Freedom Wars

 PlayStation Vita
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Oct 28, 2014
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 297 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 239 out of 297
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 297
  3. Negative: 26 out of 297
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  1. MonteWD
    Oct 28, 2014
    10
    I love the combat system! It's kind of like a mixture of Monster Hunter (Close Quarters) and Lost Planet (With the grappling hook + gunplay). It runs pretty swell as well. The futuristic setting of...102,014...is intriguing with the religious overtone of the governments/City States, known as Panopticons, do to the lack of resources for each Panopticon maintains and would lead to aI love the combat system! It's kind of like a mixture of Monster Hunter (Close Quarters) and Lost Planet (With the grappling hook + gunplay). It runs pretty swell as well. The futuristic setting of...102,014...is intriguing with the religious overtone of the governments/City States, known as Panopticons, do to the lack of resources for each Panopticon maintains and would lead to a overpopulation problem; In which case leads to the reason why you're fighting giant robots and monsters, because the government forced you too! Customization for characters has a good variety of outfits and body like choices for you too make.

    Though there's some issues every once in a while (drop in frame rate, etc.), overall i'm a happy camper to know that i have a reason why i bought a vita in first place after this.    … Expand
  2. Shion16
    Oct 31, 2014
    10
    There's a moment when the story gets really annoying, but just for an hour.
    After that its just pure action,its an incredible combat system.
    Totally recommended game.
  3. EclipseEx
    Nov 3, 2014
    9
    Pros:
    - Combat is fun and there are a variety of weapons to use which each have different play-styles.
    - Graphics are quite good considering it's a handheld game. Character models are really well done. - Character and Accessory (AI companion) customization has a good amount of depth and can be changed at anytime. - Very cool online ranking system that shows the top players and    Pros:
    - Combat is fun and there are a variety of weapons to use which each have different play-styles.
    - Graphics are quite good considering it's a handheld game. Character models are really well done.
    - Character and Accessory (AI companion) customization has a good amount of depth and can be changed at anytime.
    - Very cool online ranking system that shows the top players and panopticons (basically the city you associate with).
    - Interesting weapon upgrade and modification system (it's quite deep so I won't be going into detail here).
    - Story and premise are very cool.

    Cons:
    - No English voice-over. All the audio is in Japanese. You will have to read text. If you don't like reading then just stop here.
    - Map variety is limited but helped somewhat by the different weather effects that can occur.
    - Some of the missions are very difficult which would be fine but some are meant to be frustrating and are plain annoying (I'm looking at you Code 7 exam).

    Summary:
    A really fun game, especially if you have some friends that play. Carefully consider if you're okay with not having English voices before you buy. It would be nice if they released a demo but they have yet to do so.    … Expand
  4. shootinship101
    Dec 15, 2015
    8
    It's a fun game. I appreciate the sound, design, and gameplay. The only real issue I have is that difficult missions can be lenghty and repetitive unless you have a hardcore player.
  5. CHEESEDBEEF
    Feb 10, 2015
    8
    So far im about 5 hourss in and the game is pretty good so far. nicest graphics ive seen on the vita. crisp HD anime style graphics. The combat is what makes the game good. Ive heard alot of talk about the default controls being awkward, and tbh i havent found a problem with them yet. Im enjoying the customization with my character and Accessory, weapons are cool and the thorn reminds meSo far im about 5 hourss in and the game is pretty good so far. nicest graphics ive seen on the vita. crisp HD anime style graphics. The combat is what makes the game good. Ive heard alot of talk about the default controls being awkward, and tbh i havent found a problem with them yet. Im enjoying the customization with my character and Accessory, weapons are cool and the thorn reminds me of the Grapple gear on Attack on titan. Swinging around a large abductor on a thorn and slashing it to ribbons is the greatest feeling ive had on the vita so far! (apart from the Persona 4 experience ofcourse! ;) )
    The only thing that drops it from a 10 to an 8 is the story. its well written but sometimes a bore when you need to progress in story to unlock more missions and items. This takes it away for me and makes it feel limited. more online play would be good too. matchmaking for some elimination missions against harder targets would be cool.
    Overall great game, with good grpahics, ok story, lots of customisation on weapons and characters. AND AWESOME COMBAT!!!! must buy for 99% of VITA owners, the other 1% are the noobs that only play fifa or black ops 2....    … Expand
  6. volSonic
    Oct 30, 2014
    9
    Awesome game! The game gets even better, as you proceed further in the story and level up your character, factions and compete against other panopticons, which represents your home city.

    Controls are fluid and easy to learn at the beginning of the game. Character models and game textures are beautiful enough for PS Vita and frame-rate is fluid enough to enjoy the action packed    Awesome game! The game gets even better, as you proceed further in the story and level up your character, factions and compete against other panopticons, which represents your home city.

    Controls are fluid and easy to learn at the beginning of the game. Character models and game textures are beautiful enough for PS Vita and frame-rate is fluid enough to enjoy the action packed game-play.

    It is obviously one of the best Action-RPG games for the Vita. Down side "the end game" of Freedom Wars is the grinding for better gear, to get the superior character and dominate against other players, for example in the multiplayer mode or complete missions even faster, to get more valuable resources, which is extremely fun, as it is hard, challenging and eventually frustrating, after you've played the same missions over again several times, but it's fun to get back to the game, even with your friends.

    Japanese Anime art style is refreshing feature to see even here in the west, but doesn't affect positively to every fellow gamers as it does back in Japan and Asia, but overall I think this could be the new era for PS Vita. Freedom Wars is great for the Vita to bring up the sells and affect to other studios to bring out better games for handhelds in the near future. (This is my first rating here and try to understand that my mother tongue isn't English and there might be several mistakes in the text. Don't be too harsh. Thank you!).    … Expand
  7. meiun
    Oct 29, 2014
    10
    Fantastic action combat/gameplay, great graphics and style, superb multiplayer. This game is packed with content and features as well. Not only does the game have the most enjoyable action gameplay I've seen on the Vita, but also some of the best I've seen in action games in general as of late. The game also gives you a lot to achieve and strive for in terms of new features, content,Fantastic action combat/gameplay, great graphics and style, superb multiplayer. This game is packed with content and features as well. Not only does the game have the most enjoyable action gameplay I've seen on the Vita, but also some of the best I've seen in action games in general as of late. The game also gives you a lot to achieve and strive for in terms of new features, content, upgrades, and an overall since of accomplishment. From what I've seen of the multiplayer, it is extremely robust and full featured both in terms of cooperative and competitive (you can essentially play the whole game with friends. Has voice chat, text chat, can go shopping together, raid other teams, etc.). It also doesn't hurt that the graphics and overall art style are top notch. One of the few titles I'd qualify as a must have for the vita, especially if you want a good multiplayer title.… Expand
  8. Buttman_ZX
    Nov 2, 2014
    9
    Possibly one of the best games out on the Vita right now, if you love Monster Hunter and other games alike. Because there's so much to say about this game and the fact that it's really complicated to explain, I'm just going to explain the game-play.

    Freedom Wars is a mix between Monster Hunter and a bit of Attack on Titan as well as some third-person shooter aspects. You also possess    Possibly one of the best games out on the Vita right now, if you love Monster Hunter and other games alike. Because there's so much to say about this game and the fact that it's really complicated to explain, I'm just going to explain the game-play.

    Freedom Wars is a mix between Monster Hunter and a bit of Attack on Titan as well as some third-person shooter aspects. You also possess what's called a Thorn, and similar to Lost Planet's anchor, it's basically a grappling hook; you can grapple onto walls as well as your enemies. There are many different types of weapons, such as light and heavy melee weapons, assault rifles and sub-machine guns, and even a gatling gun with three mini-gun barrels. You are also assigned what's called an Accessory, which is a humanoid robot that accompanies you wherever you go and can assist you in operations. Unlike the player, it can only wield one weapon, ranged or melee.

    Like Monster Hunter and other games alike, you're able to customize your character with different clothing and accessories as well as your humanoid robotic partner. If you aren't comfortable with your character, then you're able to completely give your character a massive face-lift. Yes, you can go from male to female and none of your teammates or Accessory will even notice.

    The only unfortunate thing is that the voices are in Japanese. I can understand if the publisher is unable to hire English voice actors, but the least they could do is add more subtitles. Like, for example, there are times when an announcer is speaking and I wouldn't know what he or she is saying, or whenever I finish an operation, one of my teammates say something and I wouldn't understand. The Japanese-only audio isn't a bad thing, but they could have at least put more subtitles in for the smaller parts and not just the cut-scenes.

