Tizoc
Member
Developer: GalaxyTrail
Release date: July 21st, 2014
Platform: PC (Windows; Mac/Linux versions planned) / Steam
Official website: http://freedomplanet.galaxytrail.com/
Demo: Windows demo, Mac demo
Freedom Planet is a fast-paced indie-developed 2D platformer for Windows PCs (with Mac/Linux versions being planned). The game has a large focus on momentum-based physics and melee combat, with a kicking soundtrack and a visual style harkening to the Genesis/Mega Drive era.
Story
For centuries, the people of the planet Avalice have relied on the mystical artifact known as the Kingdom Stone. Once every year, they make a pilgrimage to its location to stock up on its energy, so that they can power all of their devices; it is what allows Avalice's very way of life to exist.
Unfortunately, as the time for the annual pilgrimage draws near, events are transpiring that are upsetting the balance between Avalice's three major kingdoms - Shang Tu, the sky kingdom, Shang Mu, the earth kingdom, and Shuigang, the water kingdom. Recently, Shuigang's king has been murdered; his son, Prince Dail, has seemingly gone mad with grief and vengeance, sending out robots across the land and desperately looking for the killer.
Water dragon Sash Lilac and wildcat Carol Tea are on their way to the Kingdom Stone themselves. Unaffiliated with any of the three kingdoms, they live in a treehouse out in the wilderness, and steal energy crystals from the rich during the annual recharging rituals - an ignoble life, but it suits them just fine. However, just as they're out to embark on their journey, a plane comes crashing down from the sky. Lilac, always eager to help those in need, rescues the pilot (with Carol begrudgingly following her). This pilot - a strange turtle-shelled, duck-billed creature named Torque - reveals that there is a plot to steal the Kingdom Stone already in motion.
If that stone were to go missing, it would be disastrous for everyone; Lilac and Carol, one being naturally fast and the other boasting a speedy motorcycle, agree to rush over and stop the plan before it can be put to action. Little do either know that they're being tailed by a young, shy, wide-eyed little hound, Milla Basset, who's always wanted to meet a live dragon!
Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows, the imposing figure Lord Brevon is keeping track of all of the events unfolding. He has his sights set on the Kingdom Stone... but who is he, and what are his motivations? He's unaffiliated with any kingdom on Avalice - almost as if he were from out of this world...
Gameplay
Freedom Planet's core gameplay is very simple: get to the end of eleven sprawling stages, fighting a boss at the end of every single one (and frequently a miniboss or two in-between!). Along the way, you'll do battle with hundreds of enemies (floral, faunal and mechanical), while grabbing hundreds of goodies along the way.
Among the games collectables:
- Every stage has hundreds of Power Crystals floating around; collecting 200 of these will net you an extra 1-UP. Note that enemies can pick them up too, however! They'll generally drop them when they're defeated, but some invincible enemies are also capable of picking them up...
- Every stage has at least one Tao Token. Grab it, and when you finish the stage, you'll be whisked away to a dice-rolling special stage; there, you can gamble thirty colored orbs (which are randomly dropped by defeated enemies, or found inside treasure chests generally hidden in nooks and crannies of the stage).
- Your health can be replenished by collecting Health Petals; each are worth half a hitpoint. Most are found flying around alongside Power Crystals, but you can occasionally find a Health Petal Blossom that drops six Health Petals at once.
- Various Shield Crystals can also be found sticking out of the ground; shatter them to claim its shield for yourself. Every shield will take two hits for you (no matter how damaging); however, there are five variants, based on the elements of Wu Xing, and each element has its own perks:
- Earth shield: Yellow. Attracts nearby power crystals en masse, and nullifies most electrical attacks.
- Wood shield: Pink. Attracts nearby Health Petals, and produces a Health Petal after collecting a set number of Power Crystals. It will also nullify poison effects from certain enemies.
- Water shield: White-ish blue. Allows you to breathe indefinitely in places you wouldn't normally be able to.
- Metal shield: White, with a horizontal bar repeatedly going upward. Grants total immunity to spikes.
- Fire shield: Red, naturally. Inflicts damage to enemies it overlaps, as well as giving you immunity to fire. However, it dissipates the instant you go into water.
- There's also a shield crystal that's rainbow-colored; this is an Invincibility Crystal, and grants you immunity to most sources of damage.
- Lastly, hidden in every level (except the last!) are several Star Cards. Think you know a level like the back of your hand? Well, have you found all of the Star Cards in a stage to prove it?
