Hey there! I’m Lilac’s voice actor and I absolutely loved watching this review. You made such excellent critiques! Thank you so much for playing and reviewing Freedom Planet! ☺️
@@mechashadow You have a small team of indie devs who aren't sure if their game is going to be super successful beyond the attention given from the kickstarter. "They should have hired a writer" not a great point to make given circumstances. Would a better story with steady pacing have helped? Yeah! Is what we got still reasonable and fun? Yeah! Are good writers expensive and have pushed production time farther out? You betcha!
For real. The fact the enemies have to attack you rather than just touch to damage you was one the most simple best things to come to this type of platformer
@@brokenm8950 Nature of the beast with independent games, I think. I've also been waiting for Mega Man X Corrupted for near to a decade now. At least I didn't have to wait that long for Ori and the Will of the Wisps to come out.
Developer Comment: The PSN Badges weren't something we chose. Sony gives you a certain number of trophies when you submit your game and they limited our options, so we chose to use a counter to the pre-existing achievement system. Because we were only given enough "points" to make a small number of trophies and keep a platinum. (You can see it reflected properly in the Steam version.)
Yeah, before RUclips ate my comment, I was about to mention how that scene was a prime example of how the story just seemed to want to be edgy and grimdark just for its own sake.
@@TazTheYellow I mean the scene did have a clear purpose. To try and get the player to have a more personal hatred for the villain. Torturing the main character that the player presumably cares about would do that. Its a Sonic fan game and one things a lot of Sonic fans liked was the darker subject matter thrown amongst the cute talking animals like the SaTam show of the 90s being about fighting a ruling Dictator, or the darker parts of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. A lot aren't good at writing such a plot, but I understand why they don't just stick to the villain being Eggman or Bowser on a normal day where they are jokes bosses.
Honestly wished I'd skipped the story when playing the game, it retroactively downgraded the game in my view though I guess when games like Undertale and Hollow Knight came out in the following years they pushed the bar when it comes to indie games while SEGA embracing fan culture made me see this game as the game that was trying to fill a niche that was no longer necessary. Basically Sonic Mania downgraded my own views on this game. AND YET I cannot forget this game because the gameplay was actually really good and the soundtrack is something I still listen to quite a lot today with at least 10 tunes on my personal favourite video game playlist. The level where Brevon turns off the oxygen and the entire level simulates underwater mechanics is genius and there are some other cool level designs too. So combine that with the lacklustre story and SEGA subsequently releasing an official Sonic game it makes it feel like a guilty pleasure or something. Like I feel I'm playing a game designed for the furry Sonic fan base when I just wanted to get some quality Sonic like action in and that kind of feeling ultimately doesn't sit comfortably for some reason. That all being said, this game REALLY fell off the map quickly after its relevance and you never really saw people talk about it widely again especially after Sonic Mania came out. So its rather cool that stuff like AGDQ and The Completionist have dug it out from whatever niche pit the game fell into. I like this game quite a bit but for whatever reason I also feel like it's a guilty pleasure over wandering what it says about me as a person. Maybe I'll pick up Carol's story sometime but do it on Classic so that I don't have to view the story again.
Whenever I hear “Freedom Planet”, Sonic is always the first thing I think of anyway, because in the Sonic OVA the name of the planet the movie took place on was “Planet Freedom”
My son has really been enjoying your channel and wants to recommend Gato Roboto - an indie retro metroidvania starring a cat in space. We think you would enjoy playing it!
Too be honest; I've also heard of this game awhiel back and played It myself and It truly was amazing and hope the series continue to go strong. Also there is another Fan Game kinda like another spiritual successor to Sonic named Sparks The Electric Jester ya might wanna check out.
It is really a shame that that game receives very little attention, despite being created mostly by one guy who has made multiple sonic fan games in the past.
@@gradientrotoscope457 It's because Spark the Electric Jester is VERY limited in the platforms it'son, whereas Freedom Planet, if you count Windows and Mac as separate, has been on at least 8 (Windows, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox One X, Wii U, Switch). Freedom Planet also enjoyed a physical release and is even sold at Best Buy, giving it a level of visibiliy few indie games get, whereas Spark is still strictly digital. I think Spark can have his day once he expands outward to more platforms.
I wish they'd release Spark on more platforms though. I don't think it's even Mac-compatible. From what I hear though, the music team for Spark the Electric Jester went on to make the soundtrack for No Straight Roads, for what it's worth (which are some really big shoes to fill, considering music is the game's central theme).
Will you do a Principles of completionist video where you lay out some key points every completionist should know. I.e. Always break every vase. It's tradition, etc. Or how you approach completing a new game.
As a Lapsed Completionist (as a kid I felt compelled to 100% everything, now not so much (the idea of “un-complete-able” games broke me)), I would so be here for this.
I played this game recently and it still holds up. I wouldn't mind if future 2D Sonic games take this game's concepts and big moments (like the boss fights) and use it for their own. The story is cheesy and edgy at times (it reminds me of those old newgrounds shows I used to watch), but I found it charming. I'm really excited for the sequel.
Some of the people behind this game moved on to help make Sonic Mania, so there's that. (Don't tell this to the Sonic fanbase though. By and large, they hate Freedom Planet, so it's a real sore spot.)
@@Overhazard This is the first I've heard of Sonic fans hating Freedom Planet. From what I had seen (though this is coming from the classic side of the fanbase) most Sonic fans adore it outside of the long cutscenes between levels, and even that's not a deal breaker thanks to Classic Mode being a thing.
Normally Sonic OC's are some of the most cringe things out there but Lilac evolved into something far beyond and I quickly came to adore her for that. I've played a lot of indie games and Lilac became one of my favorite indie characters.
@@Helicopter7 It is a sci-fi game part narrative adventure and part rts. Its writing is universally acclaimed. It's aso by Vanillaware. (they made Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown)
Milla has probably one of my favorite movesets out of any game ever. It's incredibly fun to run around and bash bots with blocks and whatever I can find in the level!
