Freedom Fall - Maxi Geek Review

What does it take to make a great game? Amazing and super fancy graphics? A complicated story? The answer is no. A great game is made by a great idea and that feeling you get when you beat a hard part or realize something that has had you stuck. And Freedom Fall is just that game.

Freedom Fall has you take on the role of Marsh, a prisoner of the tower that was designed by the Princess. Yes in this platformer you’re not out to save the Princess, but to save yourself from her. The Princess has taken over the tower and has left heaps of art and scribbles to help explain why she did it, and what she expects of you. Of course in between all that are giant spinning blades, fire pits, spikes and more.

As far as stories go, this one is easy to get and makes sense for the content of the game. It’s just a shame that it’s not expanded more throughout. As Marsh makes his way down, you will learn more about the world of Freedom Fall, including other members of the Royal family, even if they never make an appearance. In fact there are only 4 characters in the game, and one of them is a shark.

Sadly there is a downside to the game, at least on PC and that’s the default controls. Using a keyboard for a game that requires a higher level of control than most platformers is just not possible. Even if the standard navigation was ok, adding in item throwing elements makes this impossible. Thankfully the game supports gamepad and once I hooked it up I was jumping blades and dodging bursts of fire like a pro. 

Freedom Fall takes a good look at platformers and adds a whole new experience to it, by switching it from a top to bottom look rather than left to right. It adds some Super Meat Boy style elements, but thankfully does not take the difficulty as well. It does run a little on the short side, but thankfully there is enough replay to keep you coming back again and again.

PAX Australia 2013 - Freedom Fall takes what you thought you knew about video game Princesses and throws it out the window.

There are times when you see a game for the first time and you think to yourself that this is a game I need to play. Freedom Fall was one of those games for me.

Freedom Fall takes the traditional premise of a hero attempting to rescue the Princess and throws it out the window. In this game the Princess is a little more on the dark side, she wants to keep you in the tower. And to ensure that you stay she has equipped the tower with spike traps, giant spinning blades and lots of flames. But it’s is your fault if you fall into them.

Much like Super Meat Boy, there is a pattern that emerges from the game, and while it’s not instantly noticeable, you can see it if you take a moment to relax. The games creator Lisa Rye had spent years working on other peoples games, but kept thinking that there was a game she knew she had to make. “There was a certain type of game that I wanted to play but that I just couldn't find ... so to take things into my own hands and make the game I wanted to play.”

Lisa spent around 7 months of her own time designing and prototyping the game, and then Stirfire Studios came to the party and helped kick the development into overdrive. So with over 2 years of development the game has entered the world. The game itself has gotten some great press already, and with Lisa and the team at PAX Australia right now, more and more people are getting to play this fantastic game. 

Lisa Rye, rocking out some awesome cosplay at PAX Aus

Freedom Fall is out now on many formats including iOS, Android, OUYA and Desura. There is also a Greenlight project on Steam for those that like Steam versions of their games.