Freedom Wars Remastered Review: Why It Deserves Another Chance

Freedom Wars Remastered: A Decade Later, Worth a Second Chance

Reflecting on the past decade, I would never have anticipated the resurgence of Freedom Wars in the gaming world. Originally released in 2014 exclusively for the PlayStation Vita, this unique action RPG developed by Dimps is receiving a revitalization. With its intriguing blend of narrative and aesthetics, Freedom Wars is gearing up for a release on modern gaming platforms, including consoles and PC.

A Dystopian Setting with Unique Gameplay Mechanics

In Freedom Wars Remastered, players are thrust into a dystopian future dominated by oppressive penitentiary city-states known as Panopticons. Here, society is starkly divided; the regular citizens coexist with ‘sinners,’ individuals condemned to a staggering one million years of imprisonment due to the mere act of living. The protagonist starts off as a sinner who loses their memory, prompting a reset of their heinous sentence. This setup forces players into a grim reality where they are compelled to “volunteer” for warfare against rival Panopticons, facing off in battles for resources or capturing citizens to perform labor.

Review: Freedom Wars Remastered Deserves A Second Chance — Image by Siliconera

Melodrama Meets Engaging Gameplay

While the premise may seem melodramatic, Freedom Wars manages to deliver a surprisingly engaging experience. Early on, the game introduces players to an unexpected sense of normalcy within the lives of sinners. The initial scene-setting may feel heavy, but it quickly transitions into a more action-oriented experience, where increasing the protagonist’s sentence becomes little more than narrative flair. The amnesia element serves as a narrative device, inviting players to explore the game’s unique world.

Pacing and Mission Structure

The game’s design reflects its origins as a portable title, with pacing that starts slow and tutorial-heavy. Combining lengthy dialogues and light exploration, the early hours emphasize character exposition between missions. While this worked well on the Vita, playing on PC exposed some pacing issues during extended sessions. In particular, the infiltration sections in the Cell Garden grew repetitive, despite the limited number.

Fortunately, after the initial phase, Freedom Wars Remastered offers a more fluid experience. Players partake in missions with up to three companions, tackling diverse objectives—from battling rival sinners to rescuing civilians. The mission types may appear reminiscent of earlier installments in the genre, but the focus on Abductor foes provides a captivating thrill, highlighting escalating combat encounters rather than simple singular showdowns found in games like Monster Hunter or God Eater.

Combat Dynamics and Weapon Customization

The combat is undoubtedly one of the standout features in Freedom Wars Remastered. Players can equip two weapons simultaneously, choosing from a robust arsenal of melee and ranged firearms. Each weapon class boasts a distinct moveset, enhancing gameplay variety through tactical choices. For instance, I favored the light melee options and polearms while relying on powerful firearms. Nevertheless, an enhancement I would have liked to see is the ability to swap weapons during practice battles to facilitate quicker experimentation with combinations.

Innovative Thorn System Enhancing Gameplay

One of the game’s most enticing mechanics is the thorn system, which functions like a grappling hook, allowing players to navigate maps efficiently, incapacitate Abductors, and engage in devastating combos against foes. This straightforward yet profound tool adds layers to aerial combat and tactical combos. Different types of Thorns—Binding, Healing, and Shielding—each provide unique advantages, enhancing both offensive and defensive capabilities. Accompanied by robotic allies known as Accessories, players can further amplify their combat strategies.

Significant Enhancements in the Remaster

Freedom Wars Remastered brings noteworthy improvements to the original title, most significantly an increase in movement speed and responsiveness. Traversal within maps has become seamless, especially when utilizing the Thorn mechanic. Additionally, the innovative voice synthesizer editor, allowing players to create custom responses for Accessories, has finally made its way to the West, further enriching the gaming experience.

Performance Concerns and Recommendations

However, a notable issue with the PC version arises from the integration of Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC), which can lead to instability and frame rate drops. In my experience, the game consistently crashed every hour and a half, despite operating on a high-performance rig. Thankfully, durable auto-saving minimized any lost progress, but the first few hours were marked by significant interruptions. For those who have faced similar issues in the past, it may be prudent to consider trying the game on console platforms.

A Conclusion Worth Exploring

Despite its roots as a portable title, Freedom Wars Remastered emerges as a dynamic action RPG that retains its charm a decade after its initial release. The gameplay loop is engaging, and while the narrative might not reach great literary heights, the intriguing aesthetic of the Panopticons provides a captivating backdrop. I look forward to diving into multiplayer and post-game missions after completing the main storyline, eager to tackle challenges that reduce my character’s sentence to zero. For fans of mission-based action RPGs, this remaster is undoubtedly worth exploring.

Freedom Wars Remastered is set to launch on January 10, 2025, available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

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