Freedom Wars is a game that was released when portable Monster Hunter games were very popular, but the PlayStation Vita didn’t have any. Monster Hunter was huge in Japan, but it hadn’t become as popular in the West yet. After the success of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Capcom decided not to release future games on the Vita and chose the Nintendo 3DS instead. This decision greatly affected PS Vita sales in Japan and led to the creation of several Monster Hunter-like games on the Vita, including Freedom Wars.
Freedom Wars Remastered aims to revive the franchise. The original game, released in 2014, struggled to gain traction partly due to the poor sales of the PS Vita, even though critics loved it. The PS Vita was one of the first handhelds with an OLED screen and had a beautiful display and excellent design. Despite its potential, it failed because it didn’t receive enough support throughout its lifespan.
Freedom Wars envisions a future where humans no longer live on the surface and are forced to live in underground prisons called Panopticons. These prisons serve as actual incarceration facilities where humans are given sentences that equal years of their lives, and their goal is to reduce these sentences by working for the government and performing tasks to gather resources. From birth, every human is assigned a prison sentence of 1 million years, which they can gradually reduce over time.
Most resource gathering happens by going out into the world and fighting giant monsters, known as Abductors. While this might sound similar to Monster Hunter, the main theme is different. The twist is that if you waste time in prison, your sentence is extended. Failing a mission also extends your prison time, giving you an incentive to complete more missions and not be lazy. It’s a fun concept that works in theory and makes the game stand out among its peers.
Freedom Wars features a customizable character, but its story is somewhat thin. The main fun comes from its excellent gameplay, which works well on big screens. You can still enjoy it portably if you play it on a PC with Steam Deck or the Nintendo Switch. The game works well on any device. The gameplay follows a simple loop where you pick missions to complete and earn rewards, including reducing your prison sentence.
The combat system is well-executed, with various ranged and melee weapons to choose from. You can also use a hook, called Thorn, to grab onto walls and monsters or pull them to the ground. Each monster has a weakness that can be exploited. However, since it was a budget handheld title, the environment and level design feel barren and not very enjoyable to traverse. Despite the dullness of the environment, the combat remains fun. The character and monster designs are quite good, although they may not meet current-generation standards.
The main appeal of Freedom Wars lies in its multiplayer mode, where you can team up with others to hunt Abductors. Various multiplayer modes are available, allowing for co-op support for up to seven players. Though the game had limited multiplayer functionality during the early review phase, playing solo is still quite enjoyable. The idea of having your prison sentence as a score on leaderboards is cool, and it would be interesting to see how other players handle it on the global leaderboards.
The PC version of Freedom Wars Remastered feels basic, but it didn’t need much improvement since it’s being sold as a “remaster” rather than a remake. The visuals can upscale well to 4K, and the frame rate support is good, with up to 60 FPS on the Steam Deck. While it doesn’t always maintain 60 FPS on the Deck, it plays well overall. As mentioned before, the environments and levels feel barren, which fits with the dystopian post-apocalyptic theme of the game.
Overall, this remastered version of Freedom Wars is a decent game, especially for a Monster Hunter-inspired clone. The story doesn’t offer the same highs as the Monster Hunter franchise, and the production values remain low, but it still offers a good amount of fun with the potential to improve replay value in its multiplayer mode.
Freedom Wars Remastered Game Information
- Price: $39.99
- Publisher: Bandai Namco
- Developer: Dimps
- Platform: PC (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
