What happens when you mix alternate history with over-the-top campy action and cliché 1990s-style characters? You get Freedom Fighters! Released in 2003, the game is a perfect example of pulp-style entertainment combined with an engaging story. Now you can revisit the classic game from IO Interactive on your modern computer.The redcoats are coming!
Let’s be honest, the geographical location of the USA renders any invasion on American soil rather unlikely. Sure, there was a time in 1814 when the British managed to capture and burn Washington DC, but that was long ago. Yet, the perspective of foreign invasion and occupation of the USA has fired the imagination of American writers and filmmakers for decades.
Events that took place during the Cold War, like the Red Scare and the Cuban Missile Crisis, brought up a question - how would Americans react when faced with an enemy invasion? Books dealing with alternate history, like the Man in the High Castle from Philip K. Dick and films like Red Dawn, are especially worth mentioning regarding this interesting topic. Even video game developers tackled the idea, with games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert and
Freedom Fighters coming long after the Cold War faded away in history books.
Freedom is not free
The game from IO Interactive presents an alternate history where the Second World War ended with the USSR dropping an atomic bomb on Berlin. Consequently, the Red Army took over the rest of Europe’s countries, slowly surrounding the USA with its communist states. Finally, the time has come to stab the capitalist regime in the heart and that’s where you start in Freedom Fighters, with the USSR’s invasion of the USA!
The main hero of the game, New York City plumber Chris Troy, is reluctantly thrown into the center of these big events. After his brother is taken prisoner by invading forces, Chris joins the resistance movement, poised on striking the shackles of the Soviet occupation. Along with his compatriots, Isabella Angelina and Phil Bagzton, he deals heavy blows to the Soviet forces commanded by the villainous General Tatarin. Little do our heroes know that their own ranks are being infiltrated by the KGB, led by Colonel Bulba (voiced by the famous television actor, Nicholas Worth).
A highly enjoyable classic
Although the game’s story seems very dark at first sight,
Freedom Fighters never takes itself too seriously. Its plot is filled with goofy tropes and characters that are so one-dimensional they seem almost torn straight from exciting pulp literature and 1990s TV shows. Did you know that creators from IO Interactive made
Freedom Fighters while taking a break from their masterpiece, the Hitman series? Both games share the same dark sense of humor and have memorable, award-winning scores composed by Jesper Kyd.
As for game mechanics, things are kept as simple and enjoyable as possible.
Freedom Fighters is a third-person shooter. The player navigates through the streets of New York with a controllable squad of teammates while at the same time fighting the occupying Soviet forces. By performing various heroic deeds, our main character receives charisma points that allow players to expand their squad to up to 12 members. The game’s team management aspect was especially applauded by gamers, because of its intuitiveness.
Freedom Fighters comes to Windows 10 in all its classic glory, exactly as you remember it. Even 17 years after its release, the title still feels fresh and fun. So, get the game on GOG.COM now and take the chance to raise arms against oppression! 