Well, it finally happened. After two years of waiting, Freedom Planet 2's console port has finally come out. This long-awaited sequel to one of my favorite games of all time has been one of my most anticipated games for almost a decade by now, and man, it's so good.
But before I talk about the second game, I want to talk about the first game why I hold it in so high regard. Consider this another Top 100/2024 Games fusion post.
Freedom Planet is an indie game by GalaxyTrail, a small team primarily led by Sabrina DiDuro. It was initially an early relic from when I was first discovering indie games in 2015-2016, alongside games like Shovel Knight, Undertale, and... Portal I guess? Does Portal count as indie? Anyway, compared to those heavy-hitters, Freedom Planet was a game I initially got on a whim when it was on sale on Steam. It wasn't until I got a few stages in when it suddenly hit me just how good this game actually was, and I've been following GalaxyTrail with great interest ever since. Outside of the Freedom Planet sequel, they've also had a pretty great track record when it comes to publishing games, with Petal Crash in particular being a lovely throwback to arcade puzzlers like Panel De Pon. DiDuro herself has also since became a vtuber who does some really fascinating game design streams where she works on her next project (an action platformer starring Kronii from Hololive), and as I've always said, I love seeing more people in the industry be open about the process of game development. So yeah, definitely a cool indie team worth watching, but how's the game itself?
Freedom Planet is about a ragtag group of dysfunctional anthropomorphic animals banding together to stop an alien invasion. The main trio includes the heroic water dragon Sash Lilac, the freespirited biker wildcat Carol Tea, and a wholesome orphaned dog Milla Bassett, and they make Freedom Planet for me. Lilac, Carol, and Milla are such incredibly good characters with fantastic designs, lovable personalities, and a perfect balance of positive traits and harmful flaws that they need to work through. Lilac is self-sacrificing to a fault, Carol is impulsive, and Milla has a lot of trauma to work through that just keeps piling on as these games progress. And I think that gets to the biggest problem seem to have with Freedom Planet: Its story. Freedom Planet's narrative gets shockingly dark, and at seemingly random points too. Add in some uneven voice acting and overlong cutscenes, and I totally get how the story can just be way too much for some people. Personally, I actually really like Freedom Planet's story and it's that character work that really carries it for me. Lilac in particular is one of my favorite video game characters period for how her arc deconstructs the selfless hero archetype, and Milla isn't too far behind for how much she has to deal with throughout the game. And that's not even getting into some of the other characters, like the delightfully hammy Serpentine, the breakout police panda Neera, and the fantastic main antagonist Brevon. Brevon is cruel even by villain standards, and Xander Barriga sells his apathetic personality perfectly. While Freedom Planet's story could certainly have been delivered better, it did get me attached to this trio and that's really all I could ask for.
Gameplay-wise, Freedom Planet is often primarily compared to the Sonic games, and I mean, yeah the movement is quite similar. Regardless of who you play as, you're dealing with momentum-based physics and can reach some pretty high speeds that let you run up walls, do loop-de-loops, and the like. However, speed and momentum does feel a bit more de-emphasized in Freedom Planet in exchange for more precise platforming and a focus on combat. I'll be real here, as much as I love Sonic games, combat has always sucked. Even in the Genesis games, stopping to bop an enemy usually feels like a bit of a pace-killer. In Freedom Planet, on the other hand, you don't take contact damage (only the enemies' attacks will damage you) and each character has several attacks that they can do while moving. These changes make combat feel really fun and fast-paced, and instead of the difficulty coming from about not running into enemies, the difficulty comes from how aggressive the enemies are with their attacks. This is probably Freedom Planet's most brilliant move, it blends the fast-paced platforming of a Sonic game... with the chaotic light beat-em-up combat of a Treasure game.
That's why I think Freedom Planet is special, because it's not just a Sonic clone. It's a throwback to Sega action platformers as a whole, particularly on the Genesis and Saturn. It's a souped up Genesis game in the same way that Shovel Knight is a souped up NES game, aiming to capture the vibe of the console it's based on through the rosiest glasses possible. Freedom Planet wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve, but it also picks and chooses the best aspects of each, combining them to form something entirely new. The speed and multiple characters of a Sonic game, the action-packed stages and melancholic atmosphere of a Mega Man X game, the bombastic combat and wild bosses of a Treasure game, and Lilac's boost moves even bring to mind games like Ristar and Rocket Knight Adventures. There aren't many wholly original ideas for games these days, the most I could ask for is that a developer takes an idea they're passionate about and add their own spin to it.
And the level design is just so freaking good. Each of the ten stages in Freedom Planet are sprawling, dynamic, varied, and equally enjoyable. From the diverse challenges and mysterious atmosphere of Relic Maze, to the stunningly beautiful and endlessly interactable Fortune Night, to the nonstop action of Sky Battallion, to the brisk chase sequences on Jade Creek, to the bombastic war backdrop of Battle Glacier, to one of the most climactic final levels I've ever played in the four-act behemoth that is Final Dreadnought, Freedom Planet's level design has so many high points. For a game inspired by Sonic, the stages in Freedom Planet do a fantastic job of weaving together high-speed segments and platforming without messing up the pacing. There's a great sense of flow to this game, and the stages keep pushing you forward while still making you work to make it to the end. And none of this is more apparent than in the boss roster, which boasts some explosive encounters against intricate robotic machines that feel like they're straight out of a Treasure game. Hell, one of the bosses is straight-up a homage to Seven Force from Gunstar Heroes. The boss fights in Freedom Planet can be incredibly tough, especially the infamously brutal final fight against Brevon, but they're all fun and satisfying to beat.
Freedom Planet is also a pretty big game too, boasting three playable characters each with different story routes and movesets. Lilac is the easiest character to get to grips with, Carol is the Knuckles equivalent with her array of claw attacks and acrobatic jumping skills, and Milla is like Cream from Sonic Advance 2. Milla is a glass cannon whose moveset involves creating blocks and using them as projectiles, shields, and lasers that can wreck enemies and even comes with recoil that can boost Milla around the stage. It may seem a bit clunky first, but once you get to grips with her gameplay, Milla is the most fun character in the game. Beyond the three character campaigns though, there's 100 trading cards to find throughout the stages that can net you bonuses like concept art and music tracks, a training mode with Melee-esque target challenges to complete, a Time Attack Mode, a wide array of achievements to complete, a bonus (and very funny) bloopers reel, and a secret unlockable Mahjong minigame. There's a lot to do here, and so much of it is so fun that I'd genuinely recommend taking the time to 100% it. There's even a very generous difficulty system so everyone can get all the achievements without having to do anything they can't handle.
In terms of its presentation, Freedom Planet looks pretty good. Despite the game as a whole being inspired by Genesis games, Freedom Planet looks a lot more like a 32-bit game, with more detailed spritework, some absolutely gorgeous backgrounds, and sprite-scaling that wouldn't feel out of place on the GBA. I'm a big fan of DiDuro's dreamy pixelart style and it's on full display here. Another thing I'm a big fan of are the character designs, which may have started as Sonic clones but managed to evolve into something just as iconic. Lilac, Carol, and Milla (and also Neera but we'll get there) have designs that toe the line between adorable and badass really well, while also capturing their personalities perfectly. As I mentioned above, the voice acting is a bit hit-or-miss in this game, but I do have to give a shoutout to Dawn M Bennett who knocked it out of the park as Lilac. This was the game that put her onto the map in the first place, but she'll always be Lilac in my book. And just to really sweeten the deal, Freedom Planet has one of my favorite soundtracks in all of gaming, co-composed by Leila "Woofle" Wilson and Sabrina DiDuro herself. This was one of the first times I ever really took notice of how great a soundtrack was, it's bursting at the seams with energy and intensity while also having a unique style that blends ethereal chimes, Mega Man X-style synths, funk, and classical Japanese motifs. To even get into all the highlights would take me all day, so I'll just tell you to listen to the whole thing. I promise you won't regret it.
The first Freedom Planet game is an incredible showcase of what the indie scene is capable of. It's a loving fusion of Genesis action platformers with pitch-perfect control, fantastic level design, lots of replay value, lush visuals, a phenomenal soundtrack, and a somewhat flawed story carried by some of the most likable characters I've seen in any game. This is the bar, how does its sequel fare?
