Freedom Fighters is a classic example of a game that didn’t chime with the so-called ‘massmarket,’ but went on to be cherished as an underground hit. Now it lives on as a cult, often evoked when videogame forums light up with discussions about which games deserved a better reception, which games deserve a sequel. Even from the outset, Freedom Fighters was tarnished with only-time-will-tell preview platitudes and struggled to generate much interest. But what emerged was one of the best titles of its generation and certainly one of the most enjoyable thirdperson shooters ever conceived.
Perhaps it was the right game published at the wrong time. You can sympathise: back in 2001, when the game was presumably being hawked around the publishing community, the world was still reeling from the September 11 attacks. A game set in war-torn Manhattan during the aftermath of a Red Dawn-style Soviet invasion would seem at best crass and at worst publishing suicide. Strangely, the shaky premise now feels more of a strength than a weakness – and prescient in light of the invasion of Iraq. But what IO does well, and what radiates throughout Freedom Fighters, is brooding atmosphere. From the early levels liberating city buildings, like the police station and post office, to the glorious final assault on Fort Jay, Freedom Fighters is a lesson in creating a sense of place, manipulating mood and changing pace to suit the environment.
Freedom Fighters was at times highly evocative of stablemate Hitman
Significantly, the America the game depicted was a more cheeseball, exaggerated version of the society that endured Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars proposals. The heroes and villains are stark caricatures, all talking like doomed men on their way to the gallows. This amusingly oppressive mood is played for all it’s worth, with Russian propaganda regaling players from speakers, pro-Russian posters hanging in office blocks and Hind gunships constantly in the skies.
Unsurprisingly, Agent 47’s fingerprints can be found everywhere. Built from the same engine, the game not only shared the muted tones and edgy stylistics that enveloped Hitman but in terms of level design great attention was paid to height as well as breadth. It’s a strange dynamic given that Freedom Fighters, at least on the surface, is a gung-ho shooter. It’s entirely possible to beat the game head-on, but the more adventurous player could uncover a wonderful array of hidden areas.
Freedom Fighter's levels provided plenty of opportunities to use the sniper rifle
Indeed, the genealogy of Freedom Fighters is revealing. After Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (released in 2002) it’s noticeable that IO took a different tack with its next Agent 47 title: Contracts. The more episodic approach and ability to blast a way out of trouble surely owed much to the looser and more action oriented level design of Freedom Fighters. Developed side by side, the echoes are compelling. There’s an eerie familiarity between the mission to assassinate General Tatarin on Governor’s Island and the Rotterdam levels in Silent Assassin – the dockside warehouses, sniper points and open layout embodying IO’s core philosophy of affording player choice.
This sense of choice is exemplified in the numerous alleyways and ledges leading to secret sniper spots, rooftops and gantries – perfect for pinning enemies down. Interior and exterior locations are combined expertly; the intricate floors and landings of the post office contrasting sharply with the wide open spaces of warehouses or courtyards. Rarely have such familiar locations been infused with such love and detail, and been host to some of the most memorable firefights ever devised.
Commanding your squad was both intuitive, and highly effective
To play Freedom Fighters is like visiting every favourite teenage haunt from a John Hughes movie, only with a militaristic filter – but at its heart it is a team game, one with a recruitment and command system balanced so beautifully it should have become an industry standard. Though IO clearly didn’t create the game in a vacuum, the command system was, and remains, uniquely ambitious. Yes, Ubisoft’s evolving Ghost Recon franchise and Pivotal Games’ Conflict series use a similar approach with three allies, but IO’s allowed players to command up to a dozen recruits.
Initially criticised for being counter-intuitive, with the command options of attack, defend and hold ground assigned to the face buttons, it worked because the weight of the experience revolved around the mechanic. While selecting weapons and items from a cumbersome wheel system and lobbing missiles with a dodgy analogue aim were less successful, the fact that intelligent use of your recruits could minimise most risk offset these minor gripes. The command interface generated powerful tactical options. Want to flank the machine gunner in the sentry box? Simply place men in high positions to rain down fire while you lob grenades and storm the fortifications. While it’s true the levels were hardly wide and expansive, they avoided the tunnelling so prominent in previous squad-based shooters.