History YMMV / FreedomPlanet

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: The gameplay has received high praise for faithfully recreating the feel of a class Sonic game while the story is more divisive due to the jarring tone shifts, voice acting, and overly long cutscenes for a platformer. The game includes a Classic Mode for people who don’t care for the story or simply just want to play the game and it cuts out all of the cutscenes and dialogue.

* BrokenBase: Freedom Planet was released back in mid-2014 with an incredible reception, with its colorful characters, beautiful levels, and all-around fun retro feel.
** Even so, it was still incomplete with two out of the five playable characters missing from the lineup, several scrapped concepts promised in the Kickstarter, and cut lines/scenes not implemented in the final product. As of 2017, [[ObviousBeta the game still hasn't been completed]], with more focus put towards porting the game in its current state and working on the [[VideoGame/FreedomPlanet2 sequel]]. Needless to say, some fans are divided over the delays, with some citing their pleasure in playing the game on other consoles, liking the game as is which still contains a lot of meat and a great climax, and looking forward to the sequel, while others are frustrated at the lack of promised features. The dev addressed this point, admitting that she'd overstretched what she could realistically promise and offered full refunds, combined with the facts that the team felt that Torque and Spade's more unique gameplay wouldn't fit with the existing game, and the game's foundation straining to keep the game stable with so much content.

* DevelopmentHell: In spite of being an indie game with less than a dozen staff not counting the voice actors, the game has a lot of pretty sprite art and detail. While the developer Strife could have simply made a good Sonic fangame, she decided to take her love of ''Creator/{{Treasure}}'' games she loved growing up and go all the way with her inspiration with complex and challenging boss fights, crazy designs, and fun game mechanics, revamping it into an original title.
** Elements like the BlooperReel {{Easter Egg}}s are definitely this. Not only did the devs see fit to include some voice acting bloopers, but they also animated them and even made a few custom sprites. All for something that can only be seen with a special button combination.
** The Fortune Night stage is also made of this. Lots of extremely detailed scenery depicting period Chinese New Year celebrations with streamers, dragon floats, the distinctive Chinese fireworks, and paper crafts. The second half has a sprawling market where you can see signs in accurate Chinese and Japanese scripts that are perfectly readable, advertising things you'd find in any mall such as bike shops, clothing stores, food, and bathrooms. If you go into the male restroom you'll instantly be kicked out. Hell, if you go and press down on a bench, the character will do so, and if you wait a few seconds at the disco ball, the character even has unique dancing sprites! All three of them! All these details, in a stage most players usually blaze through without a second thought.

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Classic Mode, for players that don't like the voice acting or simply don't care for the plot. It removes all cutscenes and most dialogue and skips to the next stage.

** "YOU BETRAYED THE LAW." [[labelnote:explanation]]Neera Li says this before the fight with her. Became a rather memorable quote due to her status as a WakeUpCallBoss, meaning new players are bound to hear this line over and over again when restarting the fight. Has seen a resurgence now that Neera is confirmed playable for the sequel.[[/labelnote]]

* FanNickname: Some fans jokingly call Freedom Planet "''The Best Sonic Game of 2014''".

** Even so, it was still incomplete with two out of the five playable characters missing from the lineup, several scrapped concepts promised in the Kickstarter, and cut lines/scenes not implemented in the final product. As of 2017, [[ObviousBeta the game still hasn't been completed]], with more focus put towards porting the game in its current state and working on the [[VideoGame/FreedomPlanet2 sequel]]. Needless to say, some fans are divided over the delays, with some citing their pleasure in playing the game on other consoles, liking the game as is which still contains a lot of meat and a great climax, and looking forward to the sequel, while others are frustrated at the lack of promised features. The dev addressed this point, admitting that he'd overstretched what he could realistically promise and offered full refunds, combined with the facts that the team felt that Torque and Spade's more unique gameplay wouldn't fit with the existing game, and the game's foundation straining to keep the game stable with so much content.

