Freedom Planet 2014 (opens in new tab) changed the Sonic The Hedgehog fan scene. It was one of the first major projects to lose its borrowed Sega branding and become its own thing – not just in terms of aesthetics and setting, but mechanically as well. Channeling the spirit of Japanese studio Treasure (Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga, etc.), Freedom Planet blended Sonic’s fast-paced platforming with playful, expressive aerial moves and satisfying boss-defeating combat. It was a lot of fun, but the indie developers behind it had bigger plans.
After seven long years in development, the sequel is now available and it was worth the wait.
Must know
What is it?: A fast paced platform game with crunchy battles and dozens of bosses.
Expect to pay: $24.99 / £19.99
Publication date: September 13, 2022
Developer: galaxy trail
Publisher: galaxy trail
Played on: Windows 11, Nvidia 2080 Ti, Intel i9-9900k @ 4.9GHz, 32GB RAM
Multiplayer: No
Shop page: Steam, Itch.io
For newbies, I recommend starting with the first game. It’s still a gem, and the story won’t make much sense without it. The sequel is a loosely Sonic-inspired platformer starring a cast of cute kung fu animals set in a largely Asian sci-fi world. While there are opportunities to go really fast, ride rails, and run over walls and ceilings in classic Sonic style, the focus here is more on playful, agile navigation. Different levels focus on exploration and even puzzling, and even the faster stages reward climbing into odd corners with hidden areas and collectibles.
In addition to the physics being more forgiving of slow poker (you can just blast your way up to vertical walls from near-stop), each of the four playable characters has additional air mobility options, from double jumps to glides and combat moves like air dashes and uppercuts that extend the airtime – they are essential to reach the more unusual routes.
Everyone is fighting kung fu
Combat is as fundamental here as movement. Smaller enemies can just be shot through and bigger ones will only get one or two hits from your bigger attacks, keeping the flow. The combat slows down during the (many) boss fights, but almost all of these are a delight, thanks to their clear attack patterns, striking designs (often featuring dozens of moving sprites, shaking, rattling, rolling, and shape-shifting bosses) and sheer scale . Combat Channels Treasure classics like Gunstar Heroes: Combat ranges from one-on-one brawls with characters on the same scale to titanic robots on several screens high, putting those platforming skills to the test.
FP2 also adds an extremely powerful block button that can nullify almost all damage if timed correctly. With this it is possible to win every battle without taking a hit.
If Freedom Planet felt like a Mega Drive game, Freedom Planet 2 is the hipper sequel to Sega Saturn: Sprites are bigger and more animated, and lots of rotation and zoom effects are used. While the basics of movement feel familiar, all characters gain more control. Main heroine Lilac can now chain double jumps and air dashes to give massive mobility even without platforms, and Carol the wildcat is now untethered, able to jump against the wall and place her own jump boosters.
It’s liberating and missing a jump can be easily recovered in style, making FP2 a very forgiving game; It wants you to have fun on your own terms. In addition to the difficulty and a range of accessibility options, there are unlockable items that can significantly reduce or increase the difficulty in interesting ways. Want to race against the developer’s par-times or clear stages with a single hit point? Do it. Or you can start each stage with power-ups, bonus lives, or extra powers, such as health blood attacks.
While the vanilla experience is fine-tuned, you’re invited to customize those watch faces if you feel the need to.
Fast platforming, slow cooked to perfection
It’s easy to see how this took seven years to create. Each level is visually and mechanically different, often with a shift in aesthetics around the midpoint. Between levels, there’s a world map to roam around with multiple cities, packed with interesting characters who have new things to say after each major plot beat. Each NPC has a separate sprite that is animated just as neatly as the main cast. These are the kind of details that only come from a truly passionate development team.
You can also feel it in the writing and voice work. Freedom Planet was able to become absorbed in itself, making cutscenes too long, and some of the cast obviously had better recording equipment than others. That’s all fixed here, and they’ve brought in well-known anime talent, including Chris Sabat (Vegeta and Piccolo from the Dragon Ball Z dub) who delivers a stellar performance as solid fighter Askal – a performance aided by a sassy Dragon Ball-esque sound Effects.
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Even the setting of Freedom Planet 2 feels genuine and rich. Picking up several years after the first game, FP2 combines a mix of anime styles, western cartoon dialogue and Saturday morning voice work, and an interesting mix of Chinese and Filipino culture, myth, and design. Despite the cartoon energy, the story tackles some heavy topics, including the long-lasting effects of colonialism and the wiping out of indigenous cultures. I know that sounds unpredictable for a platformer inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog, but it somehow sticks.
My first run through of FP2 lasted eight hours and there are three other characters with their own gameplay mechanics, cutscenes and dialogue that I still want to play with.
There’s not much to nitpick here. While FP2 has good support for high-refresh monitors (great for a fast-moving game like this), it’s rendered at an intentionally low resolution to preserve the Saturn-esque aesthetic. While it’s mostly fine, it gets a little rough and pixelated as the camera zooms out to show larger areas or keep up with a speed player. There are also a few boss fights that are a little weaker than the rest, but two or three mediocre fights around 40 is still a great batting average.
Freedom Planet 2 is already one of my favorite games of 2022. While I would recommend playing the two games in order, if you only have time for one fast-paced 2D platformer this year, this is the one you want.
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