Like a bolt out of the blue, apparently in celebration of the game's 10th anniversary (has it really been that long?), an HD remaster of the PS Vita action RPG, Freedom Wars, has been revealed. The best part is you won't even have to suffer through another interminable prison sentence before it arrives, breaking out on PS5 and PS4 on 10th January 2025.
Including all previously released DLC, Freedom Wars Remastered will boast vastly improved visuals, supporting 4K resolution and 60fps, which will likely be revelatory, as the original Vita game would flitter somewhere between 20 and 30. Online servers were shuttered a few years back, so with co-op play returning, it seems Freedom Wars is getting an entirely new lease on life.
Taking place on Earth in the year 102014, with the surface no longer capable of supporting life, humanity lives underground in vast cities called Panopticons. Under a fascist system, each citizen is required to contribute, and due to overpopulation, draconian punishments are applied to virtually every infraction. You play as a customizable character awarded 1,000,000 years in prison for "the crime of living", and only through service to the state can that sentence be reduced, serving as soldiers in constant conflict against the alien Abductors.
Are you excited by the return of Freedom Wars? Did you play the original on PS Vita? We sentence you to spend all of eternity in the comments section below.
[source youtu.be]
Comments 41
Totally wasn't expecting this from Sony but yes! Even a Switch port is a welcome surprise
Spent so much hours on Freedom Wars on my Vita. This game is so much fun.
This is a big surprise but a missed opportunity for Sony to make it exclusives since they lend the license to Dimp. Just show Sony higher ups doesn't give a finger with Japan Studio IP, especially when SIE president himself said Sony lacking original IP :/
But hey, at least more people playing this fun game. I bought Vita version on day 1 and really like it. Maybe i will double dip with this remaster...
This was a surprise.
Was this one in the God Eater universe too? Or was that just Code Vein?
Anyways the Vita folks loved this one, so this is pretty neat to see come back.
Bandai Namco?
@PuppetMaster I still find it so weird that he said that. And then not long after Astro Bot dropped with those VIP bots, that pretty much made his point redundant.
I think he was trying to say that they don't have much "new" IP (not just PlayStation, but Sony as a whole).
But they have more IP then Xbox and Nintendo combined, I believe, so why not use stuff you already have? (For example, this game!)
Nice, one of the best (former) exclusives on the Vita. Awesome game. Great that more people get to try it out now!
Well that wasn't on my bingo card lol.
Will it have a physical? Need to know that. Surely it will.
Crossing my fingers for Marvelous AQL to do the same for Soul Sacrifice.
I have been playing through this for the first time on my Vita after picking it up a few months ago. Definitely wasn’t expecting this to happen but I think I’ll skip the ps5 version for now. I like the game but find it a little repetitive. The combat takes some getting used to as well.
@Tevor This has nothing to do with God Eater or any game universe. It's a stand alone.
@TheTraditional Some people said his statement was towards anime or movie which i could agreed. But he also included Playstation which doesn't makes any sense at all since Sony themself has created tons of original IP's since PS1 era but they abandon many of them.
This is why i worried that we got another Jim Ryan but from Japan lol.
What a bizarre and random announcement, but a highly good one. I remember spending so many hours with this game on the Vita. I was so close to platinuming the game before my Vita officially died. I would love to replay it, and will do so on my Portal — the home where it belongs.
I never got around to playing this on Vita but I heard it was a fairly good game. I will try it out and see for myself.
Omg!!!! This is amazing news 😃😃😃 loved this game on vita but always wished I could play it on the big screen instead.
Oh my god, tell me I'm not dreaming. This news has absolutely made my day! Freedom Wars is one of my favourite games on the Vita - I have never been able to get into the Monster Hunter franchise but I loved the dystopian setting, cyborg accessory system and soundtrack in this game. I remember playing a few online co-op sessions just before the servers shut down on Christmas Eve in 2021. Unfortunately, the AI companions weren't strong enough to help me take down bosses later in the game, making solo progress towards a Platinum trophy virtually impossible. I'll definitely be buying this remaster on day one!
Like others, I'm disappointed that Sony has outsourced this to Bandai Namco rather than doing it themselves. Given that they've closed Japan Studios it's hardly surprising, but even now I struggle to accept that the PlayStation I loved during the PS3-Vita-PS4 era no longer exists. At least Sony had the decency to license the game, and given that Dimps is the original dev and Bandai has a good pedigree in the genre (God Eater, Code Vein etc.) the remaster is in good hands. I'd love to know if Bandai approached Sony or vice versa. Anyway, it's time to listen to the soundtrack on Spotify again.