    All in all, Freedom Wars is definitely a great game to play and it's amazing to look at as well. My only complaints are the Japanese voices and the drop in frame-rate whenever there's a thousand sprites on the screen. Other than that, definitely worth the $30.    … Expand
  9. EnixSquared
    Nov 4, 2014
    9
    The best game I own on Vita. It's like Deadman Wonderland meets Attack on Titan. If that doesn't sell you I don't know what will. The combat reminds me of Monster Hunter and Lost Planet, and boy does it feel satisfying. Every hit packs a punch and flying around with your vines just makes it feel so open and intense. The online is an absolute blast and I love that there is so much damn lootThe best game I own on Vita. It's like Deadman Wonderland meets Attack on Titan. If that doesn't sell you I don't know what will. The combat reminds me of Monster Hunter and Lost Planet, and boy does it feel satisfying. Every hit packs a punch and flying around with your vines just makes it feel so open and intense. The online is an absolute blast and I love that there is so much damn loot to get. Another great feature is that when you go online and do missions, you get a ticket to pass up that mission in the single player if you so choose. My only gripe so far is I wish there was more maps(I'm only about 2 and a half hours in though)… Expand
  10. Warsmith
    Nov 3, 2014
    9
    I must say I am quite surprised at how much I enjoy this game. I bought it on a whim and let me say that it is a steal at just $30. I must call out that there are some reviews here that are not only not helpful, but can harm the image of the game and put off someone who would have truly enjoyed the game. I hope to put forth a decent review that can help you decide on whether or not youI must say I am quite surprised at how much I enjoy this game. I bought it on a whim and let me say that it is a steal at just $30. I must call out that there are some reviews here that are not only not helpful, but can harm the image of the game and put off someone who would have truly enjoyed the game. I hope to put forth a decent review that can help you decide on whether or not you would like to purchase this game.

    Let's head straight for the vitals:

    Great Graphics 8.5/10: I would say it's fair to class Freedom Wars as an upper tiers-man when it comes to graphical prowess. It is very nice to look at, has fluid motion, and gives some of the better graphics PS3 games offer a run for their money. The visual styling is crisp, clean cut and doesn't sacrifice much in the way of detail. While it may not be considered the best the vita has to offer, I would nominate the game for 'Best Anime-like Graphics'. It isn't perfect, but it doesn't fail to show off the capabilities for the Sony handheld.

    Good Musical Score 6.5/10: This is where it might hurt a tad. the music isn't much to write home about. There is some diversity when it comes to varying locations, types of battles, and story line sections, but it rarely strays from its rooted electronic sound. I didn't particularly find any track that was particularly catchy, but the menu music and general feel of the 'downtime' music fits and is acceptable enough to not hinder the game any.

    Great Sound 8/10: Wonderful. So far I haven't noticed hitches or ticks in the sound effects or all the fun blips, beeps, and whistles. Guns sound like guns, rockets sound like rockets, and everything else feels as it should. I haven't noticed any strange quirks where a sound was misplaced or misused.

    Original Voices 9/10: While the game does have voiced sections, not all of them are this way, and there will be a fair bit of reading for you to do, unless you're one who mashes 'A' for great justice. The voices that are included in the game are all their glorious, original Japanese voice overs, which is always a plus in any game that originates from the island. However, not every little murmur or complaint is subtitled, leaving those who don't have a basic grasp of the Japanese language out of the loop, such as your own character's voice over when doing missions. The same can be said of the supporting characters on missions.

    Great Translation 8/10: A minor gripe: the translation is not spot on. There are indeed a few quips and remarks that are lost in this process that again leaves those who don't understand Japanese out of the loop, however, as it stands the game does not leave out critical plot points, important information, or suffer from 'engrish' (like SAO does). If you don't speak Japanese, this shouldn't bother you at all as the game flows the same and makes sense.

    Amazing Character Customization 9/10: This is where a few would argue and disagree with me. I would say a game that offers more options to build your character's body than Soul Calibur is quite the feat. You can change the size of all your major body parts: legs, arms, torso, head, neck, irises and even the bust size to name a few. You can change the color of your skin, eyes, hair (main color and highlights) and lips. And in true anime fashion, you can even have two different colored eyes. In the beginning (like many games) there is not much to choose from, but more is unlocked as you progress through the game (clothing, color palettes, stickers, etc). I suggest watching youtube to get a better idea. The only downside is the stickers, which suffer tearing depending on what size and where they are placed on your character.

    Great Gameplay 8.5/10: The gameplay is fun, to say the least and gives you free range to tackle enemies how you see fit. With six weapon classes to choose from (three ranged/three melee), you can equip up to two from any of these categories and can even 'double up' on the same type. Two miniguns? Sign me up! Depending on which weapons you chose for the battle you can make it harder or easier on yourself by. . . reading the intel that's given. Gameplay is fast paced and can reach into the vertical plain by clinging to walls and shooting at people.

    Controls: As always, playing a new game is all about figuring out the controls. It took me an hour to get used to it, and maybe another two to get comfortable with it. It all depends on the person playing the game; if you're like me who can pick up controls on the fly this isn't an issue, but if you've been binging on one game, then it will be difficult at first. I do not see 'broken controls' in this game, there is some ability to change the controls but I have not seen fit to change them.

    Originality 9/10: You're not paid in cash. In fact, you're not paid at all. You do, however, get chunks of years taken off your sentence. Haven't quite seen that before.    … Expand
  11. Codofwisdom
    Nov 4, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Freedom Wars takes several styles of gameplay and mashes them together, creating a fresh, new experience. It takes the hunting/gathering aspect of Monster Hunter, adds decent gun mechanics, and a grappling hook mechanic which allows an extra layer of complexity to the combat.
    The monsters you fight (known as abductors) can be systematically dismantled, similar to Toukiden, but the lost limbs/weapons will actually affect how the monster fights you. You can cling to them and start bashing on them with your melee weapon, or keep away and pelt it with bullets or bombs. There is no one way to play the game, which feels great.

    The story is interesting, but several things remain unexplained. There is so much lore that could have been expanded upon, but was left threadbare. If anything, this leaves me with the hope that this will ensure a sequel, where they actually explain such things as what "Will'O" actually is.

    My biggest complaint about the game (and the reason for the spoiler tag) is the final boss. You have to take on 3 missions in a row, without saving. The first mission is relatively easy, the second is challenging, and the last I have only completed through exploits. If you fail one, you have to go back and do it all over again. While this makes sense in a thematic way, it does not make for a good gameplay experience.

    One somewhat surprising aspect of the game is the insane amount of customization that you can do to your character. You can switch between sexes at will, you have multiple outfits to choose from (each with different variants), and at least 20 colour palettes to choose from. You can colour individual areas of your clothing, leaving you with a character that is, more than likely, completely unique.

    The online function works relatively well; I have played with people from around the world with an acceptable amount of lag.

    Freedom Wars is a game which I feel has a lot of content, yet still makes me feel like there could be more. You start the game with a 1,000,000 year sentence you have to work off, and I was able to get through the story without working off more than 100,000. This is a game that would benefit from DLC or expansion packs; Regular additions to the content will keep players coming back for more.

    All I know is that I'm not putting this game down until I have earned my freedom, and I wouldn't want it any other way.    … Expand
  12. brandog0
    Oct 30, 2014
    8
    wow... just wow, this game is soooo good! i love the combat, the crazy story, and the missions are just a blast! for 30 bucks how can you not buy this!? do yourself a favor and get this game... now!
  13. XwingVmanX
    Nov 3, 2014
    8
    Freedom Wars definitely has its flaws, including a steep learning curve, but if your willing to put in the time it can be a satisfying fast passed action RPG. As someone who has always loved the concept of Monster Hunter, but never liked the controls, this game feels like the game I wanted Monster Hunter to be.
  14. Honelith
    Dec 25, 2014
    10
    You Need This Game In Your Life. Incredible graphics and top gameplay, lots of customisation and gear to obtain. You will easily get weeks of gameplay out of this one and that's before you jump into multiplayer. Freedom Wars, Gods Eater Burst and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite are the 3 top games you need on your Vita. ENJOY. :)
  15. GrizzlyKuma
    Nov 15, 2014
    8
    While I haven't completed the game yet I think I have played enough to give it a fair score. Freedom Wars is a beautiful looking game that most likely pushes the Vita to its limits. The shading, textures, and character models all look great. The music for the most part is pretty mediocre. There are a few interesting tracks but nothing special, some are actually quite annoying in myWhile I haven't completed the game yet I think I have played enough to give it a fair score. Freedom Wars is a beautiful looking game that most likely pushes the Vita to its limits. The shading, textures, and character models all look great. The music for the most part is pretty mediocre. There are a few interesting tracks but nothing special, some are actually quite annoying in my opinion. The story is also pretty cool; each Panopticon has to fight for resources as you fight for freedom. In the beginning of the game you get to choose what Panopticon you belong to, throughout the rest of the game you contribute to it. The characters themselves are your basic anime tropes: the idiot, the big serious guy, the shy girl, etc...they can still be fun even if they are a bit unoriginal. And last but not least is the gameplay which is absolutely amazing! So far I've only played offline and it's fine this way as well. Some of the key gameplay elements are melee, shooting, and the thorn mechanic. The thorns can act as a healing ability, an offence ability, etc...it's pretty fun to use. One complaint that I would have to give is that the game throws all of it's stuff at you way to fast in boring text boxes which confused me for a while until I got the hang of it. If you have a Vita, get this game! Totally worth it!… Expand
  16. zackcool187
    Nov 9, 2014
    9
    Even though I haven't fully completed the game, I must say that it is quite a pleasant one. I'm not really into these Monster Hunter type games but Freedom Wars is really a great and addictive game! There's tons (and I mean tons) to do in Freedom Wars, like completing missions, walking and exploring the Panopticon, creating weapons and upgrading them, creating facilities, obtaining newEven though I haven't fully completed the game, I must say that it is quite a pleasant one. I'm not really into these Monster Hunter type games but Freedom Wars is really a great and addictive game! There's tons (and I mean tons) to do in Freedom Wars, like completing missions, walking and exploring the Panopticon, creating weapons and upgrading them, creating facilities, obtaining new resources scattered around, and much much more! As for the campaign -- expect to read quite a lot of dialogue as their isn't any english voice acting in the game but the dialogue made me laugh and made me shock, something other games don't do to me. But be careful what you do in Panopticon as there are a lot of rules and restrictions some I thought were crazy but just be on your nice behaviour or else your sentence will increase! Gameplay is very crazy and lots of action going on, enemies may take a while to take down, especially the abductors! I don't really want to say too much but really -- get the game now! Really it's a must have for any Vita owner and I'll admit that this game will always have you coming back as there is SOO much to do! Do yourself a favor and buy it, play it, and enjoy it!… Expand
  17. bazookatooth
    Dec 3, 2014
    9
    I think those calling this game a monster hunter clone are being unfair. This is a great game, especially as a handheld. I find myself wanting to come back to it all the time.
  18. DOSfan
    Nov 7, 2014
    10
    have put probably 20 hours into the game by now and i'm really enjoying it. big fan of boss hunting genre type games and this didn't fail to please me. my only complaint is that it starts off a bit slow. if you like story, then maybe that won't bug you but i just wanted to get in and smashy smashy.

