Freedom Wars Remastered Review (EShop Transfer)
Like Nintendo’s Wii U, the PS Vita has seen a large number of its best games move to alternative platforms in the years since the system fell into ‘critical failure’. commerce’. One of those games is Liberation wara third-person action title created by Dimps that, at the time, was one of the most successful first-party published Vita games (at least in Japan). Now, more than 10 years later, publisher Bandai Namco has decided to introduce a remaster for the Switch, retaining much of the essence of the original while improving the core gameplay.
Freedom Wars Remastered At its core is loose undertaking Monster huntergameplay of. As a Sinner in the underground city of Panopticon, you must complete combat activities. You see, in a world where resources are exceptionally scarce, the very nature of existence is itself a crime; Therefore, you start the game with a rather harsh one million year sentence. By completing activities and rescuing your compatriots from massive creatures known as Kidnappers, you can reduce your sentence and receive benefits along the way.
It’s an intriguing premise that quickly hooked us thanks to its dystopian nature and heavy focus on shortening or lengthening your sentences. Perks – such as spending time with inmates, exercising or even resting – are initially prohibited and can add hundreds, if not thousands, of years to your sentence. Meanwhile, slowly inching through your necessary activities, may earn more freedom in your Panopticon.
However, despite its engaging setting, Freedom Wars’ story can often get in the way of gameplay. In this regard, nothing has changed from the Vita version, and at least during the opening few hours, it can feel extremely slow as the world and its characters begin to open up. This will ease up a bit as you progress, but having to sit through lengthy dialogue sessions every time you complete an action can be a bit annoying.
Exacerbating this, you’re constantly sent back to your cell after each mission, so if you want to visit the in-game shop or complete additional objectives in Panopticon, you have to do so. same journey from your cell (at least until you unlock your fast travel permission).
The real highlight of the show is the action-packed gameplay that takes center stage while engaging in your chosen activity. Although you’ll face enemies large and small, the monstrous Abductors present the greatest challenge, requiring you to use melee weapons, ranged guns, and a tool known as the Thorn. The latter is essentially a grappling whip that you can use to launch yourself at enemies, drag them to the ground, or quickly move through the environment. As you progress further, you’ll unlock new Spikes with unique properties like healing and shield abilities.
The activities also have a lot of variety. The basic missions have you taking down the Kidnapper and getting rescued civilians to safety, but there are also missions that involve competing with other Panopticons to see which can rescue the most most common people. It’s almost like using the classic ‘Capture the Flag’ mode and for the most part it works quite well.
After completing your mission, you will have the option of donating the collected materials to a wider cause, thus reducing your sentence even further, or keeping them for your own personal use. Friend. Neither option has any major downsides, but reducing your sentence and gaining benefit points will provide more freedom in your cell and the wider central Panopticon area.
The controls have been significantly improved compared to the original Vita version. Light and heavy melee attacks have been mapped to ‘R’ and ‘ZR’ respectively, and you can switch between your weapons by quickly tapping ‘X’. It’s a more modernized take, giving the controls a more natural feel, but the options let you customize the control scheme to your liking if you find yourself wanting to get back to the original Vita layout. Likewise, players’ overall speed seems to have been increased a bit for this new version and feels a bit less tiring as a result.
However, besides the improved controls, the special Switch version feels somewhat similar to the original Vita game. Yes, there’s a welcome improvement in resolution here (1080p when docked versus the Vita’s 544p), but the Switch’s 30fps isn’t the most optimal experience possible. 4K/60fps gameplay on other platforms will certainly make this game feel like a significant leap from the original game, but as it stands, the Switch version feels more like a straight port is a completely remade game. Additions like new customizable hairstyles and facial features are welcome, but this is not the case. rather enough.
What’s interesting, however, is that while English is the default audio option, the original Japanese audio is also available; It took us a little while to find the option to change this (as it’s oddly labeled ‘Require Hearing’ in your box), but it’s there. And while the music is unchanged in the remaster, it remains engaging and true to the dystopian, sci-fi setting.
Despite its problems, Freedom Wars Remastered is still a good game that shines brightly when you’re knee-deep in combat, swapping between close- and long-range weapons on the fly while dashing. on the Kidnapper’s head with your nifty Thorn tool. It’s very challenging at times and can be exhilarating when you finally kill a few Kidnappers. It’s a pity that you often have to sit through long monotonous plot segments after completion.
Conclusion
Freedom Wars Remastered is a welcome addition to the Switch that revives one of the most fun and unique games on the PS Vita. Its core gameplay is challenging and satisfying in equal measure, with plenty of customizable options and upgrades to keep you hooked. Sadly, the story often gets interesting, especially near the beginning, while performance upgrades on the Switch are kept to a minimum – understandable to an extent, but nevertheless unfortunate. However, for both new and returning players, Freedom Wars Remastered is still worth checking out if you enjoy fighting giant monsters.