Freedom Planet 2 is a game that has been in the works for a long time. The first game came out in 2014, its sequel was announced a year later, and it released all the way in 2022. Add in the wait for a console port, and I finally got my hands on Freedom Planet 2 after an entire decade of anticipation. It's a far bigger and more ambitious game, boasting over double the stages, hub worlds, side modes, more characters, and a grander story, and I'd say it delivers.
To get the biggest improvement out of the way, Freedom Planet 2's story is leaps and bounds better than the first one. Even though FP1's dramatic beats did really work for me personally, this sequel's narrative is far better balanced in terms of its tone and character writing. Freedom Planet 2 goes for a more arc-driven structure, and it works surprisingly well. The game starts off somewhat episodic as Lilac's team (along with Neera who's been promoted to lead) go around the world stopping a bunch of crimes. It's not until a third of the way through when the villain, a water dragon named Merga, properly shows herself, and all the little bits of plot that have been dropped start to come together. FP2 has a whole bunch of subplots and villains, at least one for each of the main characters, but it works to maintain the series' character-driven writing. Lilac has to deal with meeting another water dragon for the first time and the revelation that her entire species was killed under her own kingdom's watch, Carol has to deal with her sister having joined Merga's cause, Milla has to deal with the return of Serpentine bringing back bad memories of the event of the first game, and Neera struggles with her already poor trust issues after a series of crushing betrayals. The interpersonal drama within the team in FP2 is really compelling, and the stuff around Merga and Lilac in particular deals with some really complex themes like genocide and moving on from the sins of the past in an impressively tactful and nuanced manner. You can really tell that the team at GalaxyTrail made genuine strides in their writing skills without losing the charm that defined the first game's story, and quite frankly, this is the best TV show I've seen all year (as sad as that sounds). But I think the biggest surprise about Freedom Planet 2's writing is how sharp and funny it is. The first game did have some nice gags, but Freedom Planet 2 straight-up left me in stitches at points, with Milla and Neera in particular getting some very funny and memorable one-liners. It's as if GalaxyTrail realized how much people loved the bloopers from the first game and just decided to inject some of that chaotic humor into the actual sequel.
As for the gameplay, the moment-to-moment action does actually feel a lot like the original game, just slightly more refined. The physics are mostly similar in terms of their feel, and the only major change is the very welcome addition of a guard system that lets you block attacks while keeping your moment, another great evolution of the combat. Certain characters are also more improved than others. Lilac plays mostly the same, but Milla can now store blocks rather than have to carry them around which gives her gameplay a faster pace while maintaining her glass cannon traits. Freedom Planet 2 also introduces equippable items that can either give you a small buff or a small per, along with potions that you can mix and match to give you even more perks, which is a neat addition that lends the game a bit more strategy in the form of creating builds. This also feeds into FP2's new ranking system, as your items and potions can increase or decrease your rank based on how helpful they are. You're intended to use the harmful potions to get an S rank and I'm... split on this. While it can be fun trying to find a build to break the system, I'll admit that I kinda prefer the time/score focused ranking system of, say, the Sonic games.
Aside from the story, I think Freedom Planet 2's biggest improvement over the original is in the level design, and that's kind of crazy to say. I literally just raved about how perfect the first game's level design, and now I'm saying FP2's stages are even better?! Well, the reasoning is down to a few positive changes. While the first game has 11 stages each with several acts, Freedom Planet 2 now has a whopping 24 stages each with a single act. This lends the game more variety, as each stage has a unique environment and set of mechanics that are all equally fun. From rolling up into a snowball in Robot Graveyard, to jumping between waterfalls in Tiger Falls, to the electricity puzzles in Lightning Tower, to modulating your temperature at high speeds in Magma Starscape, pretty much every single stage is an absolute blast. The stages are also a lot larger and vaster, with the camera zoomed out more to emphasis their scale. Your characters move a bit faster compared to the first game, but the stages are bigger and lengthier to compensate, and that sense of flow I praised about the first game is heightened tenfold as a result. As for the bosses, they're pretty much on par with FP1. They're still massive and bombastic Treasure-inspired fights that can be pretty damn tough, but are almost all fun and satisfying to learn and master. And once again, the finale is incredible. I do still think I prefer Final Dreadnought ever so slightly, but Bakunawa is still a heart-pumping climactic final act with some of the best levels, boss fights, and emotional beats in the entire game. The back-to-back encounters with Corazon and Serpentine in particular are absolutely incredible, and the final fight with Merga blows the Brevon fight completely out of the water.