Of course, don't think the bosses are going to be pushovers... Many multi-segmented automaton lie between you and victory, and would like nothing more than to see you dead. You best hope your combat skills are up to snuff!
Characters
The game features 3 playable characters. Each has their own abilities, letting them see areas the others cannot; some will see parts of cutscenes that the others don't; and, to top it all off, there's even a few character-specific levels. In short, playing through as all three is highly recommended!
Lilac is generally the fastest of the three. This purple water dragon has a naturally-high top speed, fights with various kung-fu attacks with her long strands of hair, and, being a water dragon, is capable of holding her breath longer than her colleagues can.
In addition, she has two special abilities that use up a special gauge. The first is the Dragon Boost, which propels her through the air in any direction (or along the ground), ricocheting off walls like a stray bullet - good for quickly gaining height, or a quick burst of speed. The second is the Dragon Cyclone, in which she spins like a top, cutting into enemies with her hair like a sawblade.
She may not seem like she has as much going for her as the others, but don't think her more simple moveset means she's less capable than the others by any stretch of the imagination! She's the main character for a reason, after all.
Carol isn't as fast on foot, but has several abilities to make up for this shortcoming. She's similarly proficient at kung-fu like Lilac, opting to use her claws in the fray - each attack individually does less damage, but she can whip the attacks out quicker, so it evens out. She can pounce from a standstill or mid-air to reach maximum speed in one go; in addition, attacking while pouncing gives her an extra-powerful claw-swipe attack. She can even do a Sonic-styled spin attack at will, while the others can only shift to this form when the level forces them into it.
She can't Dragon Boost like Lilac can, but she can climb walls, Mega Man X-style, actually letting her reach certain areas Lilac simply can't get the height to reach. She's also capable of using various jump pads throughout the stages, which can either make up for her slower speed, or let her into certain passages the other two can't reach. Her gauge-based ability is a fast-paced kick, not unlike Chun-Li's Hyakuretsukyaku, that does several attacks in quick succession while giving Carol complete invincibility.
As if all of that weren't enough, Carol has one more ace up her sleeve; scattered around Avalice are red canisters of gasoline. Run into one of those, and Carol will produce a motorcycle out of thin air! The motorcycle is as fast as Lilac (if not faster), and is capable of using up some of the special gauge for additional quick boosts of speed when on the ground. It also gives Carol a spinning double-jump, both for additional height and for another attack against aerial foes. The bike's even capable of driving straight up walls and ladders!
However, for as awesome as the bike is, you need to be careful; it can only take three hits, and once it's gone, it's gone; you can't get it back unless you find another canister of gas, and those are limited. In addition, your means of attacking are more limited on the bike than on-foot, so hopping off the bike with a pounce might be a good idea in some spots.
Milla has a fairly obvious downside - she's more fragile, having only four petals on her health bar compared to the others' seven. In addition, she's never practiced martial arts once in her life, unlike her companions. Don't think she's helpless, however; she may not throw a punch or kick, but she'll throw anything else she can get her paws on! She can pick up various objects in the stages - be those power crystal boxes, health flower blossoms, timed bombs, shield or invincibility crystals, or even Carol's gasoline canisters - and hurl them directly in her foes' faces. Failing anything throwable being in the near vicinity, she can also summon blocks of green goo at will, by holding down the throw button, and pummel her foes with that instead.
She's also got access to a psychic shield ability - while this glues her paws to the ground (at least, if she's not airborne when using it), it can be aimed upward or downward, deflecting most attacks back at the attacker. In addition, it also recoils away from her when it dissipates; the resulting psychic blast can injure foes, and can be called upon more readily than her goo blocks can, although it's a weaker attack. The shield's blast can also be powered-up by having a goo block ready before calling the shield - its range and width are markedly increased, with a piercing effect that can hit multiple foes in one shot. The recoil effect is also more pronounced; it will actually hurtle Milla backwards away from the direction she shot it, adding on to her existing velocity, which can be used to gain additional speed or height in a given direction.
Being a dog, she has an innate digging ability, letting her dig up power crystals, lives, or even uncover secret rooms entirely. Lastly, she has the ability to flap her large ears to gain a significant amount of additional height; Lilac can go higher, but can't control her position in mid-air while doing so like Milla can, and Milla doesn't need any walls or motorized vehicles to gain height like Carol does.
Media
Official Trailer
Reviews
None yet!
Thanks go out to
Falk and SonicGAF for their interest in the game and their assistance in making the OT.
