UNLEASHING NOSTALGIA: HOW FREEDOM WARS REMASTERED REVIVES A CULT CLASSIC FOR THE MODERN ERA

Long-lived as video game hardware and software may be, there’s nothing that lasts forever; but occasionally consoles do spawn titles sublime enough to withstand the evolutionary pressures that influence both player and creator. Freedom Wars is one such title, a crown jewel baked into the PlayStation Vita’s innermost part, about to receive a remaster that will restore its luster and grant it a new lease of life on a whole new generation of hardware. Yesterday, Bandai Namco and Dimps presented their remastered vision of a fading pastime that has somehow acquired another shot at lasting fame. In presenting the remaster, they have offered not just a promise of information regarding it, but a cause for optimism, and for hope. This is the story of what they have baked into their remaster of Freedom Wars.

A LEAP INTO THE FUTURE: THE RETURN OF A VITA CLASSIC

Freedom Wars Remastered brings players into its dystopian world with a fidelity that would delight the soul of the Vita classic. I spent about four hours in its PlayStation 5 preview build, reacquainting myself with its fascinating blend of action-RPG mechanics and monster-hunting gameplay. A remastered game can often feel like a fossilised piece of the past, a time capsule, but its age has not dulled the lion’s edge of Freedom Wars. This game is both a nostalgia trip and an adrenaline rush for modernity.

BRIDGING ERAS: THE TIMELESS ALLURE OF FREEDOM WARS

At its core, Freedom Wars weaves together a story of dystopian satire as players operate in a world poor in resources and rich in surveillance that provides a backdrop to the player’s limited efforts at freedom in a world where everyone is imprisoned and a sentence of 10 billion years is the starting point for all Sinners. As a Sinner fighting and working for your own Panopticon, the game forces players into a struggle for freedom, slowly taking days off their prison sentence through acts of bravery and ingenuity. In addition to preserving the story and the gameplay of the original release, the remastered edition also includes expanded voice acting and audio improvements – with a healthy dose of bad android voices – a nod to the inherent dystopian nature of the game.

THE HEART OF COMBAT: THORNS AND STRATEGY IN A CLASSIC REVIVED

Most of all, what made Freedom Wars stand out was its mechanically creative combat, which the remaster carries over in full glory. The hooks of the Thorn system are still a highlight, a vibrant set of tools for attacking large targets and traversing combat zones with grace as a release of tension. Its signature mechanic (hookshots? web-slinging?) is illustrative of the game’s distinctive take on ARPG action, which is more about finesse and footwork than mashing buttons.

CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS: THE REMASTERED EXPERIENCE

If anything, Freedom Wars Remastered retains the original’s charms alongside its structural frustrations. It inherited these quirks with the game’s original release, and in the remastered edition they’ve simply been revealed more clearly. It’s telling that critics have viewed this retro challenge in different lights, depending on whether they were playing the original PSP game or the remaster. In 2014, Critical Gamer opined that the structural repetition of operations was one of the game’s major flaws. Yet in 2022, WTGCo bucked that trend and argued that its repetitive nature wasn’t a flaw but a deliberate hook – designed to invite players back in for another tour. As the critiques have shifted, so too has the game itself, adapting in ways that seem tailored to contemporary players. The remastered edition streamlines weapon crafting and upgrading to make them less of a hassle.

A COLLABORATIVE VISION: THE SYNERGY BEHIND THE REMAKE

But Freedom Wars’ transformation from PlayStation Vita classic to PS4 powerhouse masterpiece is equally remarkable, and something that speaks not only to the game’s legacy, but to the spirit between the original and remastered teams. There’s no sense that these adults were solely looking to relive the past when I talked with Takashi Tsukamoto and Tetsunosuke Seki. Instead, they are looking towards the future, and their remaster points the way for a possible, and very welcome, sequel.

LOOKING AHEAD: THE FUTURE OF A CLASSIC REBORN

Freedom Wars Remastered is not only the preservation of a classic as a fitting homage to those who enjoyed it on PlayStation Vita when it was released back in 2014, but also a humble marker for what we can expect from the digital future of classics. It will mark my second major remaster (after PS5’s quite extraordinary Demon’s Souls), and I’ve no doubt it will sell by the boatload. It is due for release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam and, soon, Nintendo Switch.

UNDERSTANDING THE CLASSIC

In games, a ‘classic’ is a title that has aged well, but it’s more than that. A classic represents an achievement of innovation, entertainment, and culture in its moment. Sony’s Freedom Wars – originally released for the PlayStation Vita back in 2014 – earned its classic status via innovative gameplay, an affecting story, and a passionate community. Freedom Wars, in its remastered edition, embodies all of that creativity, nostalgia and freedom for the future.