Freedom Planet: coming to a Wii U near you! Indie Assault starring Spade is also a thing!

[Coral]

Right, so. I don't follow the indie community as much as I'd like (and heck, even big name games pass me by). However, there was one particular game that has piqued my interest.

 

 

Freedom Planet. A game that originally made its debut last year at Sage 2012 under the guise of a Sonic fangame. It's a high speed platforming game that boasts retro graphics and difficult bosses. So far the game has three characters all with their own uniqe perks.

 

 

The main character of the game is named Lilac. She is a purple Dragon Girl that can not only run pretty fast but also has an uppercut and kick attacks to take out enemies.

 

Her friends are the other two girls. The girl at the left is named Milla. She's a hound that can apparently fly by flapping her big ears. At the right is Carol, a cat that specializes in close combat and wall-jumping. She also has a pounce move that can help her reach her top speed quicker than simply running. Although they are all decently fast, Lilac is the fastest of the bunch.

 

 

As seen in the screenshot, there is a meter. Each character has a special move that can only be used when that meter is charged completely. Lilac's power is to shoot through the sky and rebounds off walls she comes in contact with, akin to Ristar. Carol summons a bike and can speed along at speeds rivalling Lilac.

 

Now this is where things get interesting.

 

Recently the game's creator, Strife, has been working diligently to turn this fan creation into a full-on retail game available on Steam. The first step was a kickstarter campaign that met its $2000 goal within a few hours. If this weren't enough of an attention grabber, now its looking to get through the Steam Greenlight process.

 

This move has received mixed results.

 

Some people claim that there are too many similarities to Sonic in this game that it shouldn't be allowed to pass into retail. Though there are some definite nods to the Sonic series, such as S curves and rolling mechanics, I'm really not sure what to think about these claims. There is such a thing as tipping the hat to certain franchises that have inspired a creator, but how much is too much?

 

The game has had some changes thrown its way over the course of distancing itself from the Sonic series. For example, Lilac was redesigned so that she no longer sports the matching flesh colored muzzle and arms, instead having an all purple skin color. She also lost her ears in favor of horns, and her head changed from the spiky Sonic-styled head to having slightly wavy hair.

 

To give a taste of how the game plays, here is a video of the first stage available on the demo.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7bOBY6Y8v8

 

The game's website can be found here. The Steam Greenlight page can be found here.

 

Any thoughts about this game or its situation? The game looks like it could easily fit into the crowd of Genesis games. If anything, it reminds me more of Ristar than Sonic. I'm personally just really looking forward to a new action platformer.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I remember SAGE last year and how people were going on about two games, this and that other Sonic game. I played the Sonic one and watched a few videos of Freedom Planet and thought 'if these are getting the hype, how terrible must the other ones be?'

 

This game to me, as nice as the character designs are (if you ignore how they look so much like everyone elses bunny/cat/leaf lady creature), has always looked like it's trying to be something it's not. That being an original title. It just takes so much from other franchises and series that I can't believe they're now trying to make money from it.

 

Also the topic title is quite misleading. It's not a Sonic fangame as much as it rips off chunks of Sonic games.

[Faseeh]

Alright, I know quite the bit about this game. First up, I've talked to Strife. This game has very little concentrated influences and he has let people from various authorities to test this game to check if the game is alright, so it won't get sued and stuff.

 

That said I wish the game does do well, and looks a bit more HD-ified in the end.

[Coral]

From what I've read, it seems like there's nothing Sega could really do to his game since at most these things are nods or the copyright could have expired. It does seem like he's hard at work trying to change things to make them less Sonic/Sega inspired and more of its own idea though, such as planning to get rid of the S curves and all that.

 

Also the topic title is quite misleading. It's not a Sonic fangame as much as it rips off chunks of Sonic games.

 

Well I figured it was meant to be a Sonic fangame from the beginning only to realize that it's not as "Sonicy" as most others and decided to take a different approach. It was at Sage afterall. Dunno what else to change the title to.