    the co op works great, and it's really awesome being able to play this on the pstv. full    have put probably 20 hours into the game by now and i'm really enjoying it. big fan of boss hunting genre type games and this didn't fail to please me. my only complaint is that it starts off a bit slow. if you like story, then maybe that won't bug you but i just wanted to get in and smashy smashy.

    the co op works great, and it's really awesome being able to play this on the pstv. full screen with a controller and LAN connection is the way to go.

    for a release price of $30 its hard to go wrong here.    … Expand
  19. Sizerlokz
    Nov 5, 2014
    8
    This game is has really good gameplay but, lacks story. I really love how rewarding it feel when you cut an abductors arm of or free a citizen. The story is not interesting. I find myself constantly skipping the dialog and just go into combat. Bottom line, the game lacks a good story but, make up for it with it's awesome addictive gameplay. It's a must have for all vita owners
  20. StriderMatu
    Oct 31, 2014
    6
    Freedom Wars is a mixed bag. On one hand the combat has the potential to be really good. But it's hampered by dumb as hell AI. I could deal with this if the objectives in a lot of the missions didn't require so much teamwork. For example, when doing rescue missions against other panopticons, your teammates will not revive you if you go down. Even if they're standing right in front of you.Freedom Wars is a mixed bag. On one hand the combat has the potential to be really good. But it's hampered by dumb as hell AI. I could deal with this if the objectives in a lot of the missions didn't require so much teamwork. For example, when doing rescue missions against other panopticons, your teammates will not revive you if you go down. Even if they're standing right in front of you. Only your accesory will revive you and that's only if he/she is nearby. Many times, my accesory wasnt nearby even when I gave the order to Cover Me. Too many times I've seen teammates simply standing around while the other team was attacking directly or attempting to flank. It left me yelling "what are you doing?" as we failed yet another mission because of idiot AI.

    This is really a shame because the combat has the potential to be excellent all the time instead of sometimes. The grappling aspects of the thorn are awesome and very much like Lost Planet. Combat can be fast and furious at times. Being able to switch from melee to gun based combat instantly is a welcome addition. But the designers made some really queationable design choices by not using the touch screen more intelligently. For instance, in the heat of battle it would make more sense to select the frag grenade, then touch and drag it to where you want to throw it. The manual way can be too slow resulting in death because the throw button is also assigned to the thorn button while also pressing R in the config I use. The lack of full customization of the controls simply sucks and I have no idea why some game designers are clueless in this regard. The preset control variants help but there are some layout choices that i wanted to change but couldn't.

    If developers are going to make hunting games for the Vita, they simply need to hire better artists and monster designers and animators. Freedom Wars isn't the worse in this regard but it's not close to the best. The run animation for the character is good, but the animation for sword combos stinks. The animation for some of the melee attacks with other weapons range from okay to hilariously bad. The great sword's combos make no sense and cause them to not flow well. This can affect your timing. Animation quality control wasn't high on the list of priorities with this game.

    Other positives would be the story and the concept of your 1,000,000 year sentence with the inclusion of the other panopticons around the world. This sets up great possibilities for DLC and a sequel. The music is also really good and the customization level for you character is incredibly high considering this isn't a console release.

    Sony needs to come better with Vita releases that are clearly trying to make up for the loss of Monster Hunter to 3DS. Dimps, Shift and SCE Japan Studio developed Freedom Wars but it's no were near as polished as Soul Sacrifice or Soul Sacrifice Delta by Comcept. Maybe users will get an update that will fix the horrible AI, give better animations to the melee attacks and include Aductors and monsters with better designs.

    I still give Freedom Wars a 6 instead of my original thought of a 4 because when it works, it's excellent fun some of the best on a portable when playing with friends. But when it doesn't work, it's a bumbling disgrace.

    Its a shame because Freedom Wars has the potential to be great...someday.    … Expand
  21. p02
    Nov 1, 2014
    10
    Some users will feel the story gets in the way, but the combat system and character customization does more than make up for Freedom Wars' shortcomings.
  22. resh_aykut
    Nov 11, 2014
    8
    This game is attacting to people into the game as long as play . Combat system , upgrade system , sinner and accesory customisation system are really cool . If u played soul sacrifice before dont hesite to buy this game . Because there will be no more like these games.
  23. SteveGonzola
    Nov 9, 2014
    9
    So after sinking 7 hours into this game and passing my CODE 3 exam I have yet to get tired of this game. Is it perfect? No, far from it. But it's really fun.

    By far my favorite thing about this game is the setting, for example you have to buy the right to lie down while sleeping. Want to do something? You'll probably have to buy it. The gameplay mostly involves shooting bullet    So after sinking 7 hours into this game and passing my CODE 3 exam I have yet to get tired of this game. Is it perfect? No, far from it. But it's really fun.

    By far my favorite thing about this game is the setting, for example you have to buy the right to lie down while sleeping. Want to do something? You'll probably have to buy it.

    The gameplay mostly involves shooting bullet sponges, while the location and objectives don't vary very often (Shoot X amount of bad guys or rescue Y amount of citizens), it's pretty fun and stays that way, mostly thanks to the Thorn. You can't jump in freedom wars. The fix? Putting in a Thorn.

    There are 3 types of Thorns, attack, healing and defense.You can also launch yourself up to higher ground or launch yourself towards enemey's using the Thorn.

    To conclude: the game is repetitive but fun. If you have a Vita you should buy Freedom Wars. If you don't have a Vita but like the genre,look into buying one.    … Expand
  24. BobCat51
    May 22, 2015
    5
    Although it looks fantastic on the Vita's wonderful screen, the game mechanics are shallow and the upgrade system is obtuse. As a dedicated Monster Hunter fan I was highly disappointed in the game. Everything the game copied felt sub-par and all original mechanics were interesting but failed to deliver on the great potential. There are many games on the Vita I would recommend to any fellowAlthough it looks fantastic on the Vita's wonderful screen, the game mechanics are shallow and the upgrade system is obtuse. As a dedicated Monster Hunter fan I was highly disappointed in the game. Everything the game copied felt sub-par and all original mechanics were interesting but failed to deliver on the great potential. There are many games on the Vita I would recommend to any fellow gamer, unfortunately, this isn't one of them.… Expand
  25. MalistiX
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    If you have or are planning to buy a PSVita, this needs to be in your collection. The game is fun in single player and great in co-up or versus online. You will shoot, loot, graple and slash your way trough giant enemies following a story that is fun, if not a little "japanese" but overall the missions and action are so good everything else just feels like it doesnt even matter. By theIf you have or are planning to buy a PSVita, this needs to be in your collection. The game is fun in single player and great in co-up or versus online. You will shoot, loot, graple and slash your way trough giant enemies following a story that is fun, if not a little "japanese" but overall the missions and action are so good everything else just feels like it doesnt even matter. By the way, one of the best looking vita games also, with so many players and action it never slowed down!… Expand
  26. Bertoflyingfox
    Mar 13, 2015
    4
    After finally slogging through this game, I just couldnt keep doing it. The shoehorned stealth is bad, the challenge jumps between Disney Kid's Club and spam-based difficulty. The thing is, spamming abductors and trash mobs with perfect aim still wasnt much of a challenge.

