Freedom Planet 2 Review

The original Freedom Planet passed me by unfortunately, despite ticking almost every box in my Go To Game Checklist; fast platforming? Check. Lovely 2D pixel art? Check. Retro-style gameplay? Check and check. So when this sequel graced my inbox I knew I couldn’t let history repeat itself – and once again, I’m glad it didn’t.

Growing up playing games on Mega Drive & Saturn, I’m immediately drawn to titles that ape that look and feel. Freedom Planet 2 does exactly that. It may be far more technically advanced than the 16 or 32-bit consoles would ever allow, but throughout my time playing I’ve been transported back to my youth via this wonderful game. Everything, from the looks to the flow of gameplay and pace of levels is spot on. Of course, it falls into a few of the era’s trappings too, but we’ll get to them later.

General gameplay takes the form of 2D action, with our chosen character (Neera in my case) sprinting along from start to finish. The speed is very reminiscent of Sonic at times (I’ve often found myself looking to tuck and roll which sadly isn’t an option with Neera at least), as is the level design. While there’s an end point in mind, FP2 encourages light exploration in the same way the Sonic games do. Slowing down a tad may reveal a hidden path, or backtracking slightly a hidden area with a collectible. But that ever-pressuring timer remains in the corner, egging us on to get moving.

Levels are stand alone affairs (there are no acts here) each with their own boss fight. These are very well designed, and offer up some serious challenge. One may have us ducking and weaving attacks in a flat arena, while the next has us doing the same but on a rotating ball of stone precariously placed inside an active volcanoes lava well, or skating along the side of a train. No matter the situation, the art style and combat design had me constantly engaged and even when failing, I rarely wanted to wait to get back into another go.

Combat isn’t restricted to boss fights though. While speed may be the aim of the game, there are plentiful enemies to fight along the way. Sticking with Neera, she has access to half a dozen attacks based around Ice, from being able to freeze enemies in place to shooting up a whirlwind of cold to hit enemies above her, or even using the ice to help her gain even more speed. Fighting foes is mostly optional, but they do drop gems the serve as the currency that is spent in the in-game store. No MTX here, thankfully, and even the items are discouraged in a way as the level time won’t be counted unless we complete one without using an item. But they’re a nice addition for though just looking to get through the game.

Full cutscenes are present, and tell the story that continues from the first game; Lord Brevan defeated, a new threat arises to the threaten the land. It’s fairly obvious stuff, but the writing and performances – as well as the lovely pixel art scenes – still had me interested throughout. The cast comprise a lot of well-known anime actors too, and at times that shines though in the quirky nature. It’s a far cry from the standard we could expect in the ’90’s, and is yet another feather in FP2‘s cap.

As I said though, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Because of the fast nature of movement, it can at times feel as though we’re hindered in our combat abilities. Particularly in the boss fights, I found it too easy to whiff an attack because the it takes a touch too long to activate an ability. Neera’s ability to freeze enemies in place also loses almost all use in these fights; while it does big damage if (and that can be a big if) it hits, I feel like the rest of her arsenal is balanced out by being able to stop enemies in their tracks. With the taken away, it can make things slightly trickier than they need to be.

There were also a few times where we were moving so fast that we were actually hindered in the platforming. One section saw us needing to swing off of a vine and into a cannon to be launched, but half a dozen times things went so fast that I simply launched back at the vine instead of up and over it. Other times, the character would get caught on scenery as they transitioned from one orientation to another. Like Sonic, there are loops and vertical runways, but the sense of momentum is lacking. Even starting on a steep incline, we can still run up a vertical wall with no issue until we hit a transition point at which time we may simply lose our grip randomly.

Conclusion

While these issues can take the sheen off things at times, when we’re in the flow of a level, stunning pixel art whizzing by our retinas, cracking music filling our ears, and the thrill of the platforming keeping our palms busy, Freedom Planet 2 is a wonderful time. The levels are well designed, the boss encounters tough but fair, and there’s enough here to have people coming back for more, be it a new character or simply beating their best times.