Paragon-Yoshi
Inkling Cadet
I don't take it that many people here know this game... if any.
But all the more reason to open up this social.
Since it is definitely one of the best Indie-games out there, at the moment.
If not, THE BEST! Though I admit that is debatable.
Seriously, I love this game.
And even though it has flaws, especially in some parts of the story, I just cannot hate it.
I just love it.
Here is a trailer for you:
It is currently available on Steam as a PC game.
But it will get a WII U port eventually.
Gameplay
I am sure the first thing you thought of, when you watched the trailer is "Sonic the Hedgehog".
And indeed it was based on Sonic-gameplay.
In fact, it actually started out as a Sonic fangame.
But it became its own thing.
And while the gameplay might look Sonic-y at first glance, trust me, the gameplay of Freedom Planet is much different from Sonic.
Because it is more combat-oriented.
And normal enemies, especially ones in later levels, can actually kick your flank really hard and kill you.
They really make Eggman's badnicks look like kindergarten-children.
Don't underestimate the enemies in this game, study them to make out their weaknesses and pick your fights carefully.
And the Boss Battles surely are epic in this game.
Again, you want to study their moves and learn their openings.
Recklessly charging in only gets you killed, especially in the later levels.
Another thing that sets it apart from Sonic is "Character Variety".
While in Sonic, every character plays more or less the same, in Freedom Planet, they couldn't be anymore different.
"Lilac the Dragon" is the Sonic-esque character. The fastest of the three.
She comes with a Hair Spin move against aerial foes and her signature Dragon Dash to deal massive damage and gain max speed instantly.
"Carol the Wildcat" is more technical and uses the environment.
She can Pounce and dish out fast attacks. And her Wild Kick is really damaging.
She can also Wall Jump and make use of those Red Ninja Pads
And when she collects a Fuel Can, she summons her motorbike to boost through the level and defy the laws of physics.
"Milla the Hould" is a defensive character with little health.
She does have a Flutterjump, similar to Yoshi or Tails the Fox.
She uses a shield to defend herself and reflecting enemy shots (does not work against everything though).
And she can summon a block to throw against enemies.
Or she can use it in combination with the shield for a more powerful Shield Burst.
And in fact, the entire health and special-system alone sets it apart from Sonic.
So don't think of it as a Sonic-vlone. It is so much more than that.
Plot
The good thing about this game, is that it offers you a choice, of either playing it with or without story.
Adventure Mode is with Story, with all the cutscenes and conversations.
Classic Mode however, is just gameplay. So it proceeds from one stage to the next, without any interruptions.
Like the old Sonic games.
While Plot seems light-hearted at first, it definitely turns more dark and tense, as the game progresses.
A combo of light-hearted and dark isn't something you see every day.
But if you ask me, it really works for this game.
Basicly, "Lord Brevon", the main antagonist, crash-landed on the planet Avalice.
The "Chasers", a merc-group and sworn enemies of Brevon, are responsible for the crash.
Brevon is adamant to do whatever it takes to repair his ship.
So he raids the Kingdom of "Shuigang", kills its king and brainwashes "Prince Dail" to do his bidding.
Then he sets out to steal the "Kingdom Stone", an artifact of great power, that supplies all of Avalice's civilization with the energy they need to live.
So he plots to provoke a war between the three kingdoms of Avalice, "Shang Mu", "Shang Tu" and "Shuigang". which already were on unfriendly terms with each other, especially with the Kingdom stone's power seemingly waning.
While he can repair his ship and slip away with the Stone unnoticed.
In the process, with the forces of Shuigang now under his command, through the brainwashed Dail, he hunts down and kills every Chaser.
Only one survives. "Torque the Shellduck".
And before "Serpentine", loyal general of Brevon's Forces can kill him too, he is saved by "Lilac" and "Carol".
On their way, they also meet "Milla". An immature and shy hound-girl, who lives in the wilderness all by herself and decide to take her in.
With Torque telling them about the Kingdom Stone about to be stolen and Lord Brevon himself, they decide to do whatever it takes to protect it and set out on an Adventure to save the Kingdom Stone.
Can they do it? Play it and find out. :P
Critique
Doubtless, this game isn't perfect.
It does have flaws and occasional glitches.
Tho if you play casually and don't speedrun too fiercely, you probably won't run into any glitches.
Overall, the gameplay is solid and stable.
And it's extremely fun to play.
Everything about it feels so epic.
The gameplay, the design, the graphics and the music.
Everything was done so well.
My only gripe about the game, are some parts of the story, that either make no sense, or just left something opened up, without giving it proper closure.
It is only a few scenes, but still something that made me cringe a little upon closer inspection.
But the most part, the story is actually pretty solid.
Not to mention the EPIC FINALE!
OH MAN, the finale is so epic and satisfying.
All in all, like I said, I love this game.
It has flaws, but that doesn't prevent me from enjoying it.
The story and especially the voice acting, probably isn't for everyone.
But for those people, there still is the "Classic" option, to play the game without any interruptions.
Though if you play this game for the first time...
HEED MY WORDS, PLAY ON "CASUAL" DIFFICULTY.
The game starts out easy, but the later levels are HARD!
You will end up dying a lot, if you don't know what you are doing (which you don't on your first time through the game).
Here is a quick overview on the difficulties.
- Normal
Well, normal. Everything on default.
- Easy
Adds Auto-Health Regen
- Casual
Adds Auto-Health Regen and halves Player-damage taken
- Hard
Doubles Player-damage taken and alters the attack patterns on a few bosses on the final levels.
While Easy adds Auto-Health Regen, in the later levels everything can kill you so fast, that it makes no difference.
Casual however gives you extra defense, on top of Regen.
So yeah, choose that difficulty on your first time through, if you don't want to die a lot.
Just believe me. The later levels really hit that hard.
And that is all I can say about this game.
Are you interested? Or did you even play it?
Feel free to discuss. :D