@Icey664 I remember playing it a few times on my PlayStation (Vita) TV and it's definitely easier to control with a DualShock controller compared to the Vita. Can't wait to play it again with improved graphics, resolution and frame rate.
I think I bought it, but never got around playing it.
This gives me hope that one day we'll get Soul Sacrifice, which was superb.
This was a great little game on the vita, loved it. Killzone Mercenary next pls
See, Sony do share their games with other consoles lol.
Looking forward to playing this again, I didn't play it on Vita until a few years after release, which by that time it was impossible to play online. This time il be getting it day one whilst servers are populated.
@astro911 Controls were the reason I stopped playing actually. Looking forward to playing with adaptive triggers!
This is great news and about 10 months ago someone on Resetera said they heard Bandai and Sega were working on Sony IP.
So if Namco did this then I wonder what Sega is working on.
I have the VITA version I think (was it on plus at one point?), anyway, I remember bouncing off it, but I feel like I might enjoy it more on a big screen with a proper controller. Kind of disappointed it’s a remaster and not an emulation though, otherwise I might get it for free.
Oh, I remembered being very disappointed by this one. It had great setting and premise, but turned out to be yet another Monster Hunter clone on Vita with no story and characters. Just like Soul Sacrifice.
Glad there's hype in these comments for this gem. I cannot wait, this game was so underrated and underexposed when it came out here. This trailer also seems to confirm an English dub, unless it's only for the trailer? The game only released with subtitles if I remember correctly
Edit: an IGN preview has confirmed a dub but it's like a weird text-to-speech thing. It sounds a bit cool and faithful to the setting but also a bit of a red flag. The monkey's paw curls.
I was thinking just the other day how different it could have gone for some of the Vita-only games if they'd released on a platform people actually bought. Freedom Wars was cool; don't know if I'd play it again, but if Sony announces Soul Sacrifice Remastered I'll happily put another 100+ hours into that.
@MrMagic It's supposed to be a new Wipeout from Sega.
Just copped this game out like three months ago for the vita😂. It was only 8 quid tho so I'm not exactly complaining🤷♂️
Ooooh very nice, I never got round to playing Freedom Wars on the Vita.
I’m definitely gonna be getting the remaster for the PS5 for sure
I wish sony would bring more vita games over to PS5, either remasters or just ports vis playstation plus premium. Killzone Mercenary, Soul Sacrifice, Resistance Burning Skies and Army Corps of Hell next please.
@Icey664
Yes indeed! If the haptic feedback on the thorn mechanic is anything like the grappling hook in Returnal I will be in heaven haha!
At the time, this was the only hunting game i managed to play. It wasn't super grindy and in a pre-monster hunter rise world the grappling hook was pretty good.
But, it kind of lacked on everything else.
I am not interested in revisiting this one.
Very interesting that Bandai are handling the publishing for this version, licenced from Sony. Can't complain though, game companies licensing their inactive IP to others is a great idea imo.
@UltimateOtaku91 Sega Wipeout sounds incredible. F-Zero GX all over again.
Now can we get muramasa the demon blade.and soul sacrifice.i remember playing freedom wars on my psvita.a really good game.im glad more people are going to play it on ps4 and ps5.word up son
@UltimateOtaku91 Yeah licencing the old IP'S they weren't going to return to themselves is a good idea, much better than the horizon remaster anyway.
I mean I like horizon but it definitely feels unnecessary.
I have it on Vita, I just wonder if the console version will have an option for English voices. Bandai Namco has historically been pretty good about that.
Ive never even heard of this game and I owned a Vita but basically what you guys are saying is that this is Monster Hunter 2077
@MrSensical It's the voice for the Accessory, which in the JP dub is also voiced by text-to-speech. The Japanese version let you program the Accessory to say whatever you wanted in Japanese. Rest assured We'll be getting an actual dub with actual actors lol.
Considering this was my favourite Vita exclusive, I am beyond excited about this news! I will definitely buy it day one!
Game like this is best played on handheld but I kind of want that 4K & 60 fps, wish sony has steam deck like ps4 portable.
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