Freedom Wars Remastered Review (Switch eShop)

Free from Vita jail

Like Nintendo’s own Wii U, the PS Vita has seen a good chunk of its best games migrate to alternative platforms in the years since the system itself veered into the realm of ‘commercial failure’. One of those games is Freedom Wars, a third-person action title created by Dimps that, at the time, was one of the most successful first-party-published Vita games (in Japan, at least). Now, over 10 years later, publisher Bandai Namco has taken the reins to present a remaster for Switch, retaining much of the original’s essence while improving upon the core gameplay.

Freedom Wars Remastered is, at its core, a loose take on Monster Hunter’s gameplay. As a Sinner within an underground Panopticon city, you must complete combat ops. Y’see, in a world in which resources are exceptionally scarce, the very nature of existence is in itself a crime; hence, you begin the game with a rather harsh one million-year sentence. By completing operations and rescuing your fellow citizens from large creatures known as Abductors, you can reduce your sentence and gain entitlements along the way.

It’s a fascinating premise that quickly sunk its hooks into us thanks to its dystopian nature and heavy focus on reducing or lengthening your sentence. Entitlements — such as spending time with fellow inmates, exercising, or even lying down to rest — are initially forbidden and can add hundreds, if not thousands, of additional years to your sentence. Slowly inching your way through your required operations, meanwhile, can earn more freedom within your Panopticon.

Despite its intriguing setup, however, Freedom Wars’ story can often get in the way of the gameplay. Nothing has changed in this regard from the Vita version, and for the opening handful of hours at least, it can feel exceptionally slow as the world and its characters start to open up. This eases up a bit as you progress, but having to sit through lengthy dialogue sessions every time you complete an operation can be a tad grating.

Exacerbating this, you’re constantly kicked back to your cell after every mission, so if you want to visit the in-game store or complete additional objectives within the Panopticon, you have to make the same journey from your cell every time (at least until you unlock your fast travel entitlement, that is).

The true star of the show is the action gameplay that takes centre stage when partaking in your chosen operation. Although you’ll be taking on enemies large and small, the monstrous Abductors present the biggest challenge, requiring you to make use of melee weapons, long-range guns, and a tool known as a Thorn. The latter is essentially a grappling whip that you can use to either launch yourself onto an enemy, drag them to the ground, or quickly traverse the environment. As you proceed further, you’ll unlock new types of Thorns with unique properties such as healing abilities and shields.

There’s a decent amount of variety with the operations, too. Basic missions see you taking down the Abductors and carrying rescued civilians to safety, but there are also missions that involve competing against other Panopticons to see which can rescue the most civilians. It almost feels like a take on a classic ‘Capture the Flag’ mode, and it works quite well for the most part.

Once you’ve completed your missions, you’ll be presented with the option to either donate gathered materials to the wider cause, thus reducing your sentence further, or keeping them for your personal use. There’s no major downside to either option, but reducing your sentence and gaining entitlement points earns more freedom within your cell and the wider Panopticon hub area.

The controls have been significantly improved from the original Vita version. Light and heavy melee attacks have been remapped to ‘R’ and ‘ZR’, respectively, while you can switch between your weapons with a quick tap of ‘X’. It’s a more modernised take that feels more natural to control, but options let you customise the control scheme to your liking if you find yourself wanting to recapture the original Vita layout. Similarly, overall player speed seems to have been increased a bit for this new release, and feels a bit less tiresome as a result.

Aside from the improved controls, however, the Switch version specifically feels just a bit too similar to the original Vita game. Yes, there’s a welcome boost in resolution here (1080p when docked versus the Vita’s 544p), but Switch's 30fps isn't the most optimum experience possible. The 4K/60fps gameplay on other platforms would undoubtedly make this feel like a significant leap from the original game, but as it is, the Switch version feels more like a straight port than a fully remastered title. Additions like new customisable hairstyles and facial features are welcome, but it’s not quite enough.

What's nice, however, is that while English is the default audio option, the original Japanese audio is also present; it took us a bit of time to find the option to alter this (since it's bizarrely labelled as 'Request Auditory Refit' within your cell), but it's there. And while the music hasn't changed for the remaster, it remains catchy and true to the dystopian, sci-fi setting.

Despite its issues, Freedom Wars Remastered is still a decent game that shines brightly when you’re knee-deep in combat, swapping between close and long-range weapons on the fly while zipping up onto an Abductor’s head with your nifty Thorn tool. It's nicely challenging at times, and can feel exhilarating when you finally wipe out a couple of Abductors. It’s just a shame that you often have to sit through extended periods of monotonous plot once you’re done.

Conclusion

Freedom Wars Remastered is a welcome addition to the Switch that revives one of the PS Vita's most unique and enjoyable games. Its core gameplay is challenging and satisfying in equal measure, with plenty of customisable options and upgrades to keep you hooked. Sadly, the story often gets in the way of the fun, especially near the beginning, while performance upgrades on the Switch are kept to a minimum - understandable to an extent, but a shame nevertheless. Still, for both new and returning players, Freedom Wars Remastered is worth checking out if you enjoy battling giant monsters.