Bandai Namco
This Januaryis the calm before the tempest . There are n’t a ton of major newfangled video recording secret plan releases derive this month , save forDynasty warrior : Origins , but February is buy the farm to be a stacked month for game . It ’ll give usCivilization VII , Assassin ’s Creed Shadows , Avowed , Like a Draco : Pirate Yakuza in HawaiiandMonster Hunter Wilds . January , on the other hand , is fulfill with remasters and PC port . Some of those games feel like stark primers for February ’s games . Case in full stop : Freedom Wars Remastered .
The novel port brings aPlayStation Vita classicto modern console , and that timing is idealistic . exemption Warsis an action RPG that shares some similarities with Monster Hunter , though it ’s much minor in scope than something likeWilds . That makes this firm remaster the perfect warm - up game forwards of one of 2025 ’s bighearted releases .
Bandai Namco
Fighting for freedom
Freedom Warstakes place in the year 102014 where manhood has almost been completely pass over out . In this postapocalyptic future , different city called “ Panopticons ” fight over increasingly dwindling resources . Panopticons function as surveillance states , where every individual is automatically mark a criminal because even existing is a crime in itself .
As such , crook , call Sinners , are yield a 1 - million - yr prison sentence and can reduce their prison term by fighting against giant robot freak shout out Abductors . Despite the saturnine premise , Freedom Wars ’ tone is amazingly light . That ’s not unlike Monster Hunter , which successfully straddles the line between goofy and serious . The monsters are fierce , but I do n’t feel deathly threatened by them . Freedom Warsnails that same musical note with its Abductors . It ’s more satiric than anything , even callingHelldivers 2to mind .
InFreedom Wars , players accidentally bring on to their sentence by doing apparently innocuous things like running for more than 10 endorsement in the home base or dwell down to sleep . All of these light-headed representative makeFreedom Wars ’ setting more like a coloured comedy rather than a gritty sci - fi dangerous undertaking . It ’s not too dissimilar from the upcomingSynduality : Echo of Ada . Both have postapocalyptic options , but their burnished anime visuals overshadow its dark undertones .
In Monster Hunter , the story is just a guise for all of the military action and hunt ; it ’s the gameplay that reflect . Freedom Warsis surprisingly account - focused by comparison . It boast some engrossing lore , such as the being of On High , a mysterious place above the Panopticons where more inside people live and terrorise the citizens below with Abductors .
It ’s a strong creation , but the story quickly delves into predictable territory that ’s well-situated to tune out of . Freedom Wars Remastereddoes facilitate relieve that a bit with Modern English vocalization act . The original only had Japanese vox play , a uncouth conceding that developers took when localizing Vita games due to the system ’s poor gross revenue . It ’s a pocket-sized change , but one that helped me focalize a turn more where I antecedently would have glazed over the trite story .
Severing off parts
exemption Warsis much quicker - paced compare to Monster Hunter . Guns dash quicker , cause is sporadic , and the maps are smaller . Each mission endure around 10 - 15 hour , with different aim to complete , from rescuing civilians to taking down Abductors . That makesFreedom Warsa great fit for short gambling school term and a stark line to recent Monster Hunter games . The latter accentuate much longer act session due to how much preparation you need before going on a hunting . Monster Hunter World ’s map was already adult , and Capcom claim thatMonster Hunter Wilds ’ map is double as big . Freedom Warsis a much more digestible experience .
Like Monster Hunter , Freedom Warshas musician nibble off sure parts from Abductors and using them to craft novel arm . I find that targeting a monster ’s specific parts in Monster Hunter can often be unreliable , and that ’s whereFreedom Warsdifferentiates itself . I can lock on to an Abductor ’s leg , arms , or chest , expend my Thorn ( grappling hooking ) , and sever the parts with my artillery . There ’s even a ready to hand HP stripe for each of the parts so I can always separate how close I am to my end .
Creatures in Monster Hunter do n’t have HP bars and usually commute their deportment by doing pernicious things like gameness when they ’re on the brink of death . I appreciate how directFreedom Warsis next to that . Monster Hunter ’s method is more immersive , but there ’s no muddiness on whether I ’d be able to lop a specific dead body part before the entire Abductor goes down inFreedom Wars .
While there ’s a lot to making love here as a straightaway Monster Hunter option , Freedom Warshas its issue . It start to recycle the same maps , enemy , and objectives not even halfway through its story . The gameplay loop gets repetitious as a result , but that ’s whyFreedom Warsfits much better as a handheld biz . Even though the PlayStation and PC interpretation are at 60 frames per 2nd with gamy firmness , I still recommend play it on Switch even if it does n’t have those optical and performance upgrades .
Freedom Wars Remastereddoesn’t do too much to fix the original ’s flaws , but it does feature some quality - of - life improvements . In the original ’s craft arrangement , weapon mod were randomized whenever you combined two artillery to make a new one , which was an annoying procedure when creating gear mechanism . This randomize aspect has been charter out and replaced with a more streamlined process , making for a much smoother experience .
WhileFreedom Wars Remastereddefinitely show its age at time , its new features do just enough to bring it up to race for a unexampled audience . As the Vita version ’s servers were shut down back in 2021 , the remaster now move over a raw style to recreate online atomic number 27 - op , which is a win for game preservation . Before February ramble around and you ’re plunged into the grand born biomes inMonster Hunter Wilds , make trusted to live the ravage cities inFreedom Wars Remastered .
Freedom Wars Remasteredlaunches on January 10 for PC , PS4 , PS5 , and Nintendo Switch .
