gamingbolt.com
Freedom Wars Remastered feels out of place in this current era. Originally released for the PlayStation Vita in 2014, published by Sony Interactive Entertainment with Japan Studio aiding development, its an action RPG tuned to the handheld market. The operations well-suited for bite-sized sessions, the straightforward hack-and-slash combat it wouldnt be out of place next to the likes of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd from the PSP era.Over a decade later, Freedom Wars returns in remastered form, yet the landscape is utterly different. Mobile has overtaken handheld gaming, and several action RPGs boast massive open worlds and stellar production values. The closest comparison would probably be Monster Hunter Rise on the Nintendo Switch, and that experience translates to current-gen consoles without much trouble. Even if its more streamlined comparatively, does Dimps classic still hold some modicum of appeal today?"The other off-putting aspect is the new English voice-acting for Percy Propa (the mascot of the committee running your Panopticon) and your Accessory, an android monitoring your every move who can assist in combat."The answer will doubtless vary. If you remember the original and feverishly waited for it to return, then Freedom Wars Remastered may speak to you (on console, but more on that later). Those curious about all the fuss will discover an action RPG of highs, lows, and antiquated albeit intriguing design.Set in the far future, where humanitys resources have dried up and every little thing is a crime, you control a Sinner whos committed the ultimate offense: Being born. Countries have ceased to exist theres only the Panopticons competing against each other for what little remains.The story begins in the middle of an operation, where your character has lost their memories, and a mysterious individual named Aries M. appears to tease a pivotal event. Its back to square one afterwards, packed into a nondescript cell, adding to your nearly one million-year-long sentence for even walking more than five steps.Theres honestly a lot to take in, and Freedom Wars writing sometimes does it no favors due to some long-winded dialogue. The other off-putting aspect is the new English voice-acting for Percy Propa (the mascot of the committee running your Panopticon) and your Accessory, an android monitoring your every move who can assist in combat. Their dialogue sounds like its been generated by a text-to-speech program, perhaps meant to match the Japanese voice-acting from the PS Vita version but sounding much worse. The performance by actual humans is decent, though some characters like Mattias sound a bit low at times."However, the loop devolves into entering a mission, slaying enemies, gathering resources, customizing and improving your loadout, and repeat."Nevertheless, the world-building is fascinating, as you earn Entitlement Points from completing missions and donating materials. Some resources are outside your level at first only by qualifying and passing the CODE Exams are you permitted to keep them. The same goes for earning other privileges, like the right to wander outside your cell, sprint and even get some distance from your Accessory.Learning more about citizens, those with rights above the Sinners, and encountering rival Panopticon members is one thing, as you must tussle with the mysterious Abductors. Even with its idiosyncracies, the overall pacing of the story is pretty quick, and its not long before you encounter Beatrice, and things really get going.Though theres a lot of info from the outset, the overall gameplay will be familiar enough to fans of action RPG hunting games. You have different weapon types, with melee and ranged options available (which can be improved with Modules). You also have different Thorns tools that serve as grapples but can also immobilize enemies, boost your teams defense, and even heal when charged up. Their main purpose will be to attach to the Abductors, and either topple them or sever parts with enough button mashing. During combat, you can issue commands, instructing your Accessory to perform necessary tasks (which I found somewhat finicky at times).However, the loop devolves into entering a mission, slaying enemies, gathering resources, customizing and improving your loadout, and repeat. Higher CODE Levels grant tougher missions but the variety is sorely lacking. Also, between flat desert plains and a few ruined cityscapes with structures to grapple to, the environments dont serve to mix up the gameplay."Even as you work through the story and unravel the worlds happenings, its not long before the gameplay starts to feel overly repetitive."The Abductors can be intriguing since you can break off different parts and collect them. Some objectives may also require rescuing citizens from their grasp, which means targeting their central pod. If an Abductor has a shield, grappling onto those components and severing them is key.You may even blow up certain parts like missile launchers to deprive an Abductor of its more lethal weapons, but thats more or less it. Most other times, youll alternate between heavy and light attacks to execute simple combos, fire from a distance, execute a grapple strike and maybe chuck a grenade or two. I would have liked to be able to set the camera back farther.Transitioning between different attack functions isnt the most fluid, though its not a lost cause. Its somewhat surprising how responsive the combat can feel. Shredding through an Abductors armor can feel satisfying, and newer options, like animation cancelling by activating Thorns, certainly add more nuance.If only there was a greater variety in enemies or more mission types (how do so many citizens end up needing to be rescued anyway?). Even as you work through the story and unravel the worlds happenings, its not long before the gameplay starts to feel overly repetitive. Nevertheless, for those who can get into it, there are enough upgrades and unlocks to keep you playing for dozens of hours."If this is really the first step towards reviving the series, Im keen to see what the team can achieve with more contemporary mechanics and design."Aside from quality-of-life features like Module Synthesis and a higher difficulty in Deadly Sinner mode, the other defining aspect of Freedom Wars Remastered is the visuals. While it sticks to the same anime-esque aesthetic with the listless color palette befitting a future of surveillance and despair, the 4K resolution and 60 frames per second performance make a significant difference. The details are crisp, and on PlayStation 5, I didnt encounter any performance issues (which is reportedly not the same story on PC, so beware if youre looking to get it on Steam).Again, the visual fidelity isnt going to compete with your Wuthering Waves or Zenless Zone Zeroes, but its a unique atmosphere, unlike so many other titles. Oppressive, yet oddly jubilant, perhaps in part thanks to the soundtrack. The mix of orchestration and edgy rock feels just right, lending some much-needed gravitas to the overall presentation.On the surface, Freedom Wars Remastered doesnt seem like it aspires to much more than simply bringing the classic to current-gen platforms. That itself is noteworthy, and the quality of life features are appreciated, though I can see action RPG connoisseurs rightfully demanding more, even at this budget price point. If this is really the first step towards reviving the series, Im keen to see what the team can achieve with more contemporary mechanics and design. For now, this is a remaster that will be most appreciated by long-time fans, best experienced on PS5.This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
