Freedom Planet, aka I Can't Believe it's Not Sonic!

[Keon XVII]

So Freedom Planet.



It's a game that started out as a Sonic fan game, but eventually became its own thing. Despite its origins, however, it surprisingly doesn't play that much like a classic Sonic game. It still takes inspiration from Sonic mind you, but it also takes cues from other games such as Gunstar Heroes and Rocket Knight Adventures, with a hint of Mega Man thrown in for good measure.

Basically it's one big love letter to classic Sega Genesis games and it's fun as hell. It was released on Steam back in July, and it's $15, which is worth every penny IMO. If you're still not sold on it after seeing the trailer and what I had to say about it, then I suggest you give the free demo a shot and mull it over.

[Neon Black]

On my second run-through and my overall impression is that it feels like more of a spiritual sequel to Sonic 3&K than any actual Sonic game does since, including Sonic 4.

While Sonic 4 comes across as a cash-in on a trend and misguided attempt to rope in the old-school crowd, Freedom Planet looks, plays and feels like, as you say Keon, a tribute to the 16-bit Sonic games and other games of their time like Sparkster by people who are genuinely in love with those games and that era.

Change in universe aside, almost every aspect of the game feels like a logical progression of what made S3&K great - tight movement, multiple routes through levels including character-specific ones, a step up in storytelling techniques with in-game cutscenes and voice acting, and extra character abilites that introduce new gameplay mechanics. In particular I appreciate where the game deviates from the Sonic formula and thus avoids many of its problems. Rings are replaced with health which addresses the annoyingly binary nature of player health in the Sonic games (1 ring means you're semi-invulnerable, 0 rings means you're in extreme danger and have to tread very lightly).

Enemies now take multiple hits to dispatch and you have melee combat moves that means that enemies aren't just background decoration to blow up, but actually have a chance to fight back and trade blows with you; same deal goes for boss fights. There's a modest selection of novelties and unlockables included in the game as well, though I wasn't bothered by their abundance or dearth either way since the core gameplay mechanics are so strong. The level design throughout is fantastic and varied, each one has its own memorable set pieces and they are all packed with interesting and unique obstacles. Compare this with Knuckles' Chaotix that had nothing but endless loops and switches to open doors to keep the player interested.

The pixel art, sound effects and especially the music all live up to the standards set by Sonic team back in 1994 as well.

The soundtrack warrants particular mention.



It's not trying to be catchy, 4-chord drivel or simple repetitive chip tunes, and it's not stuck in the cliches based on the setting (for instance, you're not going to be in a jungle level and hear bongos playing in the BGM), but rather it's trying to work with the aesthetic and atmosphere of the setting and artwork to create an emotional link for the player. It's lush, layered and plays with lots of different melodies and nuances, and it ebbs and flows in intensity with the breeze. I absolutely adore it.

I will say (and I am sure this is by design), the difficulty curves sharply up near the end and the final quarter of the game is absolutely brutal. The ability to change difficulty mid-game (one of the truly positive changes in contemporary game design) and unlimited continues softens the blow but I was finding myself attempting later boss fights up to 30 times each on normal difficulty when I was one-shotting them in earlier stages. By the final boss fight I was tearing my hair out and finally resorted to lowering the difficulty. Way too steep a rise.

With the knowledge that masochism was a requirement for completing most 16-bit era games as part of the arcade machine hangover, I am sure this was a conscious decision and I am also adamant that it's a terrible one. Punishing difficulty was one of the things that the modern games industry has really done well (perhaps too well, even) at addressing and it was a legitimate bad thing about older games. I was happy to see the back of it when it went and I'm just as unhappy seeing its return in Freedom Planet.

Also, the story is utter tosh, the voice acting is spotty and most of the characters, aside from the three main protagonists, are boring, cookie-cutter stereotypes with no development and no motivation. In particular, the villain is as predictably muahaha evulz as they come. If anyone's not aware, the plot concerns an evil nomad-style alien force invading a planet to steal an ancient stone that holds limitless power and our main characters are well-natured heroes with a shady past who get framed and it's... it's just dull as dishwater.

On the upside, the three main characters are quite likeable and their inter-mission banter is really endearing. The storytelling really is at its best when it forgets it's trying to even tell a story at all and just shows our heroes trying to sleep, curb their boredom or give each other a bit of ribbing here and there. And best of all, you can play the game with all the inter-mission cutscenes disabled! Something I appreciate deeply in an age of videogames with bloated, schlocky cinematics that can't even be skipped. I know I shouldn't go into a game like this expecting Citizen Kane, but the cutscenes are long and, particularly towards the end where the stakes are getting higher, the game starts taking itself far too seriously. It'd be better served by showing some self-awareness of its own kitchiness.

Summarily: it plays like 16-bit Sonic but different. Looks, feels and sounds like a game that would've set the world on fire in 1995. Difficulty steadily raises from baby's first platform game to tougher than the hot cross buns I have still sitting in the back of my freezer and should really get around to getting rid of one of these days. The player characters are cute. The story is crap.

Or, if the above was a bit misleading: It was quite easily my favourite game of 2014 and I got many times my fifteen bucks' worth out of it. Absolutely beautiful.

I meant for this post to be maybe three paragraphs at most.

[Keon XVII]

Honestly I can't think of many games that I've played that have had a truly great story, but I personally enjoyed Freedom Planet's for what it was. Although I've seen plenty of people pan it, so I suppose I'm just easy to please. *shrug*

[Neon Black]

Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not offensively bad! I just found it extremely average and a bit unnecessary, it was the least remarkable part of an otherwise very remarkable game. The core gameplay is incredibly strong and massively enjoyable, even on (or perhaps even moreso on) repeated runs.

[Hakuzo NightFox]

I've bought the game in a humble bundle. I need a new xbox controler so I can actually play it ><. I find it hard to play on a keyboard.

Other than that what I played runs smoothly.

[DaddlerTheDalek]

This game sure looks like fun.