When I found out I was playing Freedom Planet I didn’t expect a great Sonic style game. I was actually just expecting a Sonic Clone that didn’t really have any heart. Let’s take a look at Freedom Planet for the PS4.
Story
You are tasked with saving the world from destruction. It is the most basic and enjoyable plot for most games we play. In Freedom Planet you can take the role of either Lilac or Carol, although a third character can be unlocked (more on that later). The Kingdom Stone has been stolen by one of the three nations on their world. The nations are being played by the evil Arktivus Brevon who plans on using the energy of the Kingdom Stone to make his army even stronger. The tone of this story was surprising at first as you witness a character getting their head chopped off.
The story brings a more adult tone that doesn’t suffer any setbacks. I hope Galaxy Trail has similar success with the upcoming sequel.
Audio
The thing I’ve been having difficulty with some of the past games I have reviewed is the audio. This game is one of the best games, both voice acting and soundtrack, that I’ve experienced in a while. Each level has song that fits perfectly. It was refreshing to play a game with such good music.
The voice acting worked great for almost each character. That little fellow Torque just didn’t seem to work well. His voice is so annoying I couldn’t really enjoy the scenes with him in them. Overall though I really was so impressed with how everything came together for this game in the audio department.
Gameplay
First off the game play in this game only mirrors that of Sonic the Hedgehog in moments. For those brief moments you can see a connection. Freedom Planet successfully takes these characters into a world and gives you the player the chance to control them in different ways. Players will find themselves using the basics of this genre: run and jump. It has been tweaked a little in this game to add some flair. Whether Lilac’s cyclone or Carol’s cool motorcycle, this game makes the gameplay fun and never stale.
Players can unlock a third character through the story mode. Her name is Milla  and I wasn’t that impressed with playing her. She can use a shield to defender herself and a block to throw at baddies. The way she’s just so slow compared to the other two characters makes no sense to me why she is in the game. It was really one of the few things that didn’t work for me in the gameplay department.
Graphics
The thing about games from the Genesis generation is they didn’t always look that great. However, when a company makes a game based off something from the past it generally looks better in every aspect. Freedom Planet is exactly that. When you think of the games it is honoring like Sonic, it makes those games look dull. The colors pop on every level even if they have a darker tone.
You may see something in the background that will remind you of Sonic. It happened to me during the entire game. The one thing I thought looked a little awful is the fortune boxes that can be spun in one of the levels. Even though the level is like Casino Nights this really just felt out of place for me with how the game flowed. Still I can’t allow you to just look at photos of the game, so instead I added two videos of gameplay for your enjoyment.
Verdict
Freedom Planet is a game I was not prepared to play. I really was just expecting some Sonic clone that failed to distinguish itself from the blue speedster. The characters really make this game great with the different ways to play though each level. Adding the motorcycle for Carol was a pleasant surprise. Fans of Sonic and other games like this will be sure to find some fun in Freedom Planet.
