I’ve been playing Freedom Planet 2 on my Steam Deck on and off, and decided to put more time into it tonight. I’m really liking it! They made quite a few changes since the original game, which could basically be described as a Sonic Clone (a really good Sonic Clone!). The music is still powerful as ever, and the visuals look just as stunning – with the protagonists having matured a bit since the original game.
Instead of going from one level to another, you gain access to different levels instead (kinda like in the older Super Mario games). This is great if you want to go back and explore each level (there’s a lot to explore in each level). You also have the added option of starting levels with buffs that you can purchase with gems you find throughout your runs, though it introduces a penality.
Freedom Planet 2 allows you to choose between 4 different characters to play as from the start. So far I’ve mostly played as Lilac the Dragon, but I’ve also dabbled a bit with Carol the Wildcat and Milla the Hound. They all have different movesets that are familiar if you played the original game, but they’ve also added a guard option as well as additional cool features. Carol can now pocket her motorcycle to use at later times, and Milla can supercharge her green block gun!
You also have the option of starting a tutorial depending on which character you start as, if you want to get a better idea of how each character’s abilities work before jumping into the actual game. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far! And while it isn’t verified for Steam Deck, it might as well be! It runs without any issues and looks really nice on the screen, as evidenced by all of the above screenshots. If you liked the first game, and you like Sonic type games in general, I highly recommend this one.