8:22 okay I need to get this out there, that line drives me bonkers. We had the Advance trilogy, the rush duology, colors and generations 3DS and like it or not, Sonic 4. We had plenty of 2D Sonic games to sink our teeth into and all but like 2 of them are really good. Aside from that little quilt that personally annoys me, this is a great video! I'm surprised you didn't mention a Sonic Heroes comparison. The combat and longer stages have always reminded me of that game. Anyways, keep up the great work!
Yeah, I felt that Sonic Rush Adventure in particular was a very well-polished 2-D Sonic game that pushed the idea of different characters who play similarly enough and having the stage design balanced between them (whereas Sonic Rush 1's stage design was heavily oriented for Sonic). It's too bad the game was a complete bomb, having almost no marketing and getting its look and feel swallowed by The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The Sonic Advance games and the DS version of Sonic Colors were very good too, though I haven't played Sonic Generations on the 3DS. They're not nearly as high-profile as the home console Sonic games, so they're commonly forgotten or ignored. That, and they were a bright spot during the darkest period in Sonic's history, so it's easier to prove one's point about the quality of Sonic games, or lack thereof, if they're glossed over. All of them are flawed in some way though--it took Dimps a long time to figure out how to avoid careening into enemies and hazards before you can react to them, and Sonic Rush Adventure has the very same dull-cutscene problems that Freedom Planet has, but I felt that all of them are more oriented toward replaying the stages for the fastest times and highest scores. Stages like Music Plant Zone and Haunted Shop Zone are still some of my favorite stages in Sonic history. (I'd like to mention that Tomoya Ohtani, lead composer for Sonic, wanted to get Sky Babylon Zone and Cyber Track Zone into Sonic Generations, but he was not successful.)
Mine too! I absolutely loved this game ever since I played it on the Nintendo Wii U, and it remains my most favorite indie game title of all time right next to "Shovel Knight". :D
@@sonicmaiden2871 It doesn't use the Wii U game pad in any way like "Shovel Knight" did, but I don't really mind as long as the game is still fun and enjoyable to play.
@@sonicmario64 I see. As long as the game is fun, the gamepad integration isn't that important. Freedom planet is a great game on all the consoles. I played the PC version tough.
I actually really liked the story. It wouldn't win any awards, but it was nice and simple, and reasonably cohesive. And, yes, Mayor Zhao was easily the best character.
I liked it too, although it possibly could have been shorter in places... I think they did edit it down a bit for later versions... And hey, you could always play classic mode if you wanted.
@@pegasis7774 Oh I mean that doesn't affect my hype. That just means more build up. Not to mention there will be other content I can enjoy just as much
Yeah, I remember getting a hold of this game on PC. Bought it again when it came out on Switch. The Sonic part of the game is obvious to any seasoned player, but I also noticed Lilac played a lot like Sparkster from Rocket Knight Adventures. Carol and Milla definitely felt different, though I have heard Carol compared to Mega Man Zero. At the time this game came out they called it "the real Sonic 4" since Sonic 4 was a disappointment. The problem with his game was it didn't have (and probably still doesn't) have a whole lot of mainstream attention on it leaving only the hardcore Sonic fanbase to grab and take hold of it. Me personally I think it was the shot in the arm this kind of gameplay needed especially when you consider there were Sonic imitators back in the 16-bit console wars oddly enough all of them released on Genesis. It was a good fix to hold me over until Sonic Mania came out, but now I wanna see what the sequel has.
Even then, I mostly saw cold reactions from the existing Sonic fans. They were supportive of Freedom Planet when it was still in production, but opinions slowly but steadily turned against it, and Sonic fans grew either totally disinterested in it or called it a "Sonic ripoff."
I'd never heard of this game before, but it looks good and possibly worth checking out, so thanks. Another excellent indie action rpg with some 2.5D platforming is Crosscode. Its criminally underexposed in general gaming conversation despite being one of the best of its genre I've played in years. Check it out if it looks interesting.
7:18 That's because Sonic was originally a rabbit and would use his ears to grab rings and throw them at his enemies but they scrapped that because Yuji Naka at the time wanted to make a game where speed acts as a reward (speed and momentum) and Naka wanted a character that can roll into a ball and gain incredible speed and destroy enemies in its path. If you want to talk about Sonic combat skills play Sonic The Fighters, Sonic Battle, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, SSB4 and Ultimate because that is where Sonic's combat skills really shine and he didn't have that much of a moveset in Sonic 1, 2 and 3 because the objective was to finish the level as fast as you can and remember the first Super Mario Bros game how you always start at the very beginning? Naka-san said that that is where Sonic's inspiration for speedrunning came of beating the levels you memorise off by heart.
On Freedom Planet 2, a developer said :  Gabby [developer] Feb 17 @ 11:28pm I assure you we are doing just fine. Small staff, big game, there's no magical timer on when a game comes out, but there's no way to take back a half-assed game either. We're not in development hell. Insisting on it won't make it happen nor are there any combination of words that are going to cause us to release the game before it's done.
Gabby [developer] Feb 18 @ 11:16am Oh we don't argue that [it was announced too early]. We actually originally intended to keep it under wraps for a long while but the end of Steam Greenlight kind of forced our hand. I've got to stress again, we're definitely not in development hell, if anything we've steadily increased our pace lately. As our stream in September showed a significant portion of the game work is done and since our art assets are complete for most levels we've already gone into the stage where we're refining and making the game perfect. We funded the game independently with our own profits and we're steadily on track to completion. We'll give a release date when the game is done, not before. Good things come to those who can wait for them. And we're working hard to ensure we make the best possible game we can.
i really liked lilac's voice acting in the game.. i just beat the game tonight.. i haven't played the other 2 characters.. i did try it real quick with carol though and i was surprised at how different she played from lilac
Freedom planet to me, was one of my first big inspirations when it came to indie titles, this game just does what ive always wanted to do, and the community and the people behind it are wonderful.
Been a fan for years and always find myself having a dramatic positive mood change from viewing your videos, thanks for the literal endless hours of content and entertainment. PS. im just going to assume this video was your birthday gift to me since it dropped on the same day.
