Ill get it out of the way, this game is very “Sonic” In character design and level design. That’s where the similarities end though, Freedom Planet is a very different beast and really deserves to be judged on its own merits. Freedom Planet is more a action game then a speedy platformer. Sure there are parts where you will be booking it through loop-de-loops but it blends combat in with it seamlessly and the levels lend themselves well to it. See most enemies don’t hurt you on contact, so you have two options. Blaze through the level and hit the occasional enemy on the way or stick around and fight it out. Both options are fine and both have there rewards and the game gives you everything you need to do it.

From the offset the game has three characters to play and all of them play drastically different. There’s Lilac who is more well rounded and great for first time players, Carol who can really kick ass with skillful play and Milla who is meant to be played slowly and more carefully and is really built for exploring the levels and finding shiny things. All of these characters are viable in all the different levels and they even each have there own levels unique to them. Each character is like playing a different game and most of the levels are balanced so every character has there own way of getting around them. There are even areas that only certain characters can access. It can be very difficult to build levels with multiple characters in mind and they have done a great job of it.

I will say some of the bosses can take a while to really get a bead on however the game pretty much lets you try again as much as you want until you finally get it right and that moment when you do can really be satisfying. The game does use a lives system but with how the continues work its really just kind of window dressing which is a bit of a oversight but it didn’t bother me too much. Though that makes going for the games main collectible Crystals kind of moot since all it really does is give you lives unless you care about high scores or bragging rights. I do really wish they could have reworked it cause the idea of doing away with lives period wouldn’t hurt me in the slightest. The reason I stuck with it til the end was because I DIDN’T have to start a level over, I actually had a chance to learn instead of drop the game out of frustration. Lives are a product of the times, when the games were all about eating quarters. I feel like lives are a outdated relic of the past and its just not good game design anymore, hardcore gamers be damned, but really its just a small nitpick on a otherwise great game.

I do want to end on a positive note though. I’m proud this game opted to have not one, not two but THREE female protagonists who are fun and interesting. I will say that while the story itself is pretty good its not super spectacular, But I do like how you get different pieces of the story depending on who you play and it does add good replay value. The characters are what really saved it for me. The writing is fun and the voice acting is also well done for having a lot of unknown actors. Having three female protagonists is really a breath of fresh air in a game industry ruled by scruffy white guys.

I highly recommend Freedom Planet especially if you’ve been craving a Sonic styled platformer like the good old days that feels like a long lost Saturn game. They plan on adding more content for free later including 2 new characters with there own parts of the story to play which frankly im very excited for. Give this game a look.