    All the missions are lacking in the "fun" or even "slightly enjoyable" department....I could pretty much see a    After finally slogging through this game, I just couldnt keep doing it. The shoehorned stealth is bad, the challenge jumps between Disney Kid's Club and spam-based difficulty. The thing is, spamming abductors and trash mobs with perfect aim still wasnt much of a challenge.

    All the missions are lacking in the "fun" or even "slightly enjoyable" department....I could pretty much see a bunch of developers in a conference room saying "Screw it, just put more abductor missions, Vita owners will buy it anyway". The ending is also the biggest joke for a boss-hunter game. Ever.

    Get Soul Sacrifice or the stellar MH games instead, not this half-empty excuse for a "game".    … Expand
  27. LogainAblar
    Dec 20, 2014
    4
    To the point -

    Positives - Customization One of the first positives is the level of customization of your character and your Accessory (AI partner/overseer) that is allowed. From head to toe you can change the appearance, height, clothing, color and gender. The design options are limited to strictly Japanese anime styles. If that's your thing then you'll find a lot to love among the    To the point -

    Positives - Customization
    One of the first positives is the level of customization of your character and your Accessory (AI partner/overseer) that is allowed. From head to toe you can change the appearance, height, clothing, color and gender. The design options are limited to strictly Japanese anime styles. If that's your thing then you'll find a lot to love among the features. If not, the level of depth in customization will turn into a negative.

    Combat
    Other positives are select parts of the combat. Freedom Wars features gun and melee combat allowing users to wield a combination of both during missions. There's also a Thorn which is basically a grappling hook that allows users to zip through areas of the stage and up to higher elevations very similar to Lost Planet. There are three Thorn types and each has their own characteristics for attack, defense and health. There's a very limited cover system too. I say limited because Freedom Wars will allow you to take cover but you can't move while in cover, you can't shoot from cover (as in Uncharted or Gears of War). You can use items while in cover but the limitations in the cover system shows the developers didn't think that aspect through. But it is welcome in a few moments that I've played through, there just weren't enough of those moments.

    8 Player/Character missions
    The other positive that I thought I would hate but came to love are missions feature 8 players versus the enemy. 4 main characters including your own and 4 Accessories for each character which are robots/overseers that fight with you. This is a stark change from games like Monster Hunter, GodEater and Soul Sacrifice that feature 1-4 player missions with an occasional minion that will fight with you or 1-3 AI characters. Mechs in Freedom Wars are powerful and it will require all 8 people to complete some of the tasks presented in the game.

    Negatives - Learning Curves/Controls
    The problems start with the controls. They can't be fully customized. Only a number of presets are available. Also, there is absolutely no use of the touch screen or back panel at all. The problems become clear when trying to select items in the middle of a fight. It's easy to find the item using the D-pad, but pressing R+O button is a clumsy mess in actually using an item. The reason for this is the O button also shoots out the Thorn. So in many cases, you'll try to use an item but get the Thorn instead. Or you'll try to grab an item from an area (which requires a press of the O button) but get the Thorn instead. When an enemy is bearing down on you and you have to grab an item and keep moving, this is unacceptable. I would have preferred an option to use the touchscreen to grab items.

    A.I.
    This is a deal breaker, as the game inspired me to give it a 4. In very specific situations, the A.I. is competent. But later in the game when coordinated teamwork is essential, the A.I. is godawful stupid. Case in point, There is a CODE 7 mission that tasks you to destroy 2 Ramosa S Types, GO7-6: Liquidation. It's what could be called a "G-Rank" or advanced mission in the game. Before you face the S Types (two cyborg tiger mechs) you have to destroy a four legged mech that has two missile launchers on each side and a cannon on it's head. That's wouldn't be too much of a problem except human enemies constantly respawn and attack you from your blind sides which is cheap because you can barely see them most of the time. Unless you give the order for your team to attack the incoming enemies, they won't until it's too late if they attack them at all.

    Worse still is when the S Types actually arrive. These mechs jump around a lot like tigers. The common sense tactic would be to keep them separated and split your team. But the A.I. is too stupid to follow orders. I told the team to "Scatter" but told my Accessory to "Follow me". My Accessory did as ordered, but the team stayed where they were and kept fighting. Because the team was bunched together in one central location, the S-Types ripped them apart. To make it worse, human enemies where still constantly re-spawning in the area. I've also seen A.I. characters stand in front of a mech and take direct hits with no attempt to dodge what-so-ever. I could go on but there's no "if", "and", or "but" about it. The A.I. in Freedom Wars is dreadful.

    Difficulty Spike
    There comes a point in the game toward the end of CODE 6/beginning of CODE 7 when the game becomes so difficult to the point of pointlessness. There is so much crap thrown at you with no real way to counter it that the game becomes a rage inducing chore to play. I have no idea how Shift, Dimps or Sony's Japan Studio thought this was a great idea. Monster Hunter G-Rank missions are very difficult by comparison, but they're fair and well designed. Freedom Wars CODE 6/7 and Special Missions are not fair and are not well designed.

    I may give up on Freedom Wars and stick with Soul Sacrifice and Monster Hunter    … Expand
  28. loadstone007
    Dec 17, 2014
    5
    Didn't like the game. Too Japanese for my taste, in a sense that they talk a lot. So for every ~20 minutes of action you have an hour of horse ****...
  29. Ehriggn
    Jan 21, 2015
    7
    I'm really glad that i bought a copy and played it because it made me laugh, it pissed me off, it depressed me, and it made me put down my Vita and think deeply about society and its future and all within the first 30 minutes of the game.
    But then I just really didn't enjoy it, I can't say exactly why but i just wasn't having fun. the combat well, it just doesn't feel impactfull. I get    I'm really glad that i bought a copy and played it because it made me laugh, it pissed me off, it depressed me, and it made me put down my Vita and think deeply about society and its future and all within the first 30 minutes of the game.
    But then I just really didn't enjoy it, I can't say exactly why but i just wasn't having fun. the combat well, it just doesn't feel impactfull. I get bored and then I get killed a lot and i don't really care to try harder or get better at it.
    Still, I want to see more from this IP in the future, It had some really interesting concepts that were very creative and were implemented directly into the gameplay rather than just attached to it.    … Expand
  30. NepNepy
    Feb 17, 2015
    0
    good combat system and anything but my finger crammed because of all button mashing and ridiculously hard enemy (if you are in singleplayer tho)

    AI is so dumb, poor story,

    i recommenced this if you like grindfesting and repetitive gameplay
  31. Tophatcat
    Nov 15, 2014
    7
    After sinking about 90 or so hours into the game, I feel this is a mediocre game overall. The combat is fast paced and exciting but the lack of variety of enemies makes it sort of bland after a while, to make up for this thought the large number of weapons as well as different move-sets for weapons of the same type lets you mix up game play quite a bit. The enemy humans are way tooAfter sinking about 90 or so hours into the game, I feel this is a mediocre game overall. The combat is fast paced and exciting but the lack of variety of enemies makes it sort of bland after a while, to make up for this thought the large number of weapons as well as different move-sets for weapons of the same type lets you mix up game play quite a bit. The enemy humans are way too accurate with their guns (seriously, you'll die to them more often than the abductors) and this is post patch where its been nerfed a bit. Although not impossible to get, the top tier weapons involve a lot of save scumming, which sort of detracts from the game. Online play isn't the worst, there are frame drops here and there but nothing really terrible aside from disconnects and what not depending on who's hosting, and as you would expect online play is several times more efficient than bringing the AI characters. I found the story really poorly written, maybe it was lost in translation, like some of the item descriptions (seriously clip size up and carryable ammo should be flipped). Character customization is great, you get lots of options and you can make your character really stand out if you put some effort into it.

    tldr: Its alright    … Expand
  32. ArioX
    Nov 9, 2014
    2
    I am a person who read reviews, not write them. BUT this time I decided to change it, why? Well this game was named in few reviews as flag-ship for PS Vita. I STRONGLY disagree. Because this game has one HUGE (as elephant) flaw!!!

    From the beginning I will write – it is NOT about grinding! Grinding is something I do like/love – but just a heads up – IF YOU DON’T LIKE grinding – you    I am a person who read reviews, not write them. BUT this time I decided to change it, why? Well this game was named in few reviews as flag-ship for PS Vita. I STRONGLY disagree. Because this game has one HUGE (as elephant) flaw!!!

    From the beginning I will write – it is NOT about grinding!
    Grinding is something I do like/love – but just a heads up – IF YOU DON’T LIKE grinding – you don’t even have to read this review – what You may do is FORGET about this game forever!!!