I still remember playing Freedom Planet way back in the day on Steam when they were still making changes to the story and characters, it was fun seeing this game progress and I'm glad it's getting a sequel.
I always think of games like this when I see other fan games that put in so much work into something that may be canceled for legal reasons or not really go anywhere due to the IP. I feel the fan part should be a base before making it something their own.
So amazed that you're close to completing 400 games!!!!! Congratulations!!!! Can't wait to see what you and your team do to celebrate, Jirard!!! Here's to 300+ more games to come!
So cool seeing Freedom Planet on here. The story may not be the best, but it's such a fun game that it more than makes up for it. I've got high hopes for the sequel.
A lot of people forget that Sonic isn't the only game this drew inspiration from. It's a wide collection of things not only including Sonic, but other titles like Ristar, Sparkster, Mega Man X and Gunstar Heroes. It's a fantastic and well-crafted love letter to 90s action platformers, not just Sonic. ;) 9:13 also goes into one of many reasons why I love Monster World IV. Damage is based on body type. You don't get hurt just by touching everything.
This games has some really fun Easter eggs: Try filling all the save slots with the same character, each portrait is different. You can also trigger some outtakes and joke dialogue during cutscenes by holding the direction down, and cycling through the dialogue with C (I forget what the default button is for C). The great thing about it is that they went through the trouble to animate the characters saying these lines.
I actually ended up liking this game more than Sonic Mania. Mania was great, but Freedom Planet is just constantly firing on all cylinders. It never slows down. If you're not blasting at top speed through some totally unique setpiece, you're fighting an enormous boss with an elaborate moveset. It never runs out of new ideas and stage gimmicks to throw at you and it always feels fresh. It's just such pure chaotic video game fun. Everyone is always quick with the Sonic comparisons, but it has just as much in common with Gunstar Heroes
Too me freedom planet was alright not the best thing in the world but ya know I enjoyed it I mainly bought it to fill in the void for sonic games since ya know...they haven't been as frequent anymore
Freedom planet has always been in my backlog for a while, but hearing there's no damage on touch, diverse character move sets and well thought out badge challenges I think it's time to take the plunge.
This is one of my favorite indie games and one of my favorite platformers in general. I got it on Switch a few years back and I've beaten it like 7 times. Hard reccomend picking it up. I think its still on sale at the time of this comment. Hyped for the sequel whenever it releases.
Just for the record, Milla is not annoying at all because she's rather cute and appealing, and she happens to be my most favorite character in the game right next to Lilac and Carol. But, other than that, I really appreciate you being able to do a review of "Freedom Planet" regardless of the critiques towards some of the things I love about it, and I think it's about time this indie game finally gets the recognition it deserves.
With that kind of ending to a video I would love it if the end card announcer was caught off guard like "...oh uh....FINISH IT I guess...see you guys later" lol Thx for the great episode TOVG crew
Well while I do agree with the main characters needing something more (though I still enjoy them, especially Milla), can I just say how Freedom Planet has one of my favourite cast of indie villains. While not the most developed, they are just fun to enjoy them in action, especially with their boss fights. (Spoilers for Freedom Planet) Serpentine your usual comedic commander villain, is just so fun. His normal boss fight has some fun attacks like his usual blaster and flamethrower, and the dual pistol shot in the sky... man even when I get hit by that attack, it feels so cool getting combo'd by his blasters in mid air. Then his machines are just great fun to fight, with running alongside to fight his . Then Final Serpentine is a great battle for the fact, Lord Brevon turned him into a monster with upscaled versions of his attacks, all while battling at the edge of a spaceship with falling off meaning instant death. I always have a spot for villains like Serpentine, where their part is small but they have a blast with what they are doing. Prince Dail is a simple villain mind controlled out of madness due to his father's death. But while he is simple, man does he have some great boss fights with fun quotes, all tied with a great boss battle theme. And they have fun ways to defeat it, with breaking all the gems on the feathers before you can deal damage. Or trying to take off Prince Dail's Shield while he remains high up on the air, allowing for some fun ways to defeat these fights as quickly as possible. Syntax being the robotic boss, has so many forms where the only one I dislike is Thermal Base's Second Fight against Syntax as a Squid form (I just hate how long and hard it takes to get him down). Spider-Mode is a simple but fun boss fight shooting lava out of its claws, and then when heading into the second phase, shoots 8 spikes in a difficult pattern that you need to figure around it. Cancer-Mode is a fun battle for a shoot-em up section, where it's fun to dodge the shots and big lasers. and Morpher-Mode is a blast of a boss fight, being difficult, but having so much fun with the transformations and deadly attacks, all while running ahead of a laser. I really enjoyed what they did for this robotic boss and enjoyed most of the fights against it. Lord Brevon: I like how simple his masterplan is in this game, just wants to leave this planet so he can get back to protecting his homeland... and destroying tons more planets. I think what makes him one up many villains for me was Final Dreadnought, where it feels like he is doing everything in his power to make sure our heroes won't make it through. Send 100s of Soldiers, remove the Oxygen System so they die of lack of Oxygen, send tons of powerful cannons to shoot at you, and even kidnap Milla who helps throughout the level (when playing as Carol and Lilac) so he can force you to give up the program that stops the ship... and then turns her into a horrifying monster that tries to kill you. That final stage really helped cementing him as one of my favourite villains, as his actions connect with the gameplay, and to top it all off, we get a cool 3-stage final boss that is really difficult to beat. I think what makes them work though, is you battle most of the villains, multiple times through the game, so they feel like a constant threat, and nearly every single boss battle against the group is fun and difficultly challenging, where it feels satisfying to defeat them. and while not hugely complex, they all feel like competent villains who do their roles great.
