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When it comes to video game feature trends, the video game industry is cyclical. Ideas arrive off the back of innovation, take hold, show up everywhere, and then gradually fade from popularity. Take the current trend for nearly everything to be a roguelite, for example. I mean, even Dynasty Warriors has gone roguelite! Or the deluge of Souls-like games following FromSoftware’s perfection of the formula. We only need to look to the indie scene, however, to see innovation and experimentation alive and well. But I’m sure I’m not alone in finding formulaic “AAA” games a little stale these days. It’s time for some neglected gameplay features to make a return. And there’s one gameplay feature, in particular, that I’d argue is seriously overdue a comeback, and it comes from Freedom Fighters.
Freedom to Lead
In 2003, IO Interactive, of Hitman fame, released one of my all-time hidden gems. Freedom Fighters was a third-person shooter in which you play as a surprisingly competent plumber (not that one) joining a resistance against a full-scale Soviet occupation of the USA.
In many ways, Freedom Fighters was a fairly standard third-person shooter. The combat was decent, if challenging, but the guns lacked weight and variety. Visually, it was also serviceable, lacking spectacle and detail but with an art style that still holds up today. But it had a few crucial aspects that made it stand out from the crowd.
For one, Jesper Kyd‘s soundtrack, of Assassin’s Creed fame, was incredibly atmospheric. Storming a Soviet stronghold to epic choral singing was spine-tingling stuff. The game never took itself too seriously, either. It managed to strike the difficult balance between being simultaneously engaging and sardonic. And Freedom Fighters had a cool if limited level design feature, in which you could approach the sandbox levels in a different order, carrying out objectives that would affect other levels.
But the main reason why Freedom Fighters was incredible was its resistance command feature. Many games allow you to fight alongside NPC companions. Sometimes, you can give them limited control, such as triggering special moves, as seen in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, for example. But rarely before nor, to my knowledge, since, have games let you lead a small army into battle. Well, Freedom Fighters did, and it was glorious.
You and What Army?
Essentially, as you completed missions and objectives, your reputation as a resistance leader grew. At first, only a couple of resistance fighters, usually dotted around the levels, would follow you into battle. You could give them simple commands, like following you and attacking an enemy location. Or, in something I’ve rarely seen done in video games, you could order your troops to defend a location. And they would. They’d take up positions behind cover and man gun emplacements, ready to mow down any Soviets who dare retaliate.
The real beauty of the gameplay feature, however, was how your progress was rewarded with an ever-growing force of resistance fighters. Blow up enemy infrastructure or free captured resistance fighters, and more soldiers would follow your lead. The system gave a tangible, diegetic reward for your actions and allowed you to tackle stiffer enemy resistance.
By the end of Freedom Fighters, your ranks of resistance followers have swelled to 20 soldiers. Twenty! And let me tell you, ordering your small army into battle against an entrenched Soviet force was an incredibly exhilarating experience. Where so many games pit you and a few others against an overwhelming force, Freedom Fighters made you feel like you were in an actual skirmish. Sure, the allied NPC AI wasn’t fantastic, but they still held their own and contributed to the battle, making their presence significant.
Sound the Charge
I genuinely don’t understand why Freedom Fighters‘ incredible troop commanding gameplay feature hasn’t taken hold. Perhaps there’s a patent I don’t know about or, more likely, it’s just hard to program the AI, particularly when you have dozens of troops fighting on-screen at one time.
But if we’re looking for more innovation in our AAA games, I truly think developers could do far worse than revisit Freedom Fighters most impressive gameplay feature. There’s significant room for improvement, after all. Freedom Fighters only featured a few character models, breaking immersion when you were fighting alongside a handful of identical soldiers. And giving the troops more personality, characterisation and backstory would allow the player to empathise with them to a greater degree. That way, when one of them is gunned down, it would really feel like a personal loss.
I’m sure there’s plenty more that could be done with Freedom Fighters‘ troop commanding gameplay feature. Now we just need a bold developer to pick up the mantle and make it happen. Or, if anyone at IO happens to read this, perhaps a Freedom Fighters remake? I can dream.
