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  1. Games
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Like Monster Hunter and Soul Sacrifice? Freedom Wars is your next must-play game

News
By Lucas Sullivan published 17 May 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

When a problem comes along, you must whip it

When a problem comes along, you must whip it

At first glance, Freedom Wars' slower-paced co-op combat and behind-the-back camera make it look like just another multiplayer-focused Monster Hunter knockoff. But in both its mysterious sci-fi setting and its actual gameplay mechanics, Freedom Wars distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack in style. I got the chance to play SCE Japan Studio's latest hunting action game on PS Vita, and let me tell you: Thorn whips are the wave of the future.

What is a Thorn whip, you ask? It's the solution to my biggest pet peeve with Monster Hunter-like games: sluggish movement, and how agonizingly long it takes to get anywhere as a result. In Freedom Wars, the action takes place in the ruins of a futuristic metropolis (Earth in the year 102013, to be exact). Because all the environments take place amidst giant, crumbling skyscrapers, you can latch on to any surface using your Thorn, a whip of reddish energy that'll pull you to whatever you've hooked. Instead of trudging around and waiting for a stupid sprint meter, you can swing towards enemies or directly onto them like a costume-less, Japanese Spider-Man. And because of the far future setting, the gargantuan enemies look quite a bit cooler and more refreshing compared to the oversized dragons you've seen time and again in Monster Hunter.

The scenario is also the kind of intriguing premise that you'd expect from an underground manga. You've been sentenced to 1,000,000 years of imprisonment, and each mission takes a chunk off your time depending on how well you performed. This does wonders for contextualizing the action; instead of battling for hours in the hopes of scoring incrementally better gear, there's actually the light of freedom awaiting at the end of the tunnel.

Check out the following screenshots for additional info!

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
The monsters terrorizing the surface are called Abductors. Their presence has forced humanity underground, to cities known as Panopticons

The monsters terrorizing the surface are called Abductors. Their presence has forced humanity underground, to cities known as Panopticons

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Dodging is key to succeeding in battle, as is knowing when to use your light or heavy attacks

Dodging is key to succeeding in battle, as is knowing when to use your light or heavy attacks

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Citizens are often trapped inside the bodies of Abductors; once you've broken them out of their cages, you'll have to carry them to safety

Citizens are often trapped inside the bodies of Abductors; once you've broken them out of their cages, you'll have to carry them to safety

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Up to eight players can team up to cooperatively take down gigantic monsters...

Up to eight players can team up to cooperatively take down gigantic monsters...

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
...or duke it out in large-scale PvP battles

...or duke it out in large-scale PvP battles

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Using the Thorn whip to zip around the ruined cities is an acrobatic good time

Using the Thorn whip to zip around the ruined cities is an acrobatic good time

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
To give you a sense of its popularity overseas, Freedom Wars has been topping the "Most anticipated" charts in Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu for weeks

To give you a sense of its popularity overseas, Freedom Wars has been topping the "Most anticipated" charts in Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu for weeks

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
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Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan
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Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them. 

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