!!! I used to play runbow a lot with my friends and I always played as Lilac! We would look up and see she was from freedom planet but we'd always forget to look into it afterwards. Seeing her on the screen, all I could think was "CYCLONE!!!" before I finally remembered her name cx
This is game like if a treasure and sonic game fused and was birthed on the sega saturn, the game's art music and gameplay rival that of even S3&K, while also building it's own fresh identity, with multiple vastly unique characters, deeper combat blended well with platforming, and a style only eclipsed by that of sonic rush. I honestly can't wait to see how freedom planet 2 turns out.
22:22 I know you put beards on all of the characters for the outro to these videos, but Lilac the Completionist is not something I ever wanted to see in this lifetime lmao
Really value that you pick and choose what your video sponsors are, this one are good to raise awareness on the issue, even if it's a paid promotion. You should really make a video about hand stretching exercises, eye exercises, routines , etc., to keep gamers healthy, think it's a good fit even if the channel is 100% gaming.
Wow man! Your love for games really comes through in the way you describe what you like about this game. Incredibly well written and spoken sir. I have a copy of this game that I’ve yet to open and play but I’m moving it to the front of my backlog now. I certainly hope the creator watches your review of his game. Great work G.
My husband went to college with the guy who made the game, so I've already heard about it and knew about the bad story and phoned-in voice acting for some characters. Nice to know that the gameplay is decent, and the music is good--so compliments to the composer for sure.
I know that nobody likes touch damage, and that it's a relic of the past, but one of my favorite ways that any video game explained "touch damage" was in the original arcade version of Mario Bros: anytime you ran into an enemy, they either bit you or snapped at you, on some "Get out of my personal space" type shit. Lol
I admit, I’ve seen this one around but never really took the plunge on it. I think I’m going to have to go it a go and so I’ve added it to my wish list. Thanks for the video, it was great.
Hey there! I’m Lilac’s voice actor and I absolutely loved watching this review. You made such excellent critiques! Thank you so much for playing and reviewing Freedom Planet! ☺️
I'm not sure I'll ever unhear those screams . . . which is to say, you did an utterly fantastic job with the script you were given!
@@TazTheYellow Thank you! It’s surreal to listen back to these performances. We’ve come a long way since and it’s nostalgic to revisit these scenes! 😭
I loved your performance as Lilac and your let’s play of Freedom Planet 😊
Your Lilac voice is pretty good!
Hi Dawn!!! 😁👋
The cutscenes were kickstarter stretch goals. That's why Classic mode is there - it's the original vision before the stretch goals.
I mean you can hire some story Writers with that extra money.
@@mechashadow You have a small team of indie devs who aren't sure if their game is going to be super successful beyond the attention given from the kickstarter. "They should have hired a writer" not a great point to make given circumstances. Would a better story with steady pacing have helped? Yeah! Is what we got still reasonable and fun? Yeah! Are good writers expensive and have pushed production time farther out? You betcha!
@@mechashadow They clearly did have plot from get go. The only question was if it would be animated of text crawl.
@@XerKoro_neo You make it sound like Kickstarter delays to improve the plot and quality of the game doesn't exist.
You have a point there!
For real. The fact the enemies have to attack you rather than just touch to damage you was one the most simple best things to come to this type of platformer
It’s pure bliss to just say “You know what? This combat encounter is a bit too intense for me. I’m gonna dip.” And just… DO THAT!
Me: Huh, I wonder who's hosting the intro instead of Jirard
Jirard: *takes off the glasses*
Me: Holy smokes! Jirard! Where did you come from?
A completionist?
- takes off glasses -
JIRARD THE COMPLETIONIST?
Forget that. WHERE DID THE GLASSES GUY GO?
Clark kent vibe at its peak
@@weebsquit347 I know where your pfp is from.
Me: Hey it's the Completionist
Jirard: (Puts on Glasses)
Me: Hey Glasses Guy, You missed it, the Completionist was here.
Fun Fact: Torque was voiced by P.M Seyour! this was one of his earlier video game voice acting roles.
Don't know much of him.
@@manuelalbertoromero9528 he's most known for his "Late Night Tumblr Reading" series.
Don’t mind me, just here still waiting on Freedom Planet 2
yup, just waiting for FP2 to eventually comes out.
Yeah, shoulda been out in 2019 but here we are.
@@brokenm8950
Nature of the beast with independent games, I think. I've also been waiting for Mega Man X Corrupted for near to a decade now. At least I didn't have to wait that long for Ori and the Will of the Wisps to come out.
@Sadist Fake Bootleg Tiki Since when did the FP2 workers say Brevon won't return?
Freedom Planet 2 Demo so far is better than Shovel Knight.
Freedom Planet > Shovel Knight
Developer Comment: The PSN Badges weren't something we chose. Sony gives you a certain number of trophies when you submit your game and they limited our options, so we chose to use a counter to the pre-existing achievement system. Because we were only given enough "points" to make a small number of trophies and keep a platinum. (You can see it reflected properly in the Steam version.)
Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense.
This should be higher! Thanks for clarifying
"That narrative never really makes me care"
*Shows the fucking torture scene*
Yeah, before RUclips ate my comment, I was about to mention how that scene was a prime example of how the story just seemed to want to be edgy and grimdark just for its own sake.
@@TazTheYellow
I mean the scene did have a clear purpose. To try and get the player to have a more personal hatred for the villain. Torturing the main character that the player presumably cares about would do that.
Its a Sonic fan game and one things a lot of Sonic fans liked was the darker subject matter thrown amongst the cute talking animals like the SaTam show of the 90s being about fighting a ruling Dictator, or the darker parts of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. A lot aren't good at writing such a plot, but I understand why they don't just stick to the villain being Eggman or Bowser on a normal day where they are jokes bosses.
@@Teknanam Yeah it was pretty much directly lifted from some scenes in Sonic SatAM where Robotinik got really nasty with beloved characters.
@@TazTheYellow that scene was barely edgy and nowhere near grimdark.
Honestly wished I'd skipped the story when playing the game, it retroactively downgraded the game in my view though I guess when games like Undertale and Hollow Knight came out in the following years they pushed the bar when it comes to indie games while SEGA embracing fan culture made me see this game as the game that was trying to fill a niche that was no longer necessary. Basically Sonic Mania downgraded my own views on this game.