[Lady Soniko]

I've been wondering about this recently too... However I'm agreeing with Hogfather on this, it used to be a Sonic Fan Character fan game, a really good one at that but now they're trying to overstep their boundaries with money involved, I've read their kickstarter post, their goal after $2000 is something like $7000, who's going to pander $7000 into a fan game? and their reasons are stupid, "we need $7000 to commission art, and add a new character for the amazing support!" It just bugs me that they've gone this route, because the characters are basically rip offs of Sonic, Cream and Knuckles with Shadow's motorcycle, the character designs are uninspired and look like bad fan characters, the names kinda just make me cringe because its the names you expect people to call FC's.

 

I really liked the way this was going but now not so much, I think they got a bit too greedy with the projects intentions and exposure it got. 

[JezMM]

I dunno, even though it still looks very Sonicy I don't really see anything wrong with them wanting to try and get money from it.  I mean this project has been going on years now and it really shows, they've worked hard on this and I think they should deserve to make some money off of it if they want to try.  I don't see why people should be entitled to play it for free just because it's not 100% original.  That'd be like saying it's wrong to charge artists for commissions of copyrighted characters.  (Which uhh... maybe it still would be actually but point is most people wouldn't think so).

 

As for how Sonic-y it is in gameplay well... have SEGA patented the classic Sonic physics-type play?  Coz if not there's no issue here, just as they're not copying Donkey Kong arcade by having jumping.

 

 

(The characters are also guilty pleasures of mine, I dun really care that they look like fancharacters, I think the artwork and designs are adorable and quite appealing).

[Badnik Mechanic]

I don't really see anything wrong with them wanting to try and get money from it.

 

The problem I have with this is... well... just look at the kickstarter goals.

 

$3,000 = animated cutscenes.

 

$4,000 = A new coder

 

$5,000 = An additional character

 

$7,000 = A web comic.

 

$10,000 = Advertising & Promotion.

 

Lets look at the numbers.

 

$1000 = a new coder. So they're going to hire and pay someone $1000 over a period of how long? Because thats quite an epically poor salary for a coder if they're going to hire them for anything longer than a month.

 

$1000 = A new character. Really... $1000 is what you need to add another character into the game? $1000? How much does it normally cost fan games to put additional characters into their game.

 

$2000 = A web comic... again... really? $2000? How long is this comic going to be? Whats the website server cost? Whats the payment to the artists/writers? Who are the artists and writers? only... this seems like one wild figure to throw out, especially since we know nothing about the characters or the place it's set on or anything about the people that would be working on it. Yet we have a valuation of $2000?

 

$3000 = Advertising/promotion/goes back into the game. Why is this even a step? Surely any money you make after your initial goal would naturally either go back into the game or it's promotion as well as your own pocket?

 

But then when you look at their 'costs' section on the kickstarter... thats when things don't add up.

 

According to them, it's going to cost $1615 to complete the project. And don't forget, this is something which has been in development for a long time which already has a playable build of. And the $500 art comission is only for website materials. Just something about the numbers when you look at them doesn't make a lot of sense.

[JezMM]

I see, fair enough.

 

$1000 for an additional character doesn't sound that off though, considering the art, sound and coding that would be involved, as well even possibly level redesign to balance for their special ability.

[Crash]

To me it just seems like the developers thought, "Well, we changed it so it's less Sonic-y. Now then, instead of making it a non-profit game let's make a crap load of money."

 

Seriously though. Games like Sonic: Before The Sequel are free, yes I know they didn't design models or anything but still a lot of time and money went into it yet the developers don't want anything in return. This is how an unofficial game should be, if they are asked by a publisher to make a game that will give them a profit then it's a different story.

[Faseeh]

Thinking again, a bit too much is being asked.

No matter what, good luck I guess.

