Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (version reviewed), PC, Nintendo Switch
Genre: Action, Monster Hunter Clone Back From 2010s

The PS Vita era of gaming was filled with so many Monster Hunter wannabes that you can throw a stone and hit 5 of them in one go. Freedom Wars was one of them, and it stood out because of its setting, theme, and really anime-like flexible gameplay & action.

Bandai Namco sought to revitalize the Dimps-made multiplayer-centric action title for lord-knows-what-reason. But hey, I’m all for it if it’s done right. The result is a straight-up port with some slight refurbishing, but with the 2010s action still maintained and in good health.

Prison Blues

In Freedom Wars, you play as a lone gopher/warrior classified as a Sinner. See, in the far future, the world is in a dire state that the majority of it is imprisoned in penal city-states called Panopticons (or Cons). These jails are so strict that even the most basic of infractions, like lying down without permission, will net you 50 years in prison time.

As a Sinner, it’s your job to help fight off giant mechas called Abductors and hostile Cons invading your turf, all while under the totalitarian eyes of your Con, its higher-ups, and a mascot called Percy Propa who I swear is purposely speaking in auto-tune just to unnerve its audience. I know I am, especially when it attempts to make a joke about your results when moving up the ranks.

These missions involve you in a three-man team (along with three humanoid robot “nannies” called Accessories, so technically a six-person team) completing objectives under a time limit. These include destroying Abductors and hostile units, rescuing hostages called Citizens from the “bellies” of Abductors, and capturing territory while fending off the opposition who probably has summoned an Abductor. In case you couldn’t tell, your fights will consist of your human group defeating these towering behemoths, each with their own unique attacks, super moves, and rampaging bouts when they’re at low life.

Fortunately, you have a lot of tools and skills at your disposal. Freedom Wars gives you the gift of Thorns for each Sinner; these are magic grappling hooks in the guise of ethereal rose vines that uses energy called Ibara. You can use them to latch onto ceilings and walls, get onto platforms and buildings to get to high vantage points, and even use them to revive downed teammates from far away. Most importantly, you need these to climb and latch onto Abductors so you can use your melee weapon to bash them to bits, or sever their important parts to hinder their attacks. See that giant MK4 two-legged Abductor with the missile turrets on its shoulder? Grapple onto them and sever them (via mashing the circle button) so that they stop shooting those ballistics in your face.

You can also use Thorns to latch onto their legs and drag them so that they trip and get stunned for a few seconds, letting your team curbstomp them as much as possible. You’ll need all the help you can get as these Abductors come in many shapes and sizes, multiple elements, and an assortment of attacks. Luckily, you can switch between two different weapons, get your fill of either light or heavy artillery (melee AND ranged), and even add mods and elemental buffs to power up your gear or even your Sinner.

This does mean that the better equipment and mods will require you to find more parts, meaning you have to repeat some missions or even undertake Special Missions that offer bigger rewards but shorter completion times and more surprise Abductor visits. Heck, veterans of the original Freedom Wars can jump straight to Deadly Sinner mode if you want a more challenging experience.

All this culminates in a fun time that’s burst-sized and meant to be played in a group, preferably with other online folks who have that itch for giant-slaying in a sci-fi dystopia. Having said that, my time in single-player story mode is equally as enthralling as I’m taken through the ins and outs of prison life in my Con, making new anime stereotype friends and getting chastised by the anime stereotype ice-cold boss with a sliver of gold in her conscience. While the story isn’t the most innovative or the most captivating, it’s more window-dressing to the real meat of the game: fighting for survival in bouts against giant mechas using your scifi grapple hook magic nonsense and weapons.

Imagine a revved-up version of Attack on Titan but in a futuristic setting, and your giants being boney metal constructs of abnormal origin, packed to the gill with rocket launchers and mortars. Freedom Wars’ selling point has always been its combat and replayability, and this remaster preserves that while making it look good in 4K 60 frames-per-second and spot-on flawless controls. Within minutes, I was grappling and swinging my way through -and away from- enemies and their counter-fire. Missions can get tough and can last for quite a bit, but they’re rewarding and feel so good, especially when you land that last sever hit through a Spider Abductor’s abdomen-pod, rescuing a Civilian and making a mad dash to the Citizen Rescue pod before the clock hits zero. With the same Spider Abductor pursuing you while your smart-as-heck AI-driven teammates cover you while also dragging it down with their respective Thorns.

In fact, my only gripe with Freedom Wars is that it takes about an hour to plod through the non-combat scenarios. You get to do a tour of the Con you’re in, but you cannot run unless you get fined with extra jail sentences in years. This part of the game moves like molasses, but you’ll get the Fast Travel option soon enough, so it’s more of an annoyance than an actual detriment. There’s also the repetitive nature of fighting all the Abductor types through story mode for resources, as well as the difficulty of the post-game missions featuring newer and badder Abductors, but that’s more of the structure this game is apeing from. After all, this came out during the Monster Hunter clone craze of the 2010s.

As for bells and whistles remaster-wise, Freedom Wars Remastered check all the boxes in making it relevant enough and justifies its current price tag. Having said that, it would be nice if there was crossplay and some proper UI indicators that “flash” better for some of its more intense missions. Half the time, I don’t know how long my Accessory can stay down until it gets captured by enemies, making me scurry around to find out which Abductor took it.

Not-So-Rusty Cage

While not the most ambitious of remasters, Freedom Wars Remastered is still a hoot to play even after all these years. Its plot isn’t the most engrossing, but it’s serviceable enough and doesn’t get in the way of the giant-slaying and team-based multiplayer action. It’s definitely better with real people, but the AI in the single-player modes is more than competent to keep up with you and really lend an actual hand. Plus, playing and fighting in the many chaotic team-versus-giant-demon-mechas battles in glorious 60FPS and in high res with nary a hitch is always a plus especially with a lot going on-screen. I do wish that this game came with crossplay given that it’s out on a plethora of platforms (not Xbox, sorry)

This remaster of a PS Vita treasure is definitely worth the time and investment if you want a smooth-playing Monster Hunter clone with neat Bionic Commando mechanics, grappling and clinging onto giant scifi monstrosities Shadow of the Colossus-style as you reign supreme to earn your freedom.

Pros

• Fun & exhilarating gameplay with neat Ibara/Thorns grapple system & controls.
• Good challenge, especially with the post-game giants & optional bosses.
• Great AI that helps more than hinders.
• Better with friends and online.
• Beautiful to look at, and runs butter-smooth.

Cons

• Remaster isn’t really packed with anything significant.
• Story is by-the-numbers anime content.
• No crossplay.

Final Score: 80/100

Review copy provided by publisher.