AND YET I cannot forget this game because the gameplay was actually really good and the soundtrack is something I still listen to quite a lot today with at least 10 tunes on my personal favourite video game playlist. The level where Brevon turns off the oxygen and the entire level simulates underwater mechanics is genius and there are some other cool level designs too. So combine that with the lacklustre story and SEGA subsequently releasing an official Sonic game it makes it feel like a guilty pleasure or something. Like I feel I'm playing a game designed for the furry Sonic fan base when I just wanted to get some quality Sonic like action in and that kind of feeling ultimately doesn't sit comfortably for some reason.
That all being said, this game REALLY fell off the map quickly after its relevance and you never really saw people talk about it widely again especially after Sonic Mania came out. So its rather cool that stuff like AGDQ and The Completionist have dug it out from whatever niche pit the game fell into. I like this game quite a bit but for whatever reason I also feel like it's a guilty pleasure over wandering what it says about me as a person. Maybe I'll pick up Carol's story sometime but do it on Classic so that I don't have to view the story again.
One “Paprikachu!” t-shirt, please.
Shut up and take my money!
Basically a small bottle of Paprika with Pikachu ears and tail... yup
They are sweet looking!
Lmao
I'll take 20
Whenever I hear “Freedom Planet”, Sonic is always the first thing I think of anyway, because in the Sonic OVA the name of the planet the movie took place on was “Planet Freedom”
This game has such a wonderful art style, it reminds me a lot of the sonic Archie comics
Really wish the second game would come out sooner but I’m glad it’s taking its time
@@somekami3375 Same!
Thank you. I was wondering what I didnt like about the style and you made me realize what that was. Thanks.
As long as we don’t speak of Ken Penders
@@somekami3375 oh look
That “Attacking The Titan” title card was awesome.
I hate Titans
@@KenOmegaTheAlmighty I get the name and I love it
@@KenOmegaTheAlmighty are you sure cuz last time i read the manga you were protecting the titans
It was awesome!
My son has really been enjoying your channel and wants to recommend Gato Roboto - an indie retro metroidvania starring a cat in space. We think you would enjoy playing it!
Milla: *very clearly is pronounced me-la*
Jirard: *MILLIA*
Freedom Planet is undoubtedly my favourite Sonic game, I really wish more people knew about it.
Your comment reminds me of how Okami is my favorite 3D Zelda game. 😄
I can't wait to play Freedom Planet 2!
Too be honest; I've also heard of this game awhiel back and played It myself and It truly was amazing and hope the series continue to go strong. Also there is another Fan Game kinda like another spiritual successor to Sonic named Sparks The Electric Jester ya might wanna check out.
I was thinking about Sparks watching this, that could make for a fun video sometime.
@@shawnheatherly The music in Sparks is incredible. Haven't finished it yet but I listen to the OST on Spotify.
It even has a 3d adventure-style sequel.
It is really a shame that that game receives very little attention, despite being created mostly by one guy who has made multiple sonic fan games in the past.
@@gradientrotoscope457 It's because Spark the Electric Jester is VERY limited in the platforms it'son, whereas Freedom Planet, if you count Windows and Mac as separate, has been on at least 8 (Windows, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox One X, Wii U, Switch). Freedom Planet also enjoyed a physical release and is even sold at Best Buy, giving it a level of visibiliy few indie games get, whereas Spark is still strictly digital.
I think Spark can have his day once he expands outward to more platforms.
I really hope you also check out Spark the Electric Jester. That series is also pretty fun. 🙂
my thoughts exactly
@@IceisNice_FollowingChrist Yeah, I guarantee he will enjoy it just as much as Freedom Planet.
I wish they'd release Spark on more platforms though. I don't think it's even Mac-compatible.
From what I hear though, the music team for Spark the Electric Jester went on to make the soundtrack for No Straight Roads, for what it's worth (which are some really big shoes to fill, considering music is the game's central theme).
Will you do a Principles of completionist video where you lay out some key points every completionist should know. I.e. Always break every vase. It's tradition, etc. Or how you approach completing a new game.
As a Lapsed Completionist (as a kid I felt compelled to 100% everything, now not so much (the idea of “un-complete-able” games broke me)), I would so be here for this.
I love how the "FOOLS" Jirard was dressed like M. Bison.
his name is BDSM, remember this
FOOLS! IT IS I LORD DO'NATOR!... Oh, wrong group. Carry on.
Sonic fans does, what Segadon't.
Doesnt work too well
@@frindo9710 It does
Sega fans do what Nintendon’t
Antdude: "Hackers do what Sega don't- ah, that doesn't really work"
@@datanotfoundpleasetryagain3559 Also technically accurate.
I played this game recently and it still holds up. I wouldn't mind if future 2D Sonic games take this game's concepts and big moments (like the boss fights) and use it for their own. The story is cheesy and edgy at times (it reminds me of those old newgrounds shows I used to watch), but I found it charming.
I'm really excited for the sequel.
Some of the people behind this game moved on to help make Sonic Mania, so there's that.
(Don't tell this to the Sonic fanbase though. By and large, they hate Freedom Planet, so it's a real sore spot.)
Huh. I’m one of those sonic fans that likes freedom planet
@@Overhazard This is the first I've heard of Sonic fans hating Freedom Planet. From what I had seen (though this is coming from the classic side of the fanbase) most Sonic fans adore it outside of the long cutscenes between levels, and even that's not a deal breaker thanks to Classic Mode being a thing.
Normally Sonic OC's are some of the most cringe things out there but Lilac evolved into something far beyond and I quickly came to adore her for that. I've played a lot of indie games and Lilac became one of my favorite indie characters.
Popping in to push for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim one day.
What
@@Helicopter7 It is a sci-fi game part narrative adventure and part rts. Its writing is universally acclaimed. It's aso by Vanillaware. (they made Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown)
Milla has probably one of my favorite movesets out of any game ever. It's incredibly fun to run around and bash bots with blocks and whatever I can find in the level!
