Freedom Planet (PC) Review

A fun, chaotic adventure.

 Freedom Planet is a 2D platformer akin to the Genesis-era 2D Sonic the Hedgehog games. It's developed by indie team GalaxyTrail, after being funded on Kickstarter. Originally conceived as a Sonic fan-game, Freedom Planet quickly developed an identity of its own with an original cast of characters and gameplay additions, though its Sonic-inspired roots still remain. As a fan of the classic Sonic 2D platformers, Freedom Planet was on my radar for a while and after having getting around to playing it, I can say that's among some of the most fun 2D platformers of recent years.


  Purple dragon Lilac and green bobcat Carol are longtime friends who are caught up in a conflict to save the world from galactic war commander, Lord Brevon, who crash landed and is seeking the power of a sacred artifact known as the Kingdom Stone to power up his ship. They're joined by the duck-like Torque and hound Milla and together they plan on putting an end to Brevon's plans. Unlike the games that inspired it, Freedom Planet has a full story mode, which fleshes-out the characters and expands the game's world. It has it's moments and I especially liked the humorous interactions of the main party though I found the tone to be disruptive as it constantly switches between silly light-heartedness and full-on bleak. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable and I grew to like the characters at the end.

The basic premise is good accompanied by a

colorful cast of characters.

 A 2D platformer, you'll be blasting through levels as any of the three main characters: Lilac, Carol, or Milla, each with their own unique ability. Lilac can double jump and can perform a dash attack that can have her bounce against walls to reach certain areas. Carol can also spin attack and can even use her motorcycle to navigate through levels, though she often needs to refill using nearby gas canisters. Milla, on the other hand, can fire green cubes and draw a defensive shield, she's the least offensive of the trio and is primarily used for exploration.

Freedom Planet invokes classic

2D Sonic goodness.

 Scattered across levels are red leaves, which restore health and blue leaves, which upon collecting over 200, will grant you an extra life. Lilac has a dash meter which allows her to unleash a spirnt move that allows her to cover more ground while also damaging enemies in the process, though it tends to take a while to recharge. Exploration is encouraged as there are multiple pathways, extra lives, and secrets to collect. There are elemental shields similar to the ones seen in Sonic 3 & Knuckles such as the fire and water shields to help navigate through some levels' hazardous areas.

 There are over 10 acts in the game, each ending with a boss fight. As for the bosses themselves, the game pits you against at times brutal enemies, especially towards endgame. I felt that most of them were cheap though after a couple of deaths and pattern memorization, I got them. Don't get turned-off if you frequently end up getting killed by bosses or even regular enemies, the game is on the generous side with its checkpoints, thus giving you another chance to finish up the stage. Hidden in levels are various emblems that can unlock some cool concept art and music tracks in the menu.

Each character handles differently enough to

encourage replay-value.

 Freedom Planet boasts an impressive presentation. While I'm not the biggest fan of the art-style, I really liked the some of the character models and the lush backgrounds and found them fusing well with the game's 16-bit sprite models. The game runs at an impressive 60 frames-per-second which helps keep the levels' sense of speed going. Voice-work and dialogue can get on cringe-inducing levels at various points, there were times where I had to lower the volume due to some of the delivery of the dialogue scenes. It's not on lousy levels mind you, I just felt that it could've benefited from a more capable voice cast. The soundtrack was entertaining with lots of catchy tracks throughout.

Freedom Planet's visuals are pretty eye-catching.

 Freedom Planet is a fun platformer with its own sense of style. It's brimming with color thanks to its distinctive look and manages to pack some catchy tracks along the journey. The gameplay is fun and very reminiscent of classic 2D Sonic game's sense of speed, which is always an exciting thing. As for the story, it did its job as it was serviceable and I eventually ended up liking the characters. One thing I hope GalaxyTrail improves in the upcoming Freedom Planet 2 is the voice-acting as here it's borderline mediocre. Nevertheless, if you're looking for an old-school side-scroller that harkens back to the Genesis days, then look no further than Freedom Planet.