Freedom Planet was a welcome surprise of a videogame when I first got my hands on it. It’s unapologetic as far as Sonic The Hedgehog fan-games go, starring a totally-not-a-hedgehog protagonist in a setting named synonymously to Sonic’s home planet of Mobius. The minds behind Freedom Planet truly knew the source material inside-out, as I realized when I enjoyed my playthrough of it more than any 2D Sonic game that came before it. Not only are its inspirations handled well, the added combat emphasis is somehow well-balanced alongside it and doesn’t detract from the fast-paced appeal at all.
The sheer quality of its pixel-art, music and especially level design elevate it a cut above the rest, as far as action-platformers go. Almost every track in the game has an authentic feeling of 16-bit nostalgia in its compositions, without needing to rely on 16-bit soundfonts to get the idea across. The BGM that plays during the first half of Relic Maze is the most memorable one for me, and easily the reason why I’m still reminded of the game to this day. The instrument choice really stands out as unique, and coincidentally suits the explorative vibe of its level well.
This could be considered breaking the ‘gratitude’ rules, but I greatly recommend skipping to the ‘Arcade’ mode of the game if you try it for yourself.
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