FREEDOM WARS Remastered – PS5 Review

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Thanks to Bandai Namco, we get to see the return of FREEDOM WARS. Originally released back in 2014 for the PlayStation Vita, it arrives back into your life on consoles and steam. I’ll be checking out the PS5 version for this review and to see how well it runs compared to its handheld counter-part. If you’re looking to try it for the first time, then you can grab it for £32.99. A contribution pack is also available, which will give a few in-game items.

Sometimes being alive is crime in its own right.

A mother holding her new born baby, the baby has a full set of blonde hair. Above the baby is a counter for 1 million which is the life sentence they will serve.
The real crime here is being born with that much hair.

I played FREEDOM WARS on the Vita when it was given away for PS+ a while back. I remember enjoying it and finding the concept interesting. I didn’t get far through it however, as I don’t play portable systems that much. But when I saw that FREEDOM WARS Remastered was releasing, I thought, why not give it another go?

Some of the new features to expect in the game:

  • High-Resolution textures
  • 4K support for the PS5
  • Higher difficulty settings
  • A new overhauled crafting system for weapons

Gameplay

The setting is a dystopian future where the planet’s resources have become scarce. And now places called Panopticons fight against one another for them. We play as a Sinner, an individual who must work off their sentence of one million years. All while being heavily monitored and throwing themselves into dangerous missions, hoping to earn back their freedom.

The menu area for customization. The person to the left is the wearing a military coat which is mainly designed with the colour blue.
Attempted to make her look like a combat medic.

Now, FREEDOM WARS plays a little similar to Monster Hunter. You play as a custom character whose mission is to slay monsters and collect the parts they drop. That is the basic version of it and the entire gameplay loop. But I’ll give more details below.

Missions & Entitlements

As mentioned above, the main gameplay loop for FREEDOM WARS is fighting monsters. These monsters are called Abductors and missions usually require you to take them down. Some other missions will make you save “Citizens” from Abductors by breaking them out of the pods they are held in. The Abductors themselves have various parts you can break/sever off and collect to gain materials.

a large red news letter explaining a crime I have committed.
Wow, that’s ridiculous.

Once you’ve finished a mission, you will earn various materials you can use for crafting, depending on the star rating. Any items you get can then be donated to the Panopticon to further gain a currency called Entitlement Points. The points like the name suggest allows you to purchase Entitlement that will allow you to keep higher quality gear, sleep lying down, or run for longer than five seconds. The last two aren’t a joke. You will be punished with an extension to your sentence.

Companions & Thorns

You won’t fight alone in FREEDOM WARS, as the game is heavy on the cooperative experience. You can play online with others or solo with characters in the game. I mainly play solo, so the bot companions are helpful…. at times. Before going on a mission, you’ll select a squad to accompany you. They each have their own gear and are split into three classes, depending on the symbol. Shield, cross, and sword (for tank, healer, and assault). You can also issue commands to the team to better adapt to situations, such as guarding Citizens or taking control points.

A large tiger monster with wings is in the distance, while I am prepping an attack. The two text to the left of my character are the parts I've currently attacked.
Why the hell does a tiger need wings!?

The player character can choose one of these three classes since this type stems from the thorn. The thorn will have a different colour depending on what you pick. I found using the thorn for the class abilities annoying since that need to charge up to do anything. For example, if you charge up the healing thorn, you’re able to release a vine pillar that heals over time. Healing A.I. is a nightmare since they just run around and it’s not a latch on effect. The thorns are helpful for when you want to act like Spider-Man and reach higher areas. You can also latch onto Abductors to hack away at their body parts so that they break.

Weapons & Accessory

FREEDOM WARS has roughly six varieties of weapons for you to try. So you’re bound to find one that suits your play-style. The melee weapons will deal different damage types, such as sever, impact, piercing, and cutting. With cutting being the most noticeable one since when you latched onto an Abductor’s limb, you can press the circle button to begin sawing it off. So Prepare your thumbs since they will trigger a button bash moment.

I am latched onto the arm of a giant slender monster. Sparks are flying off from where I am, since I'm attempting to saw off the the limb. The icon at the bottom displays the button the player needs to press.
What’s yours is now mine.

Besides the A.I. Companions you will also give you an “Accessory” (basically an android). They act as your personal watcher and will also fight in battle. You can equip them with a weapon in an attempt to better team synergy. For example I like to use quick weapons such as a sword, and then give my android a rocket launcher for balance. Later on, you can alter the commands you give them to further increase battle success. Usually I send mine to gather materials around the arena.

Graphics & Audio

The graphics don’t seem to have improved much to me, just brighter. They still look like they’re in the PS3 era. The animations look okay but awkward, and the facial animations are off, with a case of flapping mouth syndrome. Best example of this is the character Mattias. The game doesn’t look terrible, but doesn’t look great either. Graphically, the worst part is the way sandstorms look. I get what they are, but sometimes I could barely see in front of me and it got frustrating during a fight.
A sand storm is occurring in the mission blocking visibility. You can slightly see the enemy through the storm thanks to the large orange bulb.
I really hated fighting in this.

Longevity

The game itself can take a large amount of time. Mainly thanks to the fact you will need to replay levels to gain resources to upgrade equipment. There are PVP modes and harder missions like the Showdown Operations for you to take on. But these aren’t for me personally. Then there is the harder difficulty setting they introduced. I think it’s called “Deadly Sinner” which put further restrictions on the game.

A small bear like mascot creature that looks like it's wearing a police officers uniform. He is showing immense gratitude for a mission well done.
You made it to the end of the article, Yay!

Final Thoughts

This time round, playing FREEDOM WARS, I wasn’t really enjoying the gameplay as much as I did back then. The game itself runs fine, and I only had one freeze that quickly stopped. Control-wise, it feels much better than it did on the Vita. The story isn’t captivating me and it just seems like it’s dragging. Missions take a bit too long for my liking.

For later missions, enemies just seem like damage sponges, and no matter how much I upgrade my gear, it doesn’t change. It’s terrible commanding the A.I. bots since no matter what, it feels as if I’m doing everything. I command them to focus on reviving. They stop shooting all together, so I have to attack alone. Instead, I set them to focus on an enemy, then they ignore reviving allies and me. Now, that’s all said and done. The game just might not be for me.

I’m giving FREEDOM WARS Remastered the Silver Award. Although I would add that I believe you’ll have more of a golden experience if you play the game with a group of people.

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

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