    CUSTOMALIZATION
    Well – it is just AMAZING. You can create your character as You want (haircut, hair colour, face, eyes, body, skin, clothes. 10/10 GRAPHIC. Again – it is just astonishing. The way World in FW looks is great.
    10/10

    STORYLINE
    Pointless, useless and not needed. This game would be much better if kept without storyline, like Monster Hunter (BUT just to be clear DO NOT compare this something to such a brilliant game as MH).
    SO reassuming story in game – it is there but don’t expect it will interest You in any way. No fireworks there. 5/10

    USER INTERFACE
    It is clear and You can easily catch all important information without need to open any additional sub-menu. But there is some room for improvements.
    8/10

    And finally…

    …GAMEPLAY
    I could write and write here but before I’ll do so I will just say – IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. Moves:
    - dodging only works to avoid some traps and “jumping” over some objects – like monsters temporarily lying on the ground – it will in any way help you with dodging monster attacks
    - “web-thing” (called “thorn” in the game) – it is good idea and if only shooting-system would be better thought through it could work – unfortunately monsters moves too chaotic (not at first levels)
    - jumping – you can only jump while hanging from your web – which is IMO idiotic – the only “jumpish” move is dodge-button – but it is not quite what I was looking for
    - moving – no way you can assign keys as You want – game gives you few options, but for me none of it works as it should

    2. Monsters / Soldiers
    - easy at the beginning, MUCH MUCH too hard soon after
    - until lvl 7 you just fly-by without any problems, as lvl 7 YOU get STUCK!!! (not only my problem), it is because difficulty grow is BADLY(!!!) balanced
    - monster movements is MUCH TOO CHAOTIC – there is no way to predict what happens – so You it does not matter how skilled you are… what matters is LUCK
    - some guns (like blowtorch) that soldiers use can block you – which is completely idiotic when you make 1-person mission

    3. Missions
    - sneaking – you just go or run or whatever – it is like this soldiers were deaf
    - rescue – all perfect at the beginning BUT when You got to higher levels You see that monsters are not so easy to kill so You want to rescue civilian without killing monster (usually you must free from 3 to 5 people). And now SURPRISE – you freed 1 person from one monster and in THE SAME SPOT that 1st monster is 2nd appears!!! And you have 2 monsters in some small area. Now try to imagine what happens if you must free 5 people…
    - kill – ohhh until lvl 7 it is just delightful adventure – you go and you kill. BUT AGAIN from lvl 7 you are screwed. Your weapons (that were more than perfect so far) are just incredibly weak and useless. Monsters appears together with lots of soldiers (and other monsters of course) which makes almost impossible to kill them, again why?
    5 reasons:
    • they are really strong(!)
    • they are chaotic – so there is no chance to predict what they’ll do (not even small chance) – it is like gamble
    • Your companions are too weak (didn’t I say You can have companions? Well You can and it helps – but don’t expect mirracles)
    • Your weapon is too weak
    • and my favourite – THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME!!!!!!!

    2/10

    My overall score for the game is: 2/10
    (GAMEPLAY SUCKS!!!)    … Expand
  33. YellowKoala
    Nov 9, 2014
    8
    Gameplay: 9/10 - I like the idea of mixing FPS with Hack & Slash, though it would be nice if I could customize the controls a bit (none of the options were quite what I wanted, but it was only a couple buttons I'd swap around). It's no MH, but still fun to play. The game mostly involves 'arena' battles, with the occasional maze run or stealth mission.
    Graphics: 9/10 - Not much to complain    Gameplay: 9/10 - I like the idea of mixing FPS with Hack & Slash, though it would be nice if I could customize the controls a bit (none of the options were quite what I wanted, but it was only a couple buttons I'd swap around). It's no MH, but still fun to play. The game mostly involves 'arena' battles, with the occasional maze run or stealth mission.
    Graphics: 9/10 - Not much to complain about, the game looks good on the VIta.
    Story: 7/10 - I didn't mind the story (although for games like this I'm not to concerned with story). I like the overall idea of being a prisoner trying to reduce your sentence and the Panopticons competing for resources. Some of the cutscenes were a bit long just to say so little, and others feel entirely unnecessary, such as a cutscene just to tell you to meet somewhere else (when the game could have just sent you there in the first place to reduce loading screens).
    Technical/Other: 7/10 - Nothing too bad here. Just the rare frame rate drop, occasional lag while playing online, and every so ofter the loading screen would go longer than usual. No crashes/freezes during my play through.
    Trophy difficulty: 7/10 - It doesn't look too hard, just time consuming. Once you've maxed out your gear, you should be able to get the tougher offline trophies in a few tries (such as kill this monster without dying).
    Overall: Not a bad game for $30. Main play through keep me busy for ~20hrs and online play will probably keep me entertained for many more.    … Expand
  34. blimble
    Nov 3, 2014
    5
    FW tries to put a new spin on hunting games and just doesn't really manage it

    The world has no life at all. Percy Proppa is pretty cute but for a world fighting to survive the hub area is boring as. There is just nothing really going on in it and the few funny tricks to oppress you at the start go away about an hour n. None of the characters stand out and any missions for them are a    FW tries to put a new spin on hunting games and just doesn't really manage it

    The world has no life at all. Percy Proppa is pretty cute but for a world fighting to survive the hub area is boring as. There is just nothing really going on in it and the few funny tricks to oppress you at the start go away about an hour n. None of the characters stand out and any missions for them are a chore sneaking mission or quick travel around and talk to people.

    The character creation/customisation is pure trash, horribly limited in every fashion. This is especially annoying in clothes that you can't mix and match and at best let you have 3-4 variations. It is also very rare you get new clothes so I hope you like the ones you get

    Fighting the big monsters is enjoyable at first especially the verticality of this game. You get a sense that you really work as a team with each doing different jobs. The problem is you'll just keep doing the same, the enemy variety is abysmal especially for a hunting game. I don't care how many different orders or pairs you put them in you fight the same handful of monsters is dull. In MonHun you do fight the same ones but out of choice (and if you do fight a new type they have a significantly different thing to them) and to actually move forward you fight different ones, you aren't constantly forced to fight a Great Jaggi but now with new part taped on every mission, this is what FW feels like

    This is made worse by the annoying human mobs that aren't interesting to fight and are just time consuming. This just gets worse and worse as the game goes on. The monsters get weaker and don't change much but the human enemies get tougher and more in number basically meaning the game gets **** as it goes on. It goes from a hunting game to a deal with annoying mob oh and maybe kill the big thing as well

    The crafting is badly done as well. You never really know what you are getting from missions or what you are putting in to weapons. You just do it as you usually have it. In other hunting games it is much clearer what you are getting and what you need. The timer on making and upgrading is also pointless and I really don't get what it is meant to add to the game. It feel like they were going to add cash shop to reduce the time but didn't

    Also there is a paper in the game that tells you about events but it doesn't as they only did that for the Japanese version, yet the button to try and update is always there!

    Cut out the human mobs and the game is just dull, with them it just becomes a chore and not even a hard one    … Expand
  35. BlazingSoul
    Oct 31, 2014
    0
    Another dull MH clone. Vita needs real RPG!!! All you do is kill the same monsters , get a new quest, kill another monster, get a new quest, kill another monster, and the cycle keeps repeating. It is always the same repetitive maps, but that is not surprising since MH and all of its clones are the same. Actions RPGs need to vanish from the game industry.
  36. ikereview
    Dec 6, 2014
    0
    we need a real rpg not this piece of junk i know why this flopped because it is terrible all you do is kill the same monsters and get points but this game is still better than earthbound
  37. grbolivar
    Jan 3, 2016
    9
    Impressive game. The main story gets a bit bland mid-way but the core game and "monster hunting" fast-paced action is top notch. It sucks you in like very few games can do it: you will feel very tense and on the edge of you seat while fighting two huge and intimidating creatures the size of houses at the same time. The game features lots of customization for both your character (clothing,Impressive game. The main story gets a bit bland mid-way but the core game and "monster hunting" fast-paced action is top notch. It sucks you in like very few games can do it: you will feel very tense and on the edge of you seat while fighting two huge and intimidating creatures the size of houses at the same time. The game features lots of customization for both your character (clothing, etc.) and your gaming style: like it close and personal? craft a chainsaw weapon, upgrade it with parts extracted from the monsters you have defeated, then go sever more parts from these huge creatures with it.