* DevelopmentHell: In spite of being an indie game with less than a dozen staff not counting the voice actors, the game has a lot of pretty sprite art and detail. While the developer Strife could have simply made a good Sonic fangame, he decided to take his love of ''Creator/{{Treasure}}'' games he loved growing up and go all the way with his inspiration with complex and challenging boss fights, crazy designs, and fun game mechanics, revamping it into an original title.

* SpiritualAdaptation: It's the best ''Creator/{{Treasure}}'' game they haven't made in years. As Strife based a lot of his game design philosophy from games like ''VideoGame/GunstarHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/MischiefMakers'', it's to be expected.

** FandomSpecificPlot:
*** Torque's previous missions chasing Brevon, all strongly implied to have ended in disaster on numerous other worlds.
*** The Coalition of Planets, where hundreds of worlds with intelligent life reside. And as hinted, might Avalice soon join now that they've officially had First Contact?
** CanonFodder: The game left many things unexplained, like…
*** Carol and Lilac's time in the Red Scarves and their relation to Spade. Not to mention whatever led him to cross a line they refused to, and their defection.

* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHell: In spite of being an indie game with less than a dozen staff not counting the voice actors, the game has a lot of pretty sprite art and detail. While the developer Strife could have simply made a good Sonic fangame, he decided to take his love of ''Creator/{{Treasure}}'' games he loved growing up and go all the way with his inspiration with complex and challenging boss fights, crazy designs, and fun game mechanics, revamping it into an original title.

* FandomRivalry: While this is by no means universal, fans of the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series tend not to think too highly of this game or its fans. This is due to some ''Freedom Planet'' players taking potshots at ''Sonic'' games, as well as a tinge of envy due to the critical acclaim that ''Freedom Planet'' received. Another cause of resentment is the fact that ''Freedom Planet'' took a good deal of attention away from the ''Sonic'' franchise. Younger fans and non-gaming fans of ''Sonic'' can get particularly angry, to the point where the issue can border on a BerserkButton among some — as ''Freedom Planet'' lacks the MascotWithAttitude factor that drew them to ''Sonic'' in the first place, and admittedly, is a lot girlier than ''Sonic'', they see it as ''Sonic''[='=]s SpiritualAntithesis. Not helping this is some fans using this game as a perfect opportunity to take deliberate potshots at the ''Sonic'' franchise[[note]]which has been considered an AcceptableTarget among many gamers for a long time due to the series' [[BrokenBase/SonicTheHedgehog infamous]] BrokenBase, history of {{Dork Age}}s, and SturgeonsLaw-laden fanart community; it's understandable that some ''Sonic'' fans might be… rather sensitive about the series getting panned and shunned '''again'''[[/note]]. This has tapered off ever since VideoGame/SonicMania proved to be an unmitigated success, and you're most likely to find positive reception of this game from the Sonic fan-gaming community where Freedom Planet was birthed alongside Mania.

* FandomRivalry: While this is by no means universal, fans of the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series tend not to think too highly of this game or its fans. This is due to some ''Freedom Planet'' players taking potshots at ''Sonic'' games, as well as a tinge of envy due to the critical acclaim that ''Freedom Planet'' received. Another cause of resentment is the fact that ''Freedom Planet'' took a good deal of attention away from the ''Sonic'' franchise. Younger fans and non-gaming fans of ''Sonic'' can get particularly angry, to the point where the issue can border on a BerserkButton among some — as ''Freedom Planet'' lacks the MascotWithAttitude factor that drew them to ''Sonic'' in the first place, and admittedly, is a lot girlier than ''Sonic'', they see it as ''Sonic''[='=]s SpiritualAntithesis. Not helping this is some fans using this game as a perfect opportunity to take deliberate potshots at the ''Sonic'' franchise[[note]]which has been considered an AcceptableTarget among many gamers for a long time due to the series' [[BrokenBase/SonicTheHedgehog infamous]] BrokenBase, history of {{Dork Age}}s, and SturgeonsLaw-laden fanart community; it's understandable that some ''Sonic'' fans might be… rather sensitive about the series getting panned and shunned '''again'''[[/note]].

