![]() Lilac has to rely on her standard melee and jumping spin attacks to hit bosses, using her Dragon Boost to fly up in the air to avoid screen-filling attacks. These moments are some of Freedom Planet's most memorable, especially because each character has very different ways of dealing with them. One fight has you dueling against a giant robotic mantis who jumps all around the battlefield to slice you, while another has you engaging in a high-speed chase with an an evil snake mercenary piloting a massive dog mech. There's an impressive sense of scale to the battles. They're not too demanding at first, but as you progress, they start to require advanced tactics that test both your timing and reflexes. Each of their abilities lead you toward new paths you wouldn't be able to reach otherwise, and you're rewarded for putting in the time as other characters, as they occasionally get their own stages designed specifically around their abilities.īookending Freedom Planet's stages are boss fights that are as tough as they are ostentatious. While Lilac can use her Dragon Boost ability to instantly zip across the environment and make short work of enemies in her way, the more combat-oriented Carol and defense-focused Milla have to rely on their pounce and energy shield abilities, respectively, in order to pick up speed and dispatch foes. All of this is aided by how each of the three playable characters have their own distinct modes of navigation and combat. In addition, you'll often stick around in some areas to engage in melee combat against crowds of enemies. Speaking of which, a higher focus on platforming provides some welcomed respite from racing towards a stage's finish line. There's some decent pixelated art on display, but a lot of it appears flat with textures from the foreground and background often blending together, which can cause minor inconveniences during certain platforming challenges. You'll clear through shopping malls inspired by Chinese-motifs, explore bamboo forests, and cross a fleet of airships. This subtle shift increases your time spent running across stages, and as each one comes to close, you'll feel a stronger sense of accomplishment to the trials and tribulations you experienced in your journey through it.Įach stage exudes its own personality, and there's plenty of visual diversity present. Like the 2D Sonic games that inspired it, Freedom Planet's stages are split across two parts, but the separation between them isn't heavily signposted, instead pushing you from one section to the next as soon as a boss is defeated. The routes are generally easy to navigate with brief platforming challenges that keep you moving from one pathway to the next. There's a ton of pleasure to be had zipping to and fro across the varied multi-lane pathways of each stage, which feature a wealth of loops to pass and well-placed hazards to avoid. Where Freedom Planet is likely to hook you is in its level design. While this benefits the experience as a whole, you simply wouldn't know this to be the best way to play the game without having experienced the mediocrity of its writing and presentation first. It is possible to play the game in Classic Mode, which removes all the story cutscenes. ![]() What's worse is the main cast's painfully overacted performances, which results in a litany of cringeworthy moments in both funny and serious scenes. Unfortunately, none of this development ever amounts to anything remarkable or intriguing, often relying on a bevy of tropes to push the narrative forward. There's a great amount of detail written into the world and surrounding lore with characters and locations given more background than you'd expect. Despite sounding rudimentary, the story makes a big show of itself with lengthy cutscenes interspersed between each of its 10 stages. There's great ambition in what Freedom Planet manages to blend together, and while some of its highest moments are accompanied by a few blemishes that are difficult to look past, it's still a joy to play.įreedom Planet's story starts out simple: when an alien force invades the peaceful planet of anthropomorphic protagonists Lilac, Carol, and Milla, the three are called upon to help thwart the tyrannical ambitions of its evil leader, Lord Brevon. Challenging large-scale boss fights typically reserved for 2D side-scrolling shoot 'em ups, such as Gunstar Heroes and Contra, are frequent and satisfying. The game exhibits a riveting sense of speed, lively retro visuals and music, and clever level design packed with exciting touches. ![]() As a 2D platformer, Freedom Planet draws much of its inspiration from classic Sonic the Hedgehog. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |