Freedom Finger, at a glance, looks like a grungy shmup tailor-made for a quick affair. The hand-drawn art style catches the eye, welcoming you into a tale of Chinese space terrorists receiving the finger from America’s finest. But beyond that hides an element that allows it to transcend from simple pew pew pews to something worth your time.
Freedom Finger
Developer: Wide Right Interactive
Price: $15 USD
Platform: PC (reviewed), Xbox One, PS4
MonsterVine was supplied with Steam code for review
Developed by Wide Right Interactive, Freedom Finger carries itself with an underground no fucks given style that works in its favour throughout. Players jump into the cockpit of Gamma Ray, the cutting-edge spaceship at the forefront of America’s arsenal. Chinese terrorists have taken hostages on the Moon and it’s up to you to dispense justice in your fist-and-finger shaped ship. A basic story about fingering, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable.
Gameplay loops fall neatly into dodging enemy attacks, spamming shoot button and taking on bosses. To mix things up a little, Freedom Finger makes use of its fist-finger shaped ship by allowing players to grab enemies and debris. Some enemies will allow for Gamma-Ray to fire in altered ways such as spread fire, missiles and gushing flames.
The ability to close the ship up and fist things also play a key part in each stage of the game. Smacking buttons and unlocking routes to power-ups often appear throughout levels, adding some variation in a pretty straightforward dance.
It works, that’s the best way to sum up the general flow of Freedom Finger’s gameplay. Nothing too fancy, nothing gimmicky, just a solid loop. A stealth meter adds an additional challenge, forcing the player to ensure a set number of enemies do not make it past them. If they fail to do so, it’s an instant fail. Enemies and level design work around the core principles, ensuring Gamma Ray is kept on its toes…or finger.
Accessibility isn’t merely restrained to gameplay elements. Of course, the difficulty can be changed, but Freedom Finger also offers a robust menu of other options. From taking out the stealth meter, keeping power-ups, larger text, and even base health increases. There’s been a clear effort to ensure anyone and sit down and play, packing in a number of options even some Triple-A titles overlook.
Freedom Finger’s biggest selling point is its soundtrack. Each stage of the game is accompanied by its own track from a number of artists. The pace of the game matches the beat of the track, with more intensive gameplay sequences being reflected by the music. It’s a concept we’ve seen before, and it works well enough here, even when it feels forced. On the flip side, all of the music tracks bang.
The sheer mix of acts featured on Freedom Finger is staggering. Red Fang, White Fence, The Radio Dept to name a few. Standouts come from the indomitable Power Trip, beat wizardry from Tobacco and three new tracks, and a bunch of beasts, from the rap behemoth Aesop Rock. The latter takes some additional limelight for releasing new material primarily in the game, with each track cutting deeper, going hard.
Freedom Finger may be a solid shoot-em-up experience, but the soundtrack truly takes centre stage. Not since the early days of Tony Hawk Pro Skater has a soundtrack managed to encapsulate such a curated approach to licensed tracks in a video game.
Hand-drawn, almost grotty doodles, feed into the character of Freedom Finger. It all carries a taste of the underground, like a rough cut album or a VHS found on the lower shelf at your not-so-existent-local rental store. But hey, it works and works well enough to leave an impression that goes beyond to corny humour tied into the game’s writing.
By the time the credits roll, Freedom Finger presents itself as an enjoyable game. A dirty weekend, a quickie through the week. It won’t hold your interest for hours upon hours, but it’ll be a warm companion for short blasts, much like your extended family. An amazing soundtrack and clear art direction surround solid gameplay loops, resulting in Freedom Finger being worth the money…and that’s without paying too much attention to the mastery of Aesop Rock’s tracks.
The Final Word
Fingering has never sounded so good and yet been so accessible.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