    Definitively this game is worth a PS Vita if you still don't have one. Fans of the "monster hunting" genre will be very pleased with Freedom Wars.    … Expand
  38. mririshfox
    Nov 18, 2014
    6
    while containing a great premise and a good hook to which to get me involved in the game, in 1 hour the cracks in the game started to show. the ai controlling your device is stupid, and seems more either eager to follow you around in a battle rather than fight the actual enemies, or borderline suicidal, attacking enemies well above its level. the grappling hook is wonky, the controls forwhile containing a great premise and a good hook to which to get me involved in the game, in 1 hour the cracks in the game started to show. the ai controlling your device is stupid, and seems more either eager to follow you around in a battle rather than fight the actual enemies, or borderline suicidal, attacking enemies well above its level. the grappling hook is wonky, the controls for the hook are wonky and i find myself doing stylish flips off enemies, landing on the ground, then sent flying in one hit because my character is too slow.
    to top that off,
    non combat areas are large, open and boring and you cant travel anywhere fast, even with sprinting. you want to go from block a to block c? it's through a wall to your left but because of stupid you have to sprint all the way through A, B, then c just to get the area, then sprint all the way back. it's called padding, and it's unnecessary, especially when this game will kill a vita battery in 3 hours, and it take 15 minutes to go anywhere.    … Expand
  39. Thehacker911
    Dec 13, 2014
    8
    Freedom wars do jump out and has this catchy feel of God Eater 2 on PSP . It runs very smoothly and the environments seems to be pretty well done~! If I were to name something special about this game is that it has this Grappling hook thing that Works like a mechanics of a " CLASS " to it. . For example a Defence , Healing, or Offensive. And so is the Melee and Ranged Weapons .Bullet toFreedom wars do jump out and has this catchy feel of God Eater 2 on PSP . It runs very smoothly and the environments seems to be pretty well done~! If I were to name something special about this game is that it has this Grappling hook thing that Works like a mechanics of a " CLASS " to it. . For example a Defence , Healing, or Offensive. And so is the Melee and Ranged Weapons .Bullet to Short bursts to rockets. Short Swords, Saw-type, Spears.. Pole arms... etc. The Irritating fun of getting Charged for offences was irritating in the beginning and then it gets amusing . I find myself testing all the limits like trying to get myself into trouble. ( Ha, trust me its fun sometimes ) Its environments are Amazingly structured. How should I say? Well. . for gamers : The Gap in the wall... Yes you an snipe from there.
    In general, the Feel of this game although no totally immersive into the story for me, I have lost hours of sleep for this game and several bus stations due to its mechanics. Say maybe I just love Shooting the hell out of these Monsters and then go close quarters like a Berserker when theres no more Bullets.    … Expand
  40. caropedro
    Jan 4, 2015
    10
    This game is fantastic. You might have issues with the controls in the beginning but they offer different types of controls that might suit how you play the game. The default control scheme wasn't ideal for me so I changed it and now I'm having no trouble at all with fighting against any enemy nor combining my offensive and defensive strategies. I'm guessing the reviewer didn't try toThis game is fantastic. You might have issues with the controls in the beginning but they offer different types of controls that might suit how you play the game. The default control scheme wasn't ideal for me so I changed it and now I'm having no trouble at all with fighting against any enemy nor combining my offensive and defensive strategies. I'm guessing the reviewer didn't try to change his controls. I kind of agree with the limited variations within the prison itself even as you go up the ranks but then again it is heavily emphasized in the story that no matter how high you are in the rank, A sinner is still is pretty much just dirt. So it also makes sense for them to suffer a bleak and lifeless environment in prison. It is a prison after all. It would have made more sense if you were a citizen and not a prisoner to have different environments depending on your class.… Expand
  41. DioBrando
    Jan 22, 2015
    10
    A refreshing new addition to the ps vita's somewhat poor lineup. Must have game for anime fans. The graphical style has an anime-like feel. All voices are in japanese, but there are english subs. It resembles the anime "Attack on Titan", you fight giant monsters and can sever their body parts, while flying around with a "thorn", a rope-like object that pulls you and allows you to leap toA refreshing new addition to the ps vita's somewhat poor lineup. Must have game for anime fans. The graphical style has an anime-like feel. All voices are in japanese, but there are english subs. It resembles the anime "Attack on Titan", you fight giant monsters and can sever their body parts, while flying around with a "thorn", a rope-like object that pulls you and allows you to leap to buildings or abductors. The gameplay is basically monster hunter + attack on titan + guns. The crafting system is very fun and addictive as you endlessly struggle to create a perfect weapon by post game.

    The story is that you fell from an abductor in the beginning of the game and lost your memory (just like in my japanese animus, right?). You get sentenced to a 1 million year sentence for being a drain on resources. In this world, resources are scarce and nations (panopticons) must compete with each other. Your sole duty in life is to be useful and contribute to your panopticon and protect the citizens, who are basically the useful people (engineers, tech guys). The story is nothing to write home about, this game's selling point is the gameplay. The ending is unsatisfying and is left on a cliffhanger, possibly hinting at a future sequel.

    I would definitely recommend it to anyone that owns a vita. It is worth it for $30, even better if you get it for cheaper.    … Expand
  42. Khodaka
    May 13, 2016
    2
    This game tries to jump into the Hunting Genre of games but doenst do to much actually original of its own. Besides a very nice character creation menu and steller character graphics, nothing else stands out as something unique. Random small mob enemies are never to diverse to care and the abductors are minimal, there are only 6 or 8 in the entire game and they would rather spam variousThis game tries to jump into the Hunting Genre of games but doenst do to much actually original of its own. Besides a very nice character creation menu and steller character graphics, nothing else stands out as something unique. Random small mob enemies are never to diverse to care and the abductors are minimal, there are only 6 or 8 in the entire game and they would rather spam various numbers of them on the same map for "difficulty" instead of actually balancing out anything.

    You play, You, in the world of "not fleshed out enough" with the set goal to "do as your told". You get told what you will be looking out for story wise and as it comes forward, your character is SET on completing the missions on hand to achieve said goal. This idea doenst sit well with me since a lot of the actions come off extremely brash and unrealistic. If I'm playing "Me" why would I break the law, then immediately attempt to break the law again? not even a single mission in between? That isn't what I would do but "I" dont have much say in the matter. Its jarring but I would at least stick with it, if the story was interesting even slightly.

    When not ignoring the story you have 3 types of gameplay missiones you will be doing. Either : Destroy unit(s) on map, Capture points/people, or stealth. The stealth missions are easily the worst. The AI is terrible, the field of vision to spot you is so low you can actually run in a straight line from start to finish and not get caught. They are bad. Next would be Capturing points, these are easily the next worst in line. It wouldnt be hard to just take one point, then another, then another, but the enemy team is smart enough to spread and also take points. Your team? dumb as bricks caught on 1 abductor and losing. 6 humans all losing to 1 abductor and not capturing any points. So while you may be able to capture all of them easily and solo all enemies near you, you cant beat this mission without first beating the abductor then letting your team be freed from their constant loop cycle of losing to actually do the mission at hand. It is aggravating at the least.
    The actual fights with abductors goes like this: latch onto one, lob off a piece, repeat. You do this enough times until it enrages and does more damage and moves faster. Sound familiar? this is straight from every single hunting game ever, whats worse is that they are robots. Why do they enrage when they should simply fight at max capacity? I get this is part of the 'genre' but if things dont work, fix it. This game lacks an identity of its own and stick so close to the formula its embarrassing.

    Outside of the actual fun of the game, you wlak around the prison you stay at. What starts off as very penalizing slowly builds into more freedoms and being able to walk and talk to whoever you want over time. Whie fun at first, it runs its fun right into the ground fairly fast and you'll want nothing more than to just not get the pop up that "hey you messed up, plus 30 years". Just add the 30 and let me go, thank you.

    There is also a crafting system and while not hard to understand... it uses real life timers. if you want to make your sword into a better sword, you better be ready to burn from 6, to 13, to 20+ minutes sitting around, real time, waiting to use your main weapon in a fight again. What a bad design choice. When people say "Oh i pumped 70 hours into this game" they easily are saying "I had 60 hours real game time, 10 hour waiting to play the actual game"

    You have a game where its tiring to walk around the main HUB area, a game that wastes your times with the majority of playable modes that simply just arent that fun or balanced, and the final mode that is meant to be fun, the creaters just have no clue how to balance it, so it never comes off as "I lack the skill to beat this" as it does moreso feel like "my team is useless, these rocket launcher spams are the worst, this is just such BS" and thats what this game is, a bunch of rehashed, refirbished, BS that lacks any orginallity of its own besides the very amazing character designing, having your own robot companion, and using your thorn ability, and even those cant save a fundamentally broken game.    … Expand
  43. revrevolution
    Jan 19, 2015
    8
    Give this game a chance before you decide to pass it up. Freedom Wars may not seem to appealing from the outside looking in, but once you get the ball rolling it becomes increasingly difficult to put down. You will definitely have to wait it out though - I'd highly recommend you give this game a good 2 hours or so to develop before you pass judgement on it. It can be very overbearing earlyGive this game a chance before you decide to pass it up. Freedom Wars may not seem to appealing from the outside looking in, but once you get the ball rolling it becomes increasingly difficult to put down. You will definitely have to wait it out though - I'd highly recommend you give this game a good 2 hours or so to develop before you pass judgement on it. It can be very overbearing early on, and downright oppressive. Once you get the hang of things though, you'll find that Freedom Wars has an immersive atmosphere, an engaging storyline, and very solid gameplay mechanics.… Expand
  44. OwtDaft
    Oct 30, 2019
    3
    + Good graphics and music
    - Not much of a story.
    - Game is ultra tedious. it's ultra diluted, not ideal for single player gamers.
    - Combat is very frustrating and not very fun.
    - Controls are very clunky.
    - The AI is really bad.
  45. GoombaJMR
    Jun 26, 2016
    9
    Really fun game and was my second platinum! Anyways, the music is top notch, the graphics are crisp and there's practically no lag (which helps a lot for this kind of monster hunter-esque game) in missions. Accessories are interesting but could have been involved in the story a bit more... the game's story is alright, and while characters weren't really explained that deeply, I found themReally fun game and was my second platinum! Anyways, the music is top notch, the graphics are crisp and there's practically no lag (which helps a lot for this kind of monster hunter-esque game) in missions. Accessories are interesting but could have been involved in the story a bit more... the game's story is alright, and while characters weren't really explained that deeply, I found them to be likeable and yeah. There are quite a few variations of the huge abductors/enemies but there could have been more. Despite this, fighting similar abductors in new missions never really felt old. I found the game to be alright on the difficulty level until I hit some Code 7 missions, and realized that it was my lack of weapon upgrades and through some experimenting and self reflection, I was able to complete the game's main story to head onto post game missions that were much more difficult. Online play is quite fun too, but it does take some time (at this point) to get people to join for helping or for pvp combat. Either way, the ~75 hours I spent with this game were not wasted and were quite the good time! You can find this game for under 20 bucks now too, so I highly recommend trying it (especially for that price) if you haven't already done so!

