Freedom Wars Remastered is the triumphant go back of the fan-favourite, fascistic Monster Hunter-style motion sport, at first printed by means of Sony for the PS Vita in 2014. Because the PS Vita (unfortunately) by no means completed the breakout luck it deserved, we all the time felt this forward-thinking name did not get an even shake. With “volunteers” on PS5 and PS4 to probably energy it, Remastered places the IP’s highest foot ahead, despite the fact that it does drag interminably in puts.
Set in a grim long run, environmental destruction and nuclear battle have compelled the remnants of humanity into huge subterranean Panopticans, unbiased town states competing for scraps during which lots of the inhabitants is imprisoned, penal labour.
Because of excessive useful resource shortages, those “sinners” are penalised for the top crime of current, with newborns passed million-year sentences, which may also be shortened by means of serving within the consistent war between Panopticons. Those overseas aggressors, in addition to complex other folks from a spot known as On Top, ship futuristic Abductors to snatch unwary sinners, and combating those massive foes is a huge a part of gameplay and a shockingly concerned spectacle.
The unique Freedom Wars used to be evolved in collaboration with a trio of studios and is rather a peculiar beast. Shift treated idea, artwork, and normal design, whilst Dimps labored with Japan Studio to hammer out the mechanics and gameplay (technically making the name a first-party free up).
Push Sq.’s Robert Ramsey reviewed it at release, and lots of the issues of the unique stay in Remastered, however a very good graphical improve complements it. Like several video games (a minimum of in efficiency mode), it is made a lot more playable by means of a constantly top framerate, and the transfer in enter from PS Vita to DualSense isn’t to be understated; the unique’s debatable controls were modernised, haptics upload heft, and with L2 and R2 triggers, you do not need to depend at the PS Vita’s bizarre again contact pad for elementary gameplay purposes.
Freedom Wars’ largest strengths are its surroundings and gameplay, and each are sturdy however fail to conform as the sport progresses. The idea is compelling, and whilst it is meaningfully utilised in-game, penalising avid gamers for such things as working within or venturing too a ways out of your ever-present Accent (till the fitting privileges are unlocked) all compounds to make (particularly the hole few hours) roughly a slog, which is the purpose. In a similar fashion, whilst the variety of weapon sorts is liked, the simplistic crafting device required to stay tempo with dramatically escalating Abductor well being swimming pools appears like a host of busy paintings.
The sport’s quest and undertaking construction does not assist; it is nonetheless foundationally designed for moveable periods at the PS Vita. The loop frequently has massive swathes of discussion and working round as your customized persona meets their fellow sinners and captors, requiring avid gamers to navigate the tasteless depths of the Panopticon on reputedly unending fetch quests.
Upon getting a battle undertaking, you’re going to both be assigned or ready to choose a squad of NPC allies to take to the sector, enticing in quite easy removal or rescue operations, securing sources, and issuing orders. Because the participant and every NPC have their customisable Accent (cyborg bodyguard/parole officer), those missions could be a spectacle and a blast to play via, if sooner or later a little bit repetitive.
The facility to equip quite a lot of Thorns, vine-like appendages that can be utilized as grappling hooks or to heal or buff allies, provides intensity and verticality to gameplay. Ultimately, you’ll be able to even command your squad with an inventory of tradition orders that will likely be obeyed with unexpected potency. When it is making a song, the battle in Freedom Wars stays extremely enticing. Unfortunately, whilst serviceable (enhanced by means of haptics), each melee and ranged battle fall a ways under the complexity of identical action-hunting video games, with a decrease talent ceiling, and feels a little bit floaty.
NPC opponents may also be changed with actual avid gamers, and this may increasingly probably be the extra environment friendly solution to play (relying at the participant), however Freedom Wars can completely be performed by myself. Whilst we could not to find any buddies right through the evaluate duration, we’re satisfied to record the League of Panopticons leaderboard is practical; Redundant tools may also be donated “for the better just right”, boosting the status of the participant’s selected ‘Con.
You’ll choose between certainly one of 47 representing Japan’s prefectures; the additional 50 representing world towns had been added to the unique post-launch, and we’d see identical enlargement sooner or later. Expanding your score, in addition to your communities, stays rewarding, with quite a lot of motivational leaderboards ever-present in every sinners’ cellular.
We wager that, because of this being a remaster and no longer a remake, the {hardware} obstacles of the PS Vita stay. Freedom Wars Remastered is solely repeatedly loading, and whilst you’re going to sooner or later be approved to fast-travel, you higher consider that implies some other loading display. Each and every transition out of your cellular within the Panopticon will value you a just right few seconds, in addition to sooner than and after battle; we now have turn into spoiled within the age of PS5.
With a definite artwork genre and dark-synth soundtrack, Freedom Wars is aesthetically rather pleasurable for what it’s. There is additionally rather a little bit extra voice-acting this time round, with even your Accent chiming in (sounding like a text-to-speech app, which admittedly begins to pull). Within the chaos of battle, the barks of your persona, allies, and Equipment can from time to time be a little bit traumatic, however your mileage might range.
In spite of everything, the characters you have interaction with are fairly flat, fall into acquainted archetypes, and really feel skinny. We think the purpose used to be to supply a big sufficient pool of doable allies for avid gamers to discover a favorite, however it could were extra helpful to concentrate on fewer and supply some intensity. Edgy and engaging, the vibe Freedom Wars goes for is relatively spoiled by means of characters whose motivations and considerations appear, from time to time, at odds with the meant gravity of the surroundings.
Conclusion
Freedom Wars Remastered is a wonderful solution to relive the restrictive motion sport. In 2025, the sport’s forward-thinking multiplayer parts have a better probability of shooting a devoted group, and graphical and technical improvements make it the definitive solution to play. However it is a PS Vita sport at its core; consistent loading, uninteresting characters, relatively easy battle, and unending busy paintings have relatively dented our rosy recollections of the unique sport.