8:22 okay I need to get this out there, that line drives me bonkers. We had the Advance trilogy, the rush duology, colors and generations 3DS and like it or not, Sonic 4. We had plenty of 2D Sonic games to sink our teeth into and all but like 2 of them are really good.
Aside from that little quilt that personally annoys me, this is a great video! I'm surprised you didn't mention a Sonic Heroes comparison. The combat and longer stages have always reminded me of that game. Anyways, keep up the great work!
Yeah, I felt that Sonic Rush Adventure in particular was a very well-polished 2-D Sonic game that pushed the idea of different characters who play similarly enough and having the stage design balanced between them (whereas Sonic Rush 1's stage design was heavily oriented for Sonic). It's too bad the game was a complete bomb, having almost no marketing and getting its look and feel swallowed by The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
The Sonic Advance games and the DS version of Sonic Colors were very good too, though I haven't played Sonic Generations on the 3DS.
They're not nearly as high-profile as the home console Sonic games, so they're commonly forgotten or ignored. That, and they were a bright spot during the darkest period in Sonic's history, so it's easier to prove one's point about the quality of Sonic games, or lack thereof, if they're glossed over.
All of them are flawed in some way though--it took Dimps a long time to figure out how to avoid careening into enemies and hazards before you can react to them, and Sonic Rush Adventure has the very same dull-cutscene problems that Freedom Planet has, but I felt that all of them are more oriented toward replaying the stages for the fastest times and highest scores. Stages like Music Plant Zone and Haunted Shop Zone are still some of my favorite stages in Sonic history.
(I'd like to mention that Tomoya Ohtani, lead composer for Sonic, wanted to get Sky Babylon Zone and Cyber Track Zone into Sonic Generations, but he was not successful.)
YEEESSSS.
HE'S FINALLY TALKING ABOUT MY FAVORITE INDIE GAME!!!
You have good taste! 😏
Mine too! I absolutely loved this game ever since I played it on the Nintendo Wii U, and it remains my most favorite indie game title of all time right next to "Shovel Knight". :D
@@sonicmario64 nice! You have good taste as well! How does the wii u version use the pad?
@@sonicmaiden2871 It doesn't use the Wii U game pad in any way like "Shovel Knight" did, but I don't really mind as long as the game is still fun and enjoyable to play.
@@sonicmario64 I see. As long as the game is fun, the gamepad integration isn't that important. Freedom planet is a great game on all the consoles. I played the PC version tough.
Read the title as; "Femdom Planet"
Boy was I disappointed...
Lilac with a beard has awakened something inside of me.
Ok but those little Jirards are super cute and should become like a little stickerpack or something-
Even the evil one?
I actually really liked the story. It wouldn't win any awards, but it was nice and simple, and reasonably cohesive. And, yes, Mayor Zhao was easily the best character.
I liked it too, although it possibly could have been shorter in places... I think they did edit it down a bit for later versions... And hey, you could always play classic mode if you wanted.
+5 Charisma
Preparing for episode 400. Getting into the hype 🤩
Boy you must be disappointed
@@pegasis7774 why?
@@darkcloak100 cause he said hes gonna take a month break
@@pegasis7774 Oh I mean that doesn't affect my hype. That just means more build up. Not to mention there will be other content I can enjoy just as much
@@darkcloak100 true
Yeah, I remember getting a hold of this game on PC. Bought it again when it came out on Switch. The Sonic part of the game is obvious to any seasoned player, but I also noticed Lilac played a lot like Sparkster from Rocket Knight Adventures. Carol and Milla definitely felt different, though I have heard Carol compared to Mega Man Zero. At the time this game came out they called it "the real Sonic 4" since Sonic 4 was a disappointment. The problem with his game was it didn't have (and probably still doesn't) have a whole lot of mainstream attention on it leaving only the hardcore Sonic fanbase to grab and take hold of it. Me personally I think it was the shot in the arm this kind of gameplay needed especially when you consider there were Sonic imitators back in the 16-bit console wars oddly enough all of them released on Genesis. It was a good fix to hold me over until Sonic Mania came out, but now I wanna see what the sequel has.
Even then, I mostly saw cold reactions from the existing Sonic fans. They were supportive of Freedom Planet when it was still in production, but opinions slowly but steadily turned against it, and Sonic fans grew either totally disinterested in it or called it a "Sonic ripoff."
I'd never heard of this game before, but it looks good and possibly worth checking out, so thanks.
Another excellent indie action rpg with some 2.5D platforming is Crosscode. Its criminally underexposed in general gaming conversation despite being one of the best of its genre I've played in years. Check it out if it looks interesting.
Itd be funny if someone else walked by while he was arguing with his imaginary cartoon people.
"JABRONIES!"
7:18 That's because Sonic was originally a rabbit and would use his ears to grab rings and throw them at his enemies but they scrapped that because Yuji Naka at the time wanted to make a game where speed acts as a reward (speed and momentum) and Naka wanted a character that can roll into a ball and gain incredible speed and destroy enemies in its path. If you want to talk about Sonic combat skills play Sonic The Fighters, Sonic Battle, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, SSB4 and Ultimate because that is where Sonic's combat skills really shine and he didn't have that much of a moveset in Sonic 1, 2 and 3 because the objective was to finish the level as fast as you can and remember the first Super Mario Bros game how you always start at the very beginning? Naka-san said that that is where Sonic's inspiration for speedrunning came of beating the levels you memorise off by heart.
On Freedom Planet 2, a developer said :

Gabby [developer] Feb 17 @ 11:28pm
I assure you we are doing just fine. Small staff, big game, there's no magical timer on when a game comes out, but there's no way to take back a half-assed game either.
We're not in development hell. Insisting on it won't make it happen nor are there any combination of words that are going to cause us to release the game before it's done.
Gabby [developer] Feb 18 @ 11:16am
Oh we don't argue that [it was announced too early]. We actually originally intended to keep it under wraps for a long while but the end of Steam Greenlight kind of forced our hand.