    Gameplay: 9/10
    Story: 7/10
    Music: 9.5/10
    Presentation: 9.5/10
    Length: 9/10
    Overall: 9/10    … Expand
  46. TheDavyStar
    Feb 5, 2015
    9
    A brilliant game! Some will bemoan an uneven difficulty level - that complaint is not unfounded - but this game excels in every other area! The story isn't mindblowing, but it intrigues. What is brilliant though is the art style, like anime via CG, and the brilliantly crafted world. Though this game is quite similar to monster hunter on the battlefield, it has a lot of its own idead too.A brilliant game! Some will bemoan an uneven difficulty level - that complaint is not unfounded - but this game excels in every other area! The story isn't mindblowing, but it intrigues. What is brilliant though is the art style, like anime via CG, and the brilliantly crafted world. Though this game is quite similar to monster hunter on the battlefield, it has a lot of its own idead too. The combat it also much less obtuse than monster hunter and all the better for it. The thorn is a very welcome idea. Online modes and PvP are decent, but waiting times in lobbies can be quite long. The wait is worth it because both co-op and PvP are lots of fun! Amd when you are stuck on a mission, you can always rewuest the help of other players online should you please, but you are never forced to do so. The weapon system is very good, allowing you to beef up your loadout while lowering the amount of grinding that plagues other games.
    Overall, this is a brilliant showcase for just how full an experience the Vita can deliver. I could see this working on a PS3/just as well as on Vita. I understand it is not perfect in every area, but Freedom Wars bolts a story and cinvincing dystopian world onto MonHan-style combat to great effect. On top of that it's pretty cheap at only £20 to download off PSN and £25 for the boxed versionAlso: Ling live Percy Propa!    … Expand
  47. ItsMuchMore
    Mar 8, 2015
    8
    Theoretically, the formula to an enjoyable and therefore successful videogame is one that continuously challenges yet rewards the player, familiarizing them with the default state yet consistently extending the experience with a progressive story, new features, and unlockables. Freedom Wars, an ambitious action game developed by SCE Japan Studio for the PS Vita, certainly lives up to thisTheoretically, the formula to an enjoyable and therefore successful videogame is one that continuously challenges yet rewards the player, familiarizing them with the default state yet consistently extending the experience with a progressive story, new features, and unlockables. Freedom Wars, an ambitious action game developed by SCE Japan Studio for the PS Vita, certainly lives up to this formula. freedom-warsIn its home country the title fast became the second highest selling game for the portable console in its opening weekend and remains one of the most popular first party games. At first glance, the Monster Hunter style structure of completing missions in a 3rd person sword-play / shooter setup may appear to lack any originality.

    For those who persevere however, they shall find a strong example of the previously mentioned formula of success; a deep and addictive game that pleasantly surprises as much as it hits all expectations.

    The story follows a dystopian future in which the world’s resources have run dry. Humanity has split into several mega cities known as Panopitcons, each of which enforce a Big Brother style regime on its residents. Individuals seen to possess unique and indispensable skills that may contribute to the Greater Good of society are known as Citizens.

    Members of the bottom rung who are deemed lazy and unproductive are treated as Sinners, locked in cells and punished for the simplest acts unless they have earned the right to them. The player takes control of their own customised Sinner and are given a 1,000,000 year sentence for the ‘crime’ of losing their memory.

    The key focus then, at least initially, is to complete tasks in order to reduce your sentence. As events develop, various threads arise and entwine, featuring a terrorist groups, a dangerous conspiracy, the ominous and powerful ‘On-High’ civilization, and a mysterious woman named Aries III who appears only to the protagonist on a plane between dream and reality. What could be over-complicated or too reliant on the gimmick of abiding to a penal system instead presents a wonderfully deep and involving narrative that expands the gaming world confidently and at a decent pace.

    Gameplay is a fairly complex hybrid of role-playing and 3rd person action pumped with a slew mechanics and options yet, like the plot, is dished out to the player at a forgiving pace that keeps them hungry for more.

    Within the first hour, taking more than five steps in your cell or speaking with a member of the opposite gender will result in a penalty of years further added onto your remaining sentence. By completing missions your character will reduce their sentence and receive Entitlement Points which will allow them to claim Rights.

    These include permission to pace and speak with various peoples as previously mentioned as well as Aesthetic options such as unlocking new customisation kits and Interface options such as building Research Facilities. Resources are gained from missions and can be donated to the Greater Good of your Panopticon to reduce your sentence and add to online score of the mega city and your character.

    These resources can also be used in Facilities to produce items of medical supplies, ammunition, and weapons. Weapons can also be bought or picked up in the field during missions and are split into Melee and Firearm types, each made up of three sub-categories: Assault Weapons, Portable Artillery, and Autocannons; Light Melee, Heavy Melee, and Polearms. Furthermore, each similar unit (i.e. a Longsword in the Heavy Melee category) can differ greatly from the next depending on its base statistics, rarity, level, and modifications.

    The player themselves can set up and equip several customisable loadouts consisting of two weapon slots, a ‘Thorn’ slot, Combat Items, and Augmentations which grant further bonuses such as stat upgrades. The level of customisation is far above the standard and goes a long way to keep the player addicted, consistently farming the game to achieve new abilities.

    Full Review @ItsMuchMore    … Expand
  48. EpicNate6
    Jun 19, 2015
    10
    This game iis incredible I love the story and its characters. The gameplay is even better though. It is a lot like other hunting games but with its own unique twists. If you want all the trophies, be prepared to grind. The AI is also not very helpful late-game; it is easier and more fun online anyway.
  49. chesaro
    May 24, 2018
    9
    This game had it all, and it lost it because of a weak story development and ending, on the begining you can get caught on the story as is, but after (around) 6 hours of play, you just don't care anymore and want to start fighting the giant robots.
    The gameplay mechanics are the best of this game, i would even dare to write, this is the right way to do an Attack on Titan videogame (the    This game had it all, and it lost it because of a weak story development and ending, on the begining you can get caught on the story as is, but after (around) 6 hours of play, you just don't care anymore and want to start fighting the giant robots.
    The gameplay mechanics are the best of this game, i would even dare to write, this is the right way to do an Attack on Titan videogame (the koei ones are just not good), but again, this was no perfect game at all, the characters are too plain and you just don't care enough about them.

    The customization system for your character is great, but almost inexistent for the AI controlled characters, which makes it hard to do some of the extra missions. This is where the online multiplayer comes to the rescue, which is really really great.    … Expand
  50. deadlysilentbob
    Jan 7, 2015
    8
    This game was a solid 'Monster Hunter' type game but I found there was almost a need in the later levels to be playing co-op, lest you receive a beat down. There also needed to be more diversity to the maps themselves as there are only about 5 or so different ones. They are all quite big, however. All things considered (with its relatively low price and longish campaign) I would definitelyThis game was a solid 'Monster Hunter' type game but I found there was almost a need in the later levels to be playing co-op, lest you receive a beat down. There also needed to be more diversity to the maps themselves as there are only about 5 or so different ones. They are all quite big, however. All things considered (with its relatively low price and longish campaign) I would definitely recommend this game to any vita user looking for a good value.… Expand
  51. HoundDoom
    Jun 8, 2016
    5
    This game is a mixed bag.

    Positives: The game's atmosphere of a totalitarian dystopian penal colony is unique and executed well. The character customization is very deep. The combination of guns and melee is really cool. Negatives: The AI: I hate the AI in this game. It is game-breakingly bad. When you go out on missions, you have an accessory accompanying you at all    This game is a mixed bag.

    Positives:

    The game's atmosphere of a totalitarian dystopian penal colony is unique and executed well.

    The character customization is very deep.

    The combination of guns and melee is really cool.

    Negatives:

    The AI: I hate the AI in this game. It is game-breakingly bad. When you go out on missions, you have an accessory accompanying you at all times unless you get a certain perk. Your accessory is more of a liability than anything. It gets downed all the time and if you don't revive it, it will be captured and you have to go on a mission to retrieve it. There have been so many times where I am trying to chop off an abductor's arm only to have to disengage in order to revive my accessory.