[Wraith]

Considering how much Braid directly rips from Mario of all things, this should be okay as far as I'm concerned.

I mean seriously, you guys are so quick to shit on someone's efforts.

[Salamander]

I think if they've put a lot of work into it then they do have the right to try and field it as a retail game, no matter what it started out as, just so long as they can make it not an obvious rip-off.  And with that in mind I think as of now it would be respectful to work harder on removing the Sonic similarities.  The spikes need to look different, the springs need to not be springs, the rolling mechanic needs to no longer be rolling - maybe replace it with Blaze-style horizontal spinning, which would also fit nicely with the similarly lateral attack mechanic?  I think that probably worse rip-offs have gotten away with it, but that doesn't make it great etiquette.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I mean seriously, you guys are so quick to shit on someone's efforts.

 

Yes because in my post I've commented on the quality of the work... oh hang on... No I havn't.

 

I am getting so sick and tired of daring to criticise something or pointing out where something doesn't seem right only to then have someone say 'You're just shitting on it! It's a fan work! Leave it alone!' or words to that effect.

 

The fact is they're asking for far too much money for this thing, especially since the majority of the game was already completed and unless I'm mistaking they were not paying anyone back then or asking for money. Yet now it's 'Well guys we need $2000 to finish it...' bull fucking shit you do!  "We need $1000 to add another character in" WHY!? What possible reason do you need that sum for!?

[Wraith]

You claimed that it was terrible, and then you claimed that it rips from other Sonic games when it quite clearly doesn't. I didn't know Sonic had rights to fast paced gameplay and curves. That's like giving Mario ownership of jumping on people.


As for the whole money thing, yeah, I'm a bit iffy on that myself. Far worsee ripoffs have been released in retail however. Case in point: Braid.

[JezMM]

To me it just seems like the developers thought, "Well, we changed it so it's less Sonic-y. Now then, instead of making it a non-profit game let's make a crap load of money."

 

More like "well we made it less Sonicy, let's actually try and get a leg into the games industry because that's fucking hard to do."

 

Seriously though. Games like Sonic: Before The Sequel are free, yes I know they didn't design models or anything but still a lot of time and money went into it yet the developers don't want anything in return. This is how an unofficial game should be, if they are asked by a publisher to make a game that will give them a profit then it's a different story.

 

 

Just because it started life as a Sonic fangame that doesn't mean it still is.  With a straight Sonic fangame they have no RIGHT to ask for money.  If they could get money for it I'm sure they would.  Hell, wasn't the soundtrack avaliable as a "pay-what-you-want" dealie anyway?

 

I think the fact that Planet Freedom has kept interest in it and maintained a fanbase despite going off and doing it's own thing with it's own characters is a tough enough feat in itself.  If it gets Steam greenlit and this much money in such a short time it's pretty obvious people WANT to pay for it.

 

I'm envious of such a position.  I wish I had reached a point where I could ask for money for my creative endeavors and I think they certainly have.  So have the Sonic Before/After The Sequel guys but obviously they are literally just tied down by copyright.

 

Having said that, I think it would be great if this game was still avaliable for free in it's base form, but had the Steam (etc) version have extra features as thanks for people caring enough about the hard work put into it to give a little.

 

 

 

 

 

As a final note I can't say I'm that bothered by the amount they're asking for.  I dunno if this was me who'd put all this work into this game I probably would ask for a bit more than I needed, partly as an insurance in case stuff turns out to cost more than I thought, and, if it doesn't... goddamnit I worked on this game for years unpaid I deserve a little bonus!

[Candescence]

Yes, it started off as a Sonic fangame. But it transitioned into something that's now more inspired by it, and Strife hasn't exactly tried to hide the similarities. It's also really, really fun, better than anything Sonic Team (or DIMPS for that matter) has put out as of late. If people want to fund the crap out of it, they can go right ahead, I say.