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: Given the game's numerous similarities to ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'', this complaint was inevitable. It was especially common before ArtEvolution changed Lilac's species from a [[CaptainErsatz hedgehog]] to a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]]. More prominent gameplay similarities to the series, such as rolling, were also gradually phased out if deemed unnecessary.

* AnticlimaxBoss: Milla can utterly dominate Brevon's second form. Since his attacks mostly consist of blasting, her shield can deflect all of them back at him, and can be further damaged with a Super Shield Burst. Fly away from his dashes, and she can take him out in under two minutes without a scratch. She also doesn't fight Brevon's third form, like Lilac and Carol do, making the final battle even more anticlimactic.

* FandomRivalry: While this is by no means universal, fans of the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series tend not to think too highly of this game or its fans. This is due to some ''Freedom Planet'' players taking potshots at ''Sonic'' games, as well as a tinge of envy due to the critical acclaim that ''Freedom Planet'' received. Another cause of resentment is the fact that ''Freedom Planet'' took a good deal of attention away from the ''Sonic'' franchise. Younger fans and non-gaming fans of ''Sonic'' can get particularly angry, to the point where the issue can border on a BerserkButton among some — as ''Freedom Planet'' lacks the MascotWithAttitude factor that drew them to ''Sonic'' in the first place, and admittedly, is a lot girlier than ''Sonic'', they see it as ''Sonic''[='=]s SpiritualAntithesis. Not helping this is some fans using this game as a perfect opportunity to take deliberate potshots at the ''Sonic'' franchise[[note]]which has been considered an AcceptableTarget among many gamers for a long time due to the series' [[BrokenBase/SonicTheHedgehog infamous]] BrokenBase, history of {{Dork Age}}s, and SturgeonsLaw-laden fanart community; it's understandable that some ''Sonic'' fans might be… [[{{Understatement}} rather sensitive]] about the series getting panned and shunned '''again'''[[/note]].

* NeverLiveItDown:
** While it's true that the game started out as a ''Sonic'' fangame, it has clearly evolved and grown over time with many other homages to 16 bit platformers. This won't stop detractors from saying it's a ''Sonic'' rip-off and accuse Lilac of being a bad fan character (though on the flip side, it's also been referred to as the best ''Sonic'' game of 2014, and not necessarily in a derisive manner).
** The cutscenes: Many critics regard the Adventure Mode with bile, as they accuse the scenes of being pointless filler that break the flow of the game, or overly long, targeting the sleepover and dinner sections as examples. Though it could be said that the cutscenes can be longer than strictly necessary, some reviewers go on about them like it's a ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' installment.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Lord Arktivus Brevon]] is a [[GalacticConqueror violent planet subjugator]]. On Avalice, Brevon seeks an artifact known as the Kingdom Stone, [[OffWithHisHead beheading the King of Shuigang]] in front of his son and brainwashing the child into becoming his puppet. Engineering a conflict between the planet's three kingdoms, Brevon hopes to take the stone in the midst of the conflict. Capturing Lilac for interfering with his plans, Brevon [[ColdBloodedTorture mercilessly tortures]] her; and when the heroes confront him, he sacrifices his men to stop their advance and [[TransformationTrauma painfully transforms]] his loyal general into a monstrous fighter, also using the innocent Millia as a hostage and then transforming her into a monster as well to fight for him.

* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: During the end bosses of Fortune Night and Jade Creek, the other playable characters will show up to provide health and get some hits in. [[DownplayedTrope They're not exactly annoying]], but they take away a bit of the challenge of these fights and are technically not even needed to defeat these bosses, making for fake teamwork.

** The infamous [[ColdBloodedTorture Torture Scene]] is one of the most mixed-received scenes in ''Freedom Planet''. Some say it feels out of place, while some don't have many problems with the scene since Brevon is known for being ruthless.

