I have an interesting history when it comes to the Freedom Planet. I remember scrolling through the Sonic Fanon Wiki in my free time in middle school to see how Sonic fans design characters and seeing a character called “Lilac the Hedgehog.” Sound familiar? The Sonic inspiration in Freedom Planet was very evident in its first game, but how has it presented itself in this sequel? Let’s see.

Before starting, you should play the original game first, as it references previous events and characters. Plus, it directly states that the story takes place three years later. You can pick which one of the four protagonists to play as.

Sash Lilac is your typical heroic protagonist and a hybrid water dragon with a boost as her special move that lets her speed through levels easily. Carol Tea is a spunky wildcat with a three-bladed disk to attack with and her motorcycle, which you can summon in levels by collecting a fuel tank; she’s strong and can take out enemies easily. Milla Basset is an adorable hush basset with alchemy powers used to blast energy or shield and a Yoshi-like flutter jump but with lower health. The newest playable character in the series is Neera Li, the disciplined adviser of the Royal Magister of Shang Tu, who has a Cryo Staff that produces ice for strong attacks and can double jump.

On the topic of characters, my favorite character is Milla because she’s adorable and mysterious. I relate to Carol, having a childish and independent spirit. And while I have the most fun playing as Lilac because of her speed and grace, Neera falls by the wayside due to her flat characterization and grounded playstyle.

The gameplay is enjoyable and challenging for the most part, especially for the boss battles. There are puzzles and creatively designed enemies within the vast stages; you can get lost if you aren’t careful. New to the series are various hub worlds where you can buy potions and enhancements to make your gameplay easier, like physical attacks absorbing life from enemies and increased jumping power. There’s also the Battlesphere Arena, where you go to complete challenges to get crystals and artifacts. No spoilers, but the artifacts are important, so it’s worth playing the challenges before the ending.

The plot is one of an antagonist wanting revenge against a race that wiped out their people. While the subject was intriguing, and the story had the potential to be interesting, I wish more was revealed and fleshed out. It feels like the plot is building up to something or some point where more will be explained. But it keeps speaking in vague, shallow statements.

It’s hard because, between the catchy music, beautiful visuals, and fun gameplay, I find the story and characters a bit too shallow quality-wise. This antagonist has much more depth to her than the last villain, but I still wish there were more than skin-deep personalities to the characters and plot. The dialogue is predictable, and sometimes, the tone deflates before it can really bring any sort of genuine emotion home. For example, there’s one part where someone is supposedly gravely injured. But then, when they’re getting patched up, they act drunk for a joke.

Freedom Planet 2 is an enjoyable, creative, and pretty release overall. With a bit more polish and fleshing out in the writing, I feel it could be a truly amazing game. But as is, it’s definitely more expanded than the more simplistic first title. Priced at $24.99, I’d say it’s worth picking up if it goes on sale!