Freedom Planet

Freedom Planet is a 2D platform video game developed and published by GalaxyTrail, a studio set up by designer Stephen DiDuro. The player controls one of three anthropomorphic animal protagonists: the dragon Lilac, the wildcat Carol, or the basset hound Milla. Aided by the duck-like Torque, the player attempts to defeat Lord Brevon, who plans to conquer the galaxy. While the game focuses on fast-paced platforming, its levels are interspersed with slower action scenes. Freedom Planet began development as a Sonic the Hedgehog fangame, but DiDuro lost interest in creating a derivative work and reconceived the project as his own intellectual property. He visited the website DeviantArt to recruit artist Ziyo Ling, who replaced the existing cast of characters with her own. Lilac, originally a hedgehog, became a dragon; antagonist Doctor Eggman was replaced by Brevon; and the Sonic series' ring-based health system was abandoned. Further changes were suggested by fans and incorporated throughout development. Freedom Planet was developed in Denmark and the United States and its art direction has East Asian influences: its background visuals were inspired by medieval Chinese art, and the game's title is written in katakana. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, first as a demo in August 2012, then, after a successful Kickstarter campaign, as a full game via Steam in July 2014. The game was later released on the Wii U in October 2015, on the PlayStation 4 in 2017, and on the Nintendo Switch in August 2018. Freedom Planet has been widely compared to the early Sonic games. Critics praised its gameplay, aesthetics, and balance of Sonic elements with original content, but were mixed on its pacing and length. A sequel, Freedom Planet 2, will be released in 2019.