** Final Dreadnaught 2 is long and maze-like with plenty of DemonicSpiders, a deoxygenated section, and [[ThatOneBoss a tough boss]]. Final Dreadnaught 3 is shorter with plenty of opportunities to speed through the level.

** There's also the fight with Syntax in Final Dreadnought which serves as a loving tribute to Seven Force from Gunstar Heroes.

** In between Acts 1 and 2 of Relic Maze, there is a pretty big and crazy setpiece, regardless of which character you play as. For Lilac and Carol, there is a fast-paced car chase where they work their way to the front to fight the mini boss. For Milla, the floor collapses causing her to fall into a MinecartMadness segment that feels like it's straight out of VideoGame/KirbySuperStar.

** The infamous Torture Scene is one of the most mixed received scenes in Freedom Planet. Some say it feels out of place, some don't have many problems with the scene since Brevon is known for being ruthless.

** What doesn't help is that the game pulls a huge PlayerPunch right before this by [[spoiler:having Brevon turn Milla into a BrainwashedAndCrazy monster that Lilac/Carol is (seemingly) forced to kill in order to stop]]. Lilac/Carol is [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge furious]] and naturally wants to rip Brevon to shreds... and then it cuts to a level where you have to take your time and make very precise jumps.
** Fortunately most of the issues with the level were addressed with patches. Annoying enemies disappeared, and the first vertical section was streamlined to avoid unnecessary frustration. Now, the stage is designed to be one [[BreatherLevel last breather]] placed between intense Final Dreadnought 3 and the FinalBoss.

** The bird guard, who appears in the background of a few cutscenes (and pilots the hovercraft in Jade Creek) and whose only line is a disgruntled "quack," has proven to be surprisingly popular. He even got a joke profile on the website for the sequel.

* EvilIsCool: Lord Brevon, despite being a CompleteMonster, has quite a few fans due to being a complete KnightOfCerebus, not to mention his snarky lines and his evil resolve in his boss battle. Brevon's monster tendencies is actually the reason ''why'' he is such a strong and memorable villain, and the game wouldn't be quite as effective without him. It takes a truly bad villain to make a truly good hero, and Lord Brevon's villainy makes Lilac, Carol and Milla's heroism all the more stronger.
* FandomEnragingMisconception: Don't call this game a Sonic clone, ripoff, or other derivative. It's fine to say it's inspired by Sonic, but saying it's just like Sonic at best will have more educated fans politely explain its many differences in mechanics and level design. Also, Lilac isn't a hedgehog, she's a dragon.
* FandomRivalry: Fans of the Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog series tend not to think too highly of this game or its fans. This is due to some ''Freedom Planet'' players taking potshots at Sonic games, as well as a tinge of envy due to the critical acclaim ''Freedom Planet'' received. Another cause of resentment is the fact that ''Freedom Planet'' took a good deal of attention away from the Sonic franchise. Particularly angry are the younger fans and non-gaming fans of Sonic, which can border on BerserkButton among some--as ''Freedom Planet'' lacks the MascotWithAttitude factor that drew them to Sonic in the first place, and admittedly, is a lot girlier than Sonic, they see it as Sonic's SpiritualAntithesis. Not helping this is some fans using this game as a perfect opportunity to take deliberate pot shots at the Sonic franchise.

** FandomSpecificPlot

*** The Coalition of Planets, where hundreds of worlds with intelligent life reside. And as hinted, might Avalice soon join now they've officially had First Contact?
** CanonFodder: The game left many things unexplained, like...

* FriendlyFandoms: With ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'' fans, as its 8-bit older brother. Both are indie-developed {{Retraux}} games funded on ''Website/KickStarter'' that came out within a month of each other, are throwbacks to the golden age of platformers, and have detailed pixel art and excellent gameplay.
* GameBreaker: Though [[DifficultButAwesome not necessarily easy to play]], Milla is well worth the patience as she can fly, has no special meter to get in the way of spamming Super Shield Bursts that do an incredible amount of damage, can use the recoil from said Bursts to do a FlashStep that accelerates to Lilac's, and can deflect many attacks that can make short work of the bosses. This is counterbalanced with a health bar that's only half the size of Lilac and Carol's, but if you're fast enough this is rarely a concern.
* GameBreakingBug: A minor one in Aqua Tunnel is caused by pausing and selecting "Restart" immediately after defeating the mid-way boss, but before being swept into the next room by the rushing water. This results in you being started up again in the mid-way boss room, with the inactive boss visible on the other side of the wall, and no way to defeat it, progress or backtrack.