I've got to stress again, we're definitely not in development hell, if anything we've steadily increased our pace lately. As our stream in September showed a significant portion of the game work is done and since our art assets are complete for most levels we've already gone into the stage where we're refining and making the game perfect.
We funded the game independently with our own profits and we're steadily on track to completion. We'll give a release date when the game is done, not before. Good things come to those who can wait for them. And we're working hard to ensure we make the best possible game we can.
Jirard looks like a history professor with those glasses on😂😂 LOVE IT
Who else was enjoying the music throughout this review?
This game's soundtrack is so catchy!
Same, is has my favourite overall soundtrack, yeah other games have a few really good one but the whole soundtrack in this games rocks.
After replaying the original Sonic games lately, this game feels very similar, but in a good old fashioned way.
Ahem. Mii-La. Not Millia. Miila.
That wasn't a typo at the beginning, Jirard was just permanently traumatized by his first and only viewing of "The Importance of Being Ernest".
i really liked lilac's voice acting in the game.. i just beat the game tonight.. i haven't played the other 2 characters.. i did try it real quick with carol though and i was surprised at how different she played from lilac
I love the music in this game, the composer is actually an old friend of my wife!
“Powerade through a screen door” actually makes more sense than “far less painful than they need to be.”
Playing freedom planet without dying? Wheeeeeeeeeeeeze
10:28: Powerade through the screen door? Yeah...WHAT!?
Ah yes, Freedom Planet. The Torque and Spade DLC are never coming
In for Spark the Electric Jester representation
Freedom planet to me, was one of my first big inspirations when it came to indie titles, this game just does what ive always wanted to do, and the community and the people behind it are wonderful.
Been a fan for years and always find myself having a dramatic positive mood change from viewing your videos, thanks for the literal endless hours of content and entertainment. PS. im just going to assume this video was your birthday gift to me since it dropped on the same day.
I still remember playing Freedom Planet way back in the day on Steam when they were still making changes to the story and characters, it was fun seeing this game progress and I'm glad it's getting a sequel.
Somehow I did not know this game existed.
It's on my Switch now.
Thanks, Jirard!
Can we take a second to talk about how glasses Jirard looks like a lovely goofball dad - and I wanna hug him?
I don't get the "dad" thing but i do get the "wanna hug" thing
Freedom Planet almost plays put like an anime, and I love it.
I freakin' love this game, I know I'm a little late but I'm glad to see you go through this amazing game. It's my all time favorite!
I always think of games like this when I see other fan games that put in so much work into something that may be canceled for legal reasons or not really go anywhere due to the IP. I feel the fan part should be a base before making it something their own.
I love sonic, but I love Freedom Planet much more than classic sonic games. Galaxy Trail made masterpiece game
I can't get the image of Bearded Lilac out of my head now.
So amazed that you're close to completing 400 games!!!!! Congratulations!!!! Can't wait to see what you and your team do to celebrate, Jirard!!! Here's to 300+ more games to come!
I look forward to the next Freedom Planet. Great gameplay and music
So cool seeing Freedom Planet on here. The story may not be the best, but it's such a fun game that it more than makes up for it. I've got high hopes for the sequel.
B.D.S.M.'S "Oh I-I know what it is" gave me big Dr. Doofenschmirtz vibes, which was great.
A lot of people forget that Sonic isn't the only game this drew inspiration from. It's a wide collection of things not only including Sonic, but other titles like Ristar, Sparkster, Mega Man X and Gunstar Heroes. It's a fantastic and well-crafted love letter to 90s action platformers, not just Sonic. ;)
9:13 also goes into one of many reasons why I love Monster World IV. Damage is based on body type. You don't get hurt just by touching everything.
That "powerade through a screendoor" fucked me up. Great shit.
I blinked for a second when the video started and got caught off guard by Jirard's new look not use to the glasses
This games has some really fun Easter eggs:
Try filling all the save slots with the same character, each portrait is different.
You can also trigger some outtakes and joke dialogue during cutscenes by holding the direction down, and cycling through the dialogue with C (I forget what the default button is for C). The great thing about it is that they went through the trouble to animate the characters saying these lines.
these vids are so well made keep doing the great work!
I actually ended up liking this game more than Sonic Mania. Mania was great, but Freedom Planet is just constantly firing on all cylinders. It never slows down. If you're not blasting at top speed through some totally unique setpiece, you're fighting an enormous boss with an elaborate moveset. It never runs out of new ideas and stage gimmicks to throw at you and it always feels fresh.
It's just such pure chaotic video game fun. Everyone is always quick with the Sonic comparisons, but it has just as much in common with Gunstar Heroes
Too me freedom planet was alright not the best thing in the world but ya know I enjoyed it I mainly bought it to fill in the void for sonic games since ya know...they haven't been as frequent anymore
The glowup FP2 has compared to the original in terms of scale and visuals (especially the latter) is insane. Can't wait for it to come out.
Freedom planet has always been in my backlog for a while, but hearing there's no damage on touch, diverse character move sets and well thought out badge challenges I think it's time to take the plunge.
This is one of my favorite indie games and one of my favorite platformers in general. I got it on Switch a few years back and I've beaten it like 7 times. Hard reccomend picking it up. I think its still on sale at the time of this comment. Hyped for the sequel whenever it releases.
Just for the record, Milla is not annoying at all because she's rather cute and appealing, and she happens to be my most favorite character in the game right next to Lilac and Carol. But, other than that, I really appreciate you being able to do a review of "Freedom Planet" regardless of the critiques towards some of the things I love about it, and I think it's about time this indie game finally gets the recognition it deserves.
Wow the gameplay for this looks like a 90s kids DREAM haha.
With that kind of ending to a video I would love it if the end card announcer was caught off guard like "...oh uh....FINISH IT I guess...see you guys later" lol
Thx for the great episode TOVG crew
Did beard mode get charged to glasses mode?
