Freedom Wars Remastered Review (PS5) – 20 years is quite a stretch of time for a game to get a port. This is the case for Freedom Wars Remastered. With that said, this remaster benefits from the same development team (and even some of the original members of the 2014 crew) working on this port.
Ultimately, most of the game experience remains the same, but it’s in the minor changes that help to make this a worthwhile remaster.
Freedom Wars Remastered Review (PS5) – A Beloved Classic With Just A Little Bit of Polish
Sticking With A Good Thing
To be perfectly frank, this is a rather straightforward remaster. The story remains entirely the same, with in-game models coming from the original looks and the gameplay loop remaining unchanged. The biggest difference is that everything has been upscaled to 4K resolution. This smooths out a lot of the old jagged edges from the PS Vita version, which helps.
With that said, do not expect this game to visually blow you away or look way better than you remember. Conversely, this lesser graphical demand means that the game plays entirely at 60 frames per second. Considering how much fighting and flying around you do, the smooth gameplay experience alone enhances an already good formula. Considering how many allies and enemies interact with each other sometimes, the additional screen size and improved refresh rate help to amplify the experience. Screenshots do not tell the entire story by any means.
To be candid, playing Freedom Wars again on different hardware gave me a new perspective on the game. I spent a lot of time on the PS Vita version. Much like Monster Hunter on PlayStation Portable, I started my experience with Freedom Wars on a handheld. On handheld, I made the best of the controls simply because I enjoyed the game so much.
After this time on console with Freedom Wars, I fully appreciate just how much more limber and mobile I can be with a traditional console controller. While I truly love the PS Vita, nothing compares to a controller when it comes to frenetic gameplay.
Minor But Significant Changes
Much of this appreciation comes from the minor control adjustment to implement the controller’s triggers. Instead of firing with the one shoulder button, you get to use L2 and R2 to aim and shoot. This frees up L1 and R1 to manage your Thorn to more easily grapple enemies and maneuver around the map. Since so much of the remaster relies on these shoulder and trigger buttons, it makes me appreciate just how the development team managed to make it all work in the PS Vita version to begin with.
This release also features full English voice work alongside the option of Japanese voiceovers. While human characters sound fine, since they use actual recorded voice lines, the android counterparts use robotic voices that the game simulates. This approach does two things that do not mix together very well.
First, the automated cadence of the androids feels like how a machine would dictate statements. Second, the spoken automated words do not get pronounced correctly all the time. Many of the problems come with the fictional names given to things, but it also occurs occasionally with common English words. It just feels weird and reminded me of AI-generated speech on TikTok.
While the game doesn’t offer much in terms of quality-of-life adjustments, it does change up one thing about the game: weapon upgrades. To get the final upgrades originally, you needed to use parts you gather from missions to power up your weapons. That part hasn’t changed. What has changed, thankfully, is how you get the final modifications. Previously, when you applied the final upgrades, the results were randomized, often leaving you with lackadaisical modifications. As long as you have the necessary components, you can just apply the ones you want.
The Best Way to Play Freedom Wars
While Freedom Wars Remastered doesn’t offer many updates to the original game, the updates it does make enhance the experience for the better. A full English voice cast combined with updated controls and an improved upgrading system make this game a gear hunter’s delight. While the resolution increase to 4K helps a bit, the 60 frames-per-second refresh rate completely changes the game.
For what it’s worth, you still play the same mission types over and over in the same handful of maps, leaving the original repetitive formula untouched. As long as you know what to expect from Freedom Wars Remastered, you will find a compelling IP “monster hunting” RPG that begs for a sequel.
Freedom Wars releases January 10, 2025, for PS5 and PS4.
Review code generously provided by PR.