** In the first demo of the game, Lilac could fly if she restarted the level while under water.

* JustHereForGodzilla: The creators deserve to be commended for having a very in depth story that sheds a lot of light on the characters, but some people simply just don't care or don't like the story and want to run around Sonic-style and beat things up. The creators realized this and created Classic Mode, which gets rid of all the cutscenes and goes for level-by-level progression.

** "Totally worth it." [[labelnote:explanation]]When Torque wonders why it took the girls so long to get up, Lilac says he should blame Carol because in her words, "She sleeps for like, half a day." to which she yawns and casually replies with the above.[[/labelnote]]

** WTF is a Carol? [[labelnote:Explanation]] A joke in competitive play about Carol's MemeticLoser status among speedrunners. This can go a step further with comments maintaining this Carol character doesn't exist, complete with edits that remove her sprites from scenes.[[/labelnote]]

** "YOU BETRAYED THE LAW." [[labelnote:explanation]] Neera Li says this before the fight with her. Became a rather memorable quote due to her status as a WakeUpCallBoss meaning new players are bound to hear this line over and over again when restarting the fight. Has seen a resurgence now that Neera is confirmed playable for the sequel.[[/labelnote]]
** Jokes about how ''Freedom Planet'' was the best ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' game of 2014, especially in light of the disastrous ''VideoGame/SonicBoom: Rise Of Lyric'', which was released the same year. Doubly hilarious when you know that it actually started life as a Sonic fangame.
* MemeticBadass: Milla, who with nothing more than a shield that covers half her body and energy blocks can combine them into a laser, can RecoilBoost with said laser reaching speeds Lilac would be jealous of, deflects bullets, missiles, even Brevon's energy blasts, with a glitch can flutter infinitely while creating cubes that can be strung together with said boosts, all with half the health of the two main heroines and looking adorable while doing it.

** [[spoiler:He uses Lilac as a means to force answers out of a captured Torque, threatening to activate the machine on her if he doesn't cooperate. Only a few seconds after the machine is turned on and Lilac is left screaming in agony, Torque is forced to reveal that he is the last of his crew. Despite this, Brevon [[KickTheDog activates the machine ''again'']] on Lilac. He soon reveals that he was more interested in testing Torque's resolve than any answers he got from him.]]
** [[spoiler:By the time the others rescue Lilac, a good portion of her skin is ''burnt and charred'', Lilac's screams during the torture do nothing to help this.]]

** [[spoiler:Lord Brevon turning Milla into a creepy [[AmbiguousRobots techno-organic monster]]. Doubles as both a PlayerPunch ''and'' a TearJerker. ''Especially'' if you are playing as Lilac, the scream she lets go after the battle is ''heartbreaking''. And when she and Carol confront him refusing to forgive him for what he did to her, he simply replies that he has no use for forgiveness from people putting his homeworld at risk for the Kingdom Stone]].

** "Examine the fragment! ''EXAMINE IT''!"

** Carol's physics defying motorcycle is both hilarious and awesome to watch in action.
** In some of her victory quotes, Milla's exclamation of "Yeah, I'm a super dog!" is one of the cheesiest lines in the game. But given it's well, [[{{Moe}} Milla]], it works, taken with her status as a speedrunning god that utterly demolishes the game in skilled play, it comes off as something of a BadassBoast.

** While it's true that the game started out as a Sonic fangame, it has clearly evolved and grown over time with many other homages to 16 bit platformers. This won't stop detractors from saying it's a Sonic rip-off and accuse Lilac of being a bad fan character (though on the flip side, it's also been referred to as the best Sonic game of 2014, and not necessarily in a derisive manner.)