The was just part of the sponsorship
Well while I do agree with the main characters needing something more (though I still enjoy them, especially Milla), can I just say how Freedom Planet has one of my favourite cast of indie villains. While not the most developed, they are just fun to enjoy them in action, especially with their boss fights. (Spoilers for Freedom Planet)
Serpentine your usual comedic commander villain, is just so fun. His normal boss fight has some fun attacks like his usual blaster and flamethrower, and the dual pistol shot in the sky... man even when I get hit by that attack, it feels so cool getting combo'd by his blasters in mid air. Then his machines are just great fun to fight, with running alongside to fight his . Then Final Serpentine is a great battle for the fact, Lord Brevon turned him into a monster with upscaled versions of his attacks, all while battling at the edge of a spaceship with falling off meaning instant death. I always have a spot for villains like Serpentine, where their part is small but they have a blast with what they are doing.
Prince Dail is a simple villain mind controlled out of madness due to his father's death. But while he is simple, man does he have some great boss fights with fun quotes, all tied with a great boss battle theme. And they have fun ways to defeat it, with breaking all the gems on the feathers before you can deal damage. Or trying to take off Prince Dail's Shield while he remains high up on the air, allowing for some fun ways to defeat these fights as quickly as possible.
Syntax being the robotic boss, has so many forms where the only one I dislike is Thermal Base's Second Fight against Syntax as a Squid form (I just hate how long and hard it takes to get him down). Spider-Mode is a simple but fun boss fight shooting lava out of its claws, and then when heading into the second phase, shoots 8 spikes in a difficult pattern that you need to figure around it. Cancer-Mode is a fun battle for a shoot-em up section, where it's fun to dodge the shots and big lasers. and Morpher-Mode is a blast of a boss fight, being difficult, but having so much fun with the transformations and deadly attacks, all while running ahead of a laser. I really enjoyed what they did for this robotic boss and enjoyed most of the fights against it.
Lord Brevon: I like how simple his masterplan is in this game, just wants to leave this planet so he can get back to protecting his homeland... and destroying tons more planets. I think what makes him one up many villains for me was Final Dreadnought, where it feels like he is doing everything in his power to make sure our heroes won't make it through. Send 100s of Soldiers, remove the Oxygen System so they die of lack of Oxygen, send tons of powerful cannons to shoot at you, and even kidnap Milla who helps throughout the level (when playing as Carol and Lilac) so he can force you to give up the program that stops the ship... and then turns her into a horrifying monster that tries to kill you. That final stage really helped cementing him as one of my favourite villains, as his actions connect with the gameplay, and to top it all off, we get a cool 3-stage final boss that is really difficult to beat.
I think what makes them work though, is you battle most of the villains, multiple times through the game, so they feel like a constant threat, and nearly every single boss battle against the group is fun and difficultly challenging, where it feels satisfying to defeat them. and while not hugely complex, they all feel like competent villains who do their roles great.
This game and Fark the Electric Jester hand down are great examples of transitioning a fan project to personal project they can call their own.
So is this Jirard-iverse connected to the Jon-iverse? I'd love to see a crossover with Rosa-Jon!
My favourite game, thank you for reviewing this! I hope the sequel does well, and that this game can be remembered as one of the GOATs!
The FX for these videos just keep getting better
!!!
I used to play runbow a lot with my friends and I always played as Lilac! We would look up and see she was from freedom planet but we'd always forget to look into it afterwards. Seeing her on the screen, all I could think was "CYCLONE!!!" before I finally remembered her name cx
This is game like if a treasure and sonic game fused and was birthed on the sega saturn, the game's art music and gameplay rival that of even S3&K, while also building it's own fresh identity, with multiple vastly unique characters, deeper combat blended well with platforming, and a style only eclipsed by that of sonic rush. I honestly can't wait to see how freedom planet 2 turns out.
22:22 I know you put beards on all of the characters for the outro to these videos, but Lilac the Completionist is not something I ever wanted to see in this lifetime lmao
Thank you so much for giving this game some attention. It’s always been one of my favorite indie games
Me: Where's Jirard?
*Removes glasses*
Me: Holy crap! I didn't recognize him!
*Wears glasses*
Me: Whoa! He vanished again!
I bought this when you or Alex mentioned it on SBB. It was totally worth! Thanks for exposing it to me, glad to see it get some love
LOL grey stubble glasses Jirard almost made me spit my drink.
Same, I havent watched the completionist in quite some time. I was not prepared
Therapist: Don't worry, bearded Lilac can't cyclone you.
Me: *stares at therapist in **22:22*
This game is amazing! I got nothing clever to say, it's speaks for itself!
Really value that you pick and choose what your video sponsors are, this one are good to raise awareness on the issue, even if it's a paid promotion. You should really make a video about hand stretching exercises, eye exercises, routines , etc., to keep gamers healthy, think it's a good fit even if the channel is 100% gaming.
Wow man! Your love for games really comes through in the way you describe what you like about this game. Incredibly well written and spoken sir. I have a copy of this game that I’ve yet to open and play but I’m moving it to the front of my backlog now. I certainly hope the creator watches your review of his game. Great work G.
My husband went to college with the guy who made the game, so I've already heard about it and knew about the bad story and phoned-in voice acting for some characters.
Nice to know that the gameplay is decent, and the music is good--so compliments to the composer for sure.
I remember playing this game..
It was awesome.
Life to me bro.
I know that nobody likes touch damage, and that it's a relic of the past, but one of my favorite ways that any video game explained "touch damage" was in the original arcade version of Mario Bros: anytime you ran into an enemy, they either bit you or snapped at you, on some "Get out of my personal space" type shit. Lol
Thanks for the glasses discount! I’ve wanted some for awhile and just got 2 pairs!
I admit, I’ve seen this one around but never really took the plunge on it. I think I’m going to have to go it a go and so I’ve added it to my wish list. Thanks for the video, it was great.
He looks pretty sharp with those glasses!
pretty sure Milla is pronounced "Mee-lah"
Love the Completionist, but thought the recent bits were ok. BUT the character archetype bit in this episode was gold! Thanks Jirard