[Chaos Warp]

Since this is an awesome fan game turned awesome game in general, I'd say it's fine for them to make money off of it. Maybe they're asking a little too much from Kickstarter, but still. 

[azoo]

They want money for this? Absolutely fine by me. Do you know how difficult it is to get an accumulated group of talent to work on a project, especially when related to Sonic? Its VERY difficult stuff (see: my project). If they want money for this endeavor then by jove more power to them! This game, its art direction, level design, /everything/ is flipping brilliant.

 

Also its definitely changed itself enough to be its own title and not a Sonic fangame. Different universe, the art style is decently different, lots of changes from the initial gameplay style (including heavy combat, exploration and progression), loads of aesthetic changes.. it comes off as a homage much more than plagiarism, and considering how many homages there have been to Super Mario Bros in our lifetimes, why is this a problem?

Edited January 20, 2013 by Azookara

[Kuzu]

Hey, if it turns out to be something good, I don't see why not. Do these guys have a history of making fan games?

[Tara]

Yes, as previously stated, they used the fan game concept as a spring board for an original work.  If anything, that's the best way to start off a game.  After all, everything is just an imitation of something else.  Sonic himself was made purely to compete with Mario, and as such all they did was emulate the classic Mario formula and add one extra element.  From there, it took off to where it is today.

 

With that said, yes, I can plainly see the obvious homages to the Sonic franchise, but then... originality, or lack thereof, always seems to be the go-to praise or criticism of every form of media.  Just because The Lion King is just Hamlet with lions doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.  Just because Batman is Zorro with an obsession with bats and a great disdain for rock n' roll doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.

 

And even then, it's hardly a complete rip-off.  Like someone said, it's clearly more of an homage than a ripoff.  Do the spin mechanics work exactly the same way as in Sonic?  No.  They add a great original spin.  The only thing I'd say isn't original is that the snake boss looks too much like the first boss from Ristar.

 

If they want money for their efforts, I see no reason why they shouldn't be entitled to it.  They're clearly putting out a quality product, and clearly a lot of people seem very interested in the game.  I admit, what the money is going to is a bit questionable, but whatever weird things they want to do with the money I gave them for a quality game is none of my business.

 

You can say you don't like the artistic direction of the game, you could say you didn't like the game at all in general, and that would be perfeclty okay.  Nothing is wrong with criticizing it as a game, but that doesn't mean they're not entitled to seek money off of it.  Even Eddie Lebron would have all the right to seek money for his bad movie if it weren't for his use of copyrighted characters.  If you don't feel that the game is WORTH the money, then don't pay for it.  You're not being robbed at gunpoint to finance the project or anything.  Unless, of course, you are, in which case I'm terribly sorry.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Akito

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

I am willing to admit that this looks like a promising title, but goodness gracious the in-game art is horrendous. One might try to defend this by say that the game's indie and thus not much can be expected, but for Pete's sake I've seen entirely free games that look better.

[MegasonicZX]

i'd pay for this, it looks pretty on par with the other platformers out there and the fact that there charging for it is pretty fair considering how much work it takes to make these things anyway.

[Crash]

I think they are asking for far, far too much money for their efforts. Yes, they do deserve some money but seriously the amount they want is just stupid. Who's going to want a web-comic based on characters that don't even talk! It worked for Sonic but I can't see it working in this day and age.

 

By the way, I am interested in playing the game but some of the things they've requested are over the top.

[JezMM]

I think they are asking for far, far too much money for their efforts. Yes, they do deserve some money but seriously the amount they want is just stupid. Who's going to want a web-comic based on characters that don't even talk!

 

Uh... what.  All the characters talk in the Kickstarter trailer.  Like... hell with actual voice acting too.

Edited January 20, 2013 by JezMM

[Crash]

Uh... what.  All the characters talk in the Kickstarter trailer.  Like... hell with actual voice acting too.

 

Sorry. I'm just hating on the game without thinking.