* ScrappyMechanic: The complete lack of any invincibility frames makes a lot of the boss fights in the game way tougher than they should be, since many of the lategame bosses have attacks that take up the entirety of the screen, meaning you can get multiple times by their most powerful attacks and die instantly.

* ThatOneAttack: Brevon's Knife Slash. The game makes sure to show you how dangerous that thing is and when you finally battle Brevon if you let that attack land on you '''it will hurt like hell'''.

* EvilIsCool: Lord Brevon, despite being a CompleteMonster, has quite a few fans due to being a complete KnightOfCerebus, not to mention his snarky lines and his evil resolve in his boss battle. Brevon's monster tendencies is actually the reason ''why'' he is such a strong and memorable villain, and the game wouldn't be quite as effective without him. It takes a truly bad villain to make a good hero, and Lord Brevon's villainy makes Lilac, Carol and Milla's heroism all the more stronger.

* PlotDevice:
** [[spoiler:Spade.]] [[spoiler:In the story, he only served as ''the'' character who steals the Kingdom Stone, for some reason, after changing his mind, helps out Carol and Milla save Lilac and Torque, and who fights off Dail so that Team Lilac can pursuit Brevon. It certainly doesn't help that his Adventure Mode campaign was canceled, which could have filled the gaps in the narrative.]]
** [[spoiler:Torque.]] [[spoiler:The only things he really did was to explain Brevon's plan to Team Lilac, getting captured by Brevon so that Lilac attempts to save him, and to aid them a little bit by, for example, flying a plane or giving them a device that can shut down the Dreadnought's warp drive.]]
** [[spoiler: Milla.]] [[spoiler: Her only real purpose in the plot is to be cute, apparently die for a quick couple of tears and send Lilac/Carol into a frenzy, and then turn out to be completely fine. Although she does technically do things here and there like rescue Carol, find the meeting location, and break up Carol and Spade's fight, the fact of the matter is that these kinds of things could have been handled by Carol or Torque (who both take a major backseat to Milla as soon as she shows up). Milla's presence is completely superfluous.]]

* UnderratedAndOverleveled: Despite being a little child, Milla is a very powerful character with her Phantom attacks... ''outside of cutscenes'' of course.
** Her Phantom Shield, which usually can reflect nearly every kind projectile, [[spoiler:struggles in a cutscene at some Shade Elites, but somehow doesn't while playing through Thermal Base, a stage with the same enemy being encountered.]]
** [[spoiler:Milla gets easily captured by various characters like Neera and Brevon, but doesn't even break a sweat in their respective boss fights. Even Spade, a high ranked member of the Red Scarves, is beaten easily with Milla's abilities.]]

* EarWorm: Dragon Valley 1, Relic Maze 2, both Fortune Nights, and Thermal Base 2's themes are particularly hummable.

* JustHereForGodzilla: The creators deserve to be commended for having a very in depth story that sheds a lot of light on the characters, but some people simply just don't care and want to run around Sonic-style and beat things up. The creators realized this and created Classic Mode, which gets rid of all the cutscenes and goes for level-by-level progression.

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: Given the game's numerous similarities to ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'', this complaint was inevitable. It was especially common before ArtEvolution changed Lilac's species from a [[CaptainErsatz hedgehog]] to a [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dragon]]. More prominent gameplay similarities to the series, such as rolling, were also gradually phased out if deemed unnecessary.

** Several have noticed that [[https://youtu.be/snuliLxSOTU?t=40s Aqua Tunnel]] shares a few bars with [[https://youtu.be/eqn-qXQah_s?t=16s Area 1: City]] from the SNES version of Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: Given the game's numerous similarities to ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'', this complaint was inevitable. It was especially common before ArtEvolution changed Lilac's species from a [[CaptainErsatz hedgehog]] to a [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dragon]]. More prominent gameplay similarities to the series, such as rolling, were also gradually phased out if deemed unnecessary.