    Difficulty spike: after a certain point, the missions ramp up in difficulty. I am a veteran of numerous monster hunting games, but it became impossible in the latter parts of the game.

    Weapon upgrading: Farming materials is a chore in this game and effectiveness of upgrading depends a lot on luck.

    Repetitive abductor fights: Not only are they a chore to fight, there isn't much variety in abductor design. This is a problem inherent in the monster hunting genre, but it is especially apparent here.

    Timed missions: I wouldn't have a problem with this if my accessory didn't get downed every 2 minutes.

    Overall, this game is a giant slogfest that became too tedious for me to finish. If you want a good monster hunting game, play the far superior Soul Sacrifice Delta.    … Expand
  52. theresort
    Apr 30, 2018
    8
    This game is great fun, for a while.This game has, in my opinion, great visuals. Also, the story is really interesting and I wish it could have been done better if this game wasn't a MH clone. The game gets difficult really fast and the combat also gets repetitive. The weapons feel like they are not making an impact and they are just tickling the enemies, especially in the harder. ThisThis game is great fun, for a while.This game has, in my opinion, great visuals. Also, the story is really interesting and I wish it could have been done better if this game wasn't a MH clone. The game gets difficult really fast and the combat also gets repetitive. The weapons feel like they are not making an impact and they are just tickling the enemies, especially in the harder. This game is really grind-y and will take forever to beat. I had fun playing with others online and I recommend doing this as well to keep the fun factor alive. I recommend if you want to play a game for more than 50 hours.… Expand
  53. OkamiGuru
    Aug 25, 2015
    8
    The game play is awesome but it took me some time to get used to the combat controls and the story is a bit disheartening but over then that every thing else is cool!
  54. Be_Objective
    Sep 22, 2015
    8
    Some fun combat and addicting progression system make this the best Monster-Hunter-like game on the vita. It gets a little too hard near the end and the story, while interesting enough, can get intrusive. However, if you like the genere, don't miss out on it.
  55. Ogie
    Feb 15, 2017
    9
    Freedom Wars is really good hunting game. The art style is pretty interesting and I think you gonna like it. Freedom Wars has amazing gameplay. Combat system is really well made. Customization in FW is awesome as well. There are many possibilities how your character can look and what can wear and there are even a lot of colours etc. The game is heavily based on story. In my opinion theFreedom Wars is really good hunting game. The art style is pretty interesting and I think you gonna like it. Freedom Wars has amazing gameplay. Combat system is really well made. Customization in FW is awesome as well. There are many possibilities how your character can look and what can wear and there are even a lot of colours etc. The game is heavily based on story. In my opinion the story was pretty decent and just kept me in the game for long time. Post game content is pretty decent and online mode is still a reason to play this game even after you finished the story. Overall Freedom Wars is really great game and everyone who loves hunting games or RPGs will love this.

    Graphic - 8
    Gameplay - 9
    Lasting Appeal - 9
    Execution - 8

    Overall - 8,5    … Expand
  56. samiscool30
    Feb 1, 2016
    6
    WARNING: SOME ANGER, BUT REVIEW IS STILL REVIEW. This review was shortened due to the character limit.

    DO NOT EXPECT MH FROM THIS GAME, IF YOU DO YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. STORY: Very generic, anime story. With anime plot twists, and what not. Not for me but maybe for you. The premise of the game, is **** awesome! It's unique in the way that it works into the motives of the    WARNING: SOME ANGER, BUT REVIEW IS STILL REVIEW. This review was shortened due to the character limit.

    DO NOT EXPECT MH FROM THIS GAME, IF YOU DO YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED.

    STORY:

    Very generic, anime story. With anime plot twists, and what not. Not for me but maybe for you.

    The premise of the game, is **** awesome! It's unique in the way that it works into the motives of the characters. The premise does nothing for the robots and monsters. I say robots because that's what you'll be fighting 70 percent of the time in the game. I'll get into this with the "GAMEPLAY" section along with how another aspect of the story plays into GAMEPLAY and DESIGN/ART sections. But, the story doesn't explain whatsoever how these enemies came to existence. Are they robots, or monsters from another realm? They look like robots but.. Who knows, I think the studio just got bored with the story, as did I.

    DESIGN/ART:

    The character's all like like they were straight outta Digimon or SAO. Okay, but the boring design of the environment makes me disgusted. You think it's okay since most of the time you'll be spending a majority of your time hunting, but no. Due to the beginning of the story, you'll be running from one place to another, leaving the player feel like like they're running in circles, due to the environments looking so **** similar.

    The "robots", not monsters are absolutely boring. Due to the gameplay of the game, you'll be fighting the same enemy over and over. This is what you'll be expecting from a hunter game, but the lack of diversity within the two-legged abductors leaves the player feeling like they're playing the same part of the game over and over again. The monsters are good, I guess. You'll be fighting the a tiger, a spider, and a dragon, along with the final boss. All pretty generic but better than the same tall lanky robots.

    The weapons are somewhat unique. The "vast" and "plethora" of weapons is comical though. You'll be left with about 6 weapons of each style. Each can be upgraded into the elemental version of their prior versions. The ONLY thing that changes is their color, not added scopes, barrels or anything. You'll be fine with this, but after playing MH, you're expecting a MASSIVE upgrade tree. I'm telling you man, MH has got me wrapped around its fingers.

    GAMEPLAY:

    You'll be fighting with three things: a thorn, a melee weapon, and a gun. You'll also have an accessory with you, which I feel has it's uses but due to **** AI design, makes it annoying. But, MH had **** AI as well but at least you didn't have to revive them over and over again. Due to the concept of team mates being able to revive one another, the idea of potions and first aid kits are useless.

    Each weapon has their own weapon pattern and combos, which I loved about MH. But the guns really ruin the gameplay. Because of the design of the tall Abductors, which you'll be fighting for the majority of the time, you'll be spamming your gun trying to hit it. You could use your melee weapon, but from lots and lots of gameplay, is not very effective. the thorn is the funnest part of gameplay. you'll be able to grapple around buildings and even pull down abductors. you can even grapple onto a abductors parts and cut it off, another aspect which I liked from MH. Each thorn even has it's own abilities, albeit some useless.

    Weapon upgrading is where most of your hours will go. Is it rewarding? No. After spending 10+ hours on getting the perfect weapon, I lost it all due to **** RNG, which I have to say is "WTF is wrong with the creators?" There is nothing satisfying about the RNG factor due to the risk of losing something you worked so hard for. You can make, upgrade, and modifiy at facilities, all of which can be upgraded. This is fine with me. But the User Interface of the game is stupidly lazy like the environments.

    Missions. You'll have three basic missions. Kill abductor. Kill tiger or spider or dragon. Kill 2 abductors. Kill 2 tigers. Rescue citizens. Rescue more citizens. Get here. That's about it. You have 4 basic ideas of missions; kill tall boring abductor, fight more fun animal monster, rescue citizen, and go here. Though most of the time it the kill boring abductor and rescue citizens. No resource collecting outside boring home base, no kill x amount of robots.

    WHAT KILLS THIS GAME:

    The anticipation of the hunter series. Or Monster Hunter addiction. Do not think you're getting Monster Hunter, or you'll be thoroughly disappointed like me. Repetition. And not even the good kind, the extremely boring kind. Boring and crappy design. The story was meh, the characters were meh, so were their designs. The design of enemies were awful. No diversity. So overall, LAZY GAME DESIGN.    … Expand
  57. Anonime
    Jul 10, 2020
    9
    To be one of the first games on this console, I must say that I was very impressed by its graphics and gameplay. Customization is fine. The story is entertaining and original, having to pay a sentence. The game was difficult for me, perhaps because I couldn't take advantage of its online. Otherwise, a game to keep in mind.
  58. Narukami
    Jan 26, 2021
    10
    Just perfect, only the things is the discussion and some research for npc sometimes it will take a while but still perfect
  59. lightningalex1
    Jun 6, 2023
    0
    This game is impossible to do solo especially the missions which you get no allies. The enemies aimbot you, while your shots don't hit if they're a pixel off. Aiming sucks, as to be expected on a handheld. Some resources sometimes don't spawn and you have to play a mission 5+ times just to get 1 or 2 of a resource. I got this game because the reviews made it sound good, but this game just sucks.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best PS Vita Game of 2014
2
#2 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2014
1
#1 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 28, 2014
    60
    Freedom Wars can't match the series it aims to ape, but this is almost as worth checking out for its bizarre, clever conceit as its satisfying, if shallow, combat mechanics. [Christmas 2014, p.87]
  2. Riot Pixels
    Dec 22, 2014
    63
    For game that wants you to spend hundreds of hours playing it, Freedom Wars is depressingly shallow.
    Read full review
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Dec 16, 2014
    80
    Not only is Freedom Wars one of the best games available for PlayStation Vita, but it will keep you busy for months with great gameplay and the superb 4-player co-op mode. A must-have for any action/RPG fan.
    Read full review
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