
The narrative unfolds amidst the heart of an operation, with your protagonist having forgotten their past. Suddenly, a puzzling figure known as Aries M. emerges to potentially trigger a crucial incident. From there, everything reverts to the starting point, leaving our hero confined in a plain cell. This is just another step in their sentence that’s approaching a million years long, simply for taking more than five steps.
It’s quite overwhelming to absorb all the information, and occasionally the writing in Freedom Wars can be overly verbose. Another potential drawback is the new English voice-acting for Percy Propa, the mascot of the committee managing your Panopticon, and your Accessory, an android watching your every move who helps in combat. Their dialogue seems like it was produced by a text-to-speech system, possibly to match the Japanese voice-acting from the PS Vita version, but it falls flat compared to its original counterpart. The human actors do a good job overall, although some characters like Mattias can sometimes sound muffled at times.
As a gamer, I find myself over and over again diving into a mission, taking down adversaries, scavenging for loot, tweaking my gear setup, then rinse and repeat.
Despite having missions and donation requirements for resource acquisition, the world’s intricate construction is captivating. At first, certain resources are inaccessible, but by meeting qualifications and passing exams designated as CODE Exams, you can retain them. Similarly, privileges such as leaving your cell, running, and gaining some freedom from your Accessory are earned through similar means of qualification.
Exploring the lives of citizens, who hold greater privileges than commoners, interacting with rival Panopticon members, and dealing with the enigmatic Abductors, are all part of the journey. Despite its quirks, the narrative moves at a brisk pace, and it doesn’t take long before you meet Beatrice, and events start to unfold rapidly.
Even though there’s a wealth of information initially, the gameplay should be comfortably familiar for fans of action RPG hunting games. You’ll find various weapon types, including melee and ranged options that can be enhanced using Modules. Additionally, you’ll encounter different Thorns – tools acting as grapples, capable of immobilizing enemies, reinforcing your team’s defense, and even healing when fully charged. Their primary function will be to latch onto the Abductors, either causing them to fall or severing parts through rapid button presses. During battles, you can give orders to your Accessory, guiding it to perform crucial tasks (though I found this feature somewhat tricky at times).
In this game, I find myself constantly cycling through activities like embarking on missions, vanquishing adversaries, gathering supplies, fine-tuning my equipment, and then repeating the process. As I progress to higher CODE levels, the missions become more challenging, but the diversity is disappointingly scarce. The landscapes, which consist mainly of barren deserts and a few dilapidated cityscapes with grappling points, fail to introduce enough variety to keep the gameplay fresh.
As you delve into the narrative and decipher the sequence of events, it doesn’t take much time before the gaming experience begins to seem excessively monotonous.
Abductors can be fascinating as they allow you to detach various pieces for collection. In some instances, freeing captive citizens becomes necessary, which involves attacking the main module where they’re held. If an Abductor has a shield, it’s crucial to grab onto those protective components and cut them off.
In simpler terms, you can destroy specific areas such as missile launchers to limit an Abductor’s deadly arsenal, but that’s about the extent of it. Generally, you’ll switch between powerful and weak attacks to create combos, attack from a distance, perform a grapple strike, perhaps toss a couple of grenades, and ideally, I would have appreciated being able to pull back the camera for a wider view.
Moving between various attack strategies isn’t always seamless, but it’s not hopeless either. It’s quite astonishing how dynamic the fighting feels. Slashing through an Abductor’s armor provides a sense of accomplishment, and additional features, such as the ability to cancel animations by activating Thorns, definitely introduce more complexity.
As a devoted fan, I find myself yearning for a wider array of adversaries or diverse mission formats in this game. It’s perplexing how so many citizens seem to require rescue, doesn’t it? Despite the captivating narrative that draws me deeper into the world’s mysteries, the repetitiveness of gameplay sets in rather quickly. Yet, for those who can find their groove, there are numerous upgrades and unlockable features to keep you engaged for countless hours.
If this truly marks the beginning of bringing back the series, I’m eager to witness what the team can accomplish with modern mechanisms and aesthetics.
In my gaming experience with Freedom Wars Remastered, what truly sets it apart from other titles are its stunning visuals. It maintains its distinctive anime-inspired style, complete with a muted color palette that perfectly encapsulates the bleak future of constant surveillance and despair. However, the leap to 4K resolution and smooth 60 frames per second performance really elevates the game. The details are sharper than ever, and on the PlayStation 5, I didn’t encounter any performance hiccups (although it seems that may not be the case for PC players on Steam).
While it may not match the visual splendor of your “Wuthering Waves” or “Zenless Zone Zeroes”, it offers a distinct ambiance that sets it apart from numerous other games. The atmosphere is both oppressive and strangely uplifting, possibly due to its soundtrack. The blend of orchestral and edgy rock music gives the right balance, adding a significant level of seriousness to the overall aesthetic.
At first glance, it appears that Freedom Wars Remastered primarily aims to move the original game onto modern platforms. This is significant in itself, and the improved quality of life aspects are welcome. However, action RPG enthusiasts might justifiably expect more, even given its budget price. If this is indeed a beginning for reviving the series, I’m eager to see what they can create with modern mechanics and design. For now, this remaster is likely to be enjoyed most by long-term fans, and it shines best on the PS5.
This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
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2025-01-21 23:11