As I mentioned earlier, Freedom Planet 2 is a much bigger game than its predecessor as well, at least twice the length and that's just if you're running through the game casually. As I said, there's now four characters to play as each with their own story and cutscenes, along with a whole bunch of equippable items and potions to unlock and buy. Each level has one or two collectibles hidden inside them, along with a par time to beat and the aforementioned ranking system. While I do miss the trading cards of the first game, I do think the decrease in hidden stage collectibles is probably for the best as far as pacing is concerned. There's once again a training room with a few fun minigames and sparring battles with the other playable characters, along with an entirely new challenge mode called the Battlesphere, which is absolutely massive. With 18 smaller challenge stages to beat, rematches for every boss, and a bunch of minigames including an in-universe arcade game called Fists Of Frog, you can sink hours into this mode alone. It reminds me a lot of the arenas from Ratchet & Clank actually, and you can tell that was an inspiration too because this game also has a museum you can donate gems to with an unlockable "GalaxyTrail room" filled with behind the scenes info and developer commentary. Oh, and that's still not it, because the wide array of achievements is still here and they're just as fun to go for. I still haven't managed to get 100% yet, and I'm making good progress and am absolutely determined to fully completed this game just as I did its predecessor.
As far as presentation goes, Freedom Planet 2 is almost entirely an improvement over the original. I already thought the first game looked good, but oh my god. If FP1 was halfway between a Genesis game and a Saturn game, then FP2 leans hard on that 2D PS1/Saturn era aesthetic to incredible effect. Freedom Planet 2 has some of the most lush environmental spritework I've ever seen in a video game, it's so detailed and intricate, especially whenever the camera zooms out and you can still make out all the little details. The color scheme is so pleasing and the backgrounds are even prettier this time, and Lilac and gang are more expressive than they've ever been. Speaking of the characters, Freedom Planet 2 has a ton of new one-off NPCs courtesy of its new hub system, and they all have super adorable designs that stand out despite their limited screentime. I actually really love the hubs, by the way, they lend the game so much world-building and really help the world of Avalice come to life in a way that it just couldn't in the more linear first game. The voice acting has also dramatically improved, everyone is giving their absolute A-game this time and there isn't a weak link in the cast. Neera is probably the highlight this time though, Ashley Selich does a perfect job capturing her conflicted emotional state throughout the game.
And how is that soundtrack? Well, I will say that this is one area where I think the first game is notably better. It's really hard to top FP1's soundtrack, but the music in Freedom Planet 2 is still really good. This soundtrack generally sounds a lot crisper and more experimental, with more upbeat and poppy stage themes reminiscent of Saturn era Sonic, and jazzier boss themes that give off some serious Norio Hanzawa vibes. It's not as relentlessly intense as the first game's score, but it's still got its fair share of absolute bangers, including Dragon Valley, Phoenix Highway, Shade Armory, Globe Opera 2, Magma Starscape, Vs Askal, Clockwork Arboretum, Vs Corazon, and Merga's theme.
Overall, Freedom Planet 2 is incredible, a genuinely stunning game. It's not just up there with Kirby & The Forgotten Land as one of my favorite games of the decade so far, it's an easy Top 10 contender, maybe even Top 5. It's everything I want in both a sequel to Freedom Planet and a game in general. Satisfying and rewarding platforming gameplay with a high skill ceiling, incredibly fun and dynamic level design, a engaging character-driven story, a ridiculous amount of side content, stunning art direction and incredible music, it's got it all. I have so much attachment to that first game, I didn't think anything would be able to top it, but lo and behold, Freedom Planet 2 makes it look mediocre by comparison. It's unquestionably an improvement in terms of its gameplay, level and boss design, story, scale, visual presentation, and even emotional impact. Nothing in the first game hit anywhere near as hard as the fake climax at Globe Opera, the claustrophobic Bakunawa escape in the Gravity Bubble, or the fights against Corazon, Serpentine, or Merga. I'm fully on board for whatever GalaxyTrail and DiDuro decide to make in the future, though I hope I won't have to wait two years to play it next time.
5/5 Stars
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