The legacy of the PS Vita lives on, no matter where you look at it. Its mimetic memory lives on in the span of the success of the Nintendo Switch and even the Steam Deck. One of its lasting games is the underrated Freedom Wars, developed by the former Sony Japan Studio that has sadly shuttered its doors as well, it’s a game that embodies that era of action games.
As someone a bit late towards this party, as I didn’t have a Vita in those days, has this game’s remastered made me feel dejected that I missed a gem for taking the side of the 3DS? Not really, but this game has its moments, both the upside and downside in one neat package.
Presentation
For those who aren’t in the now, Freedom Wars is about you being part of the suppressive world where being born is now a prison sentence, and every wrong you do, adds more to your life sentence within the confines of the Panopticon. And the only time you, the Sinner, do get to go out is when you have worked hard enough for the greater good.
Its art design is a mix of oppressive with some quirkiness from the folks you meet during the game that helps it stand out from its peers. The colorful (literally) cast of other Sinners you meet does help showcase that even in a Dystopia, fashion still feels incredible to stand out from the higher-ranking NPCs.
Performance for this Remaster is fantastic for those in the Last Gen camp still. With the PS4 version, I have consistently locked at 60fps at 1080p sans any slowdown, which is very essential for a MonHun clone like this one, where the timing of the buttons for attacks is detrimental to a game about taking down enemies.
And what about the sound design? For this new edition, Bandai Namco actually added the English VOs which fit all of the cast rather well, and also switched the Robotic AI Overload voices into English Text-To-Speech as well, which doesn’t really stick that well and I guess that’s on purpose.
And you’ll hear it constantly droning on the Panopticon’s PA system each time that feels uncanny for the current times that we are in. Kinda feels too on the nose for a game that came out a decade ago.
Gameplay
Speaking of something that came out a decade ago, the controls of Freedom Wars feel dated compared to its recent contemporaries. Its usage of only one side for both attacks is something to get used to, and its target locking feels loose at best. However, the switch from melee to gunplay is rather seamless once you get a handle on things.
Its combat does play rather well, with your AI companion, aka your Accessory, and other NPC Sinners (or Co-op buddies) doing damage to free up a trapped citizen is quite engaging, as you use the Throm, a sort of grabbing mechanic, to hand onto the beast you’re attack do deal the most damage, an activity which might seem familiar to players within this genre of games.
Though the novelty of it does wear off after a while, as it becomes a sort of routine of leaving your cell in the Panopticon, do this and get that to increase your standing, and get more freedom. Making tasks boring as a sort of allegory of you, the Sinner, being part of a cog in a machine.
There’s also the Standings board between rival Panopticons, as you see your Region rise up or down the segments as you do these mission tasks. It used to be a big thing with different countries but now it’s just limited to most prefectures in Japan, where the more popular prefectures like Tokyo and Yokohama rule the roost.
A neat concept to get players to play more and see their place go up in ranking, but not much stuff is at stake since your character does still rise up the ranks in the story mode as well. But it is nice to see both gameplay and story mode intertwine like this, feeding towards the dystopian themes that the game’s going for.
Content
Freedom Wars is one of the staples of the action games where the story mode kinda feels like the tutorial for the endgame stuff where the difficulty curves upwards as you play along, with your expected time to beat the story mode resting between the 20-hour mark, and after that, the world is your oyster.
Do you go with randoms to make your Prefecture the one to beat? Or hang around with your co-op buddies, the game truly opens up for you to decide.
Personal Enjoyment
Freedom Wars reminds me of another game that came out within that time period, which actually had a PS4 release at the same time and that is God Eater 2, which was my alternative to the Monster Hunter series.
And I do feel that while the game was quite the revolutionary swansong for the Vita, this feels like a revitalized timepiece that’s clunky at times but is still all heart at what it sets out to be.
Would I have enjoyed playing it back then? Probably not but this version is a good glimpse of what people on the Vita camp played with the bells and whistles now improved.
Verdict
Freedom Wars Remastered is quite an unusual game that’s improved upon its original PS Vita but still feels dated as their rivals have already innovated far beyond this entire franchise. But make no mistake, it’s still part of history and its release in 2025 would make more people discover the genre of action-hunting games from this era and more.
Reviewed On PS4. Review Copy provided by Bandai Namco.
Freedom Wars Remastered
An unusual game that’s improved upon its original PS Vita but still feels dated as their rivals have already innovated far beyond this entire franchise.
- Presentation 9
- Gameplay 6.5
- Content 7.5
- Personal Enjoyment 7.5