In 2D platformers, my favorite thing to do is to go as fast as possible. Maybe it’s because I grew up playing Sonic, but there’s something satisfying about flying over obstacles and enemies and finding the quickest route through a level. 2014’s Freedom Planet perfectly understood this feeling, allowing players to hit high speeds and maintain it through precise platforming and surprisingly decent combat. It had a lot of rough edges, however, such as the writing, voice acting, and a bit of jank. So, 2022’s sequel attempted to refine the formula while making everything bigger and better. When I bought it on Steam that year… I didn’t really enjoy it. It had shifted its focus more towards a combat system that, while much more intricate and interesting, just wasn’t what I was here for. Since the game is finally coming to consoles, I figured I’d give it another shot, and with one simple choice on my part I found a lot to like.
Freedom Planet 2 follows Sash Lilac the Water Dragon, Carol the Wildcat, Milla the Hound, and Neera Li the Frost Knight. You can choose any of these characters at the start of the game, and they all play fairly differently. Lilac is the Sonic equivalent, being focused on speed and can dash to reach max speed quickly or fly diagonally. Carol is like Knuckles with her ability to climb, but is also the best at combat. Milla is like… well, this is where the Sonic comparisons end. Milla can float upward for a time with her floppy ears, fire lasers rapidly or in one big burst, and even dig which I never found a use for. She’s essentially the all-rounder of the team, able to do anything decently but nothing exceptionally well. Finally, Neera has a double jump, making her an OK choice for beginners who want to take things slow, but I largely found her playstyle uninteresting compared to the other characters returning from the first game.
![Freedom Planet 2 Gameplay - PS5 [GamingTrend]](https://gamingtrend.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FYccBZbWiQPs%2F0.jpg)
While I started playing the PC version on Normal difficulty, I chose Easy this time around and had much more fun. The key to this isn’t actually the difficulty, but the assist setting Auto Guard which you can turn on at any time in the options menu. Stages in Freedom Planet 2 are filled to the brim with enemies, but you can become briefly invincible to avoid their attacks by pressing Triangle just before you get hit. The problem here being that you’re often going so fast there’s no way to see and react to any enemies in time. It’s the same issue early Sonic titles have but turned up to 11. With Auto Guard, I’m able to focus more on the platforming which is how I like it, though of course it doesn’t make you invincible and I still died to more than a few bosses over the course of the game.
The stages themselves are pretty fun to run though, though some can feel a bit generic or overstay their welcome. It can take a while to get to the more interesting stage gimmicks, like finding keys to raise and lower the water level or needing to find all three parts to a giant robot before you can fight the boss. Having so much variety is great, but the most interesting mechanics are all backloaded. This does keep you invested in the second half, but makes the first blend together a bit. Something that does mitigate this somewhat is being able to choose from three different missions at two points in the game, letting you progress non-linearly. You do have to finish all missions to move on, but it’s a neat way to mix things up and some dialogue can even change depending on the order you do things in and the character whose campaign you’re playing. Regardless of who you are playing though, the campaign will remain largely the same.
Most levels take around five minutes to complete, but a few can take over double that time. In particular, one of the final levels requires you to finish challenges reintroducing previous gimmicks. This is a great idea but the problem is you have to do eight challenges, which just goes on for far too long with some challenges feeling like formalities to tick the number up rather than actually being interesting. Unfortunately, I can also say something similar for the story. It has some cool beats and I like the characters, but there’s so many cutscenes and towns you have to visit when I just want to get back to the platforming. The voice acting is greatly improved, but the writing falls into some of the same pitfalls as the first game. Characters are constantly yelling at each other which gets tiring, and I found the overall plot incredibly difficult to follow. It attempts to tackle some heavy topics like genocide, and while it doesn’t fumble it entirely it’s an odd choice given the cartoony characters and Dragon Ball Z-esque plot (Vegeta’s voice actor, Christopher Sabat, even plays Askal in the game). If there is a Freedom Planet 3, and I hope there is, I don’t actually think these heavy topics should be abandoned. Far from it, but the writing, pacing, and voice acting need to be improved to match this ambition. Still, this is a big step up from the first game and the efforts of all involved should be recognized.
Despite all those issues, Freedom Planet 2 is a lot of fun. At its best, you’re flowing through stages smacking down any obstacles in your way to reach the goal in record time, while at its worst you’re sitting through cutscenes discussing plot points that weren’t properly introduced or waiting for an overly long level to end. If you can get through those rough parts, this speedy, indie darling will win you over.
David is the kind of person to wear his heart on his sleeve. He can find positives in anything, like this is a person who loved Star Fox Zero to death. You’ll see him playing all kinds of games: AAAs, Indies, game jam games, games of all genres, and writing about them! Here. On this website. When not writing or playing games, you can find David making music, games, or enjoying a good book.
David’s favorite games include NieR: Automata, Mother 3, and Gravity Rush.
Freedom Planet 2 suffers from many of the same problems that plagued the original game, with the additional problem of having way too much combat, but remains a delightful speed platformer at its core and is worth running through for any fans of the genre.
PROS
- A ton of great levels
- Gorgeous pixel art
- Great music
- Four characters to play as…
CONS
- …but not all are equally interesting
- Way too much combat
- Some stages overstay their welcome
- Story is hard to follow
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
