Freelancer is a spaced based game for Windows that lets you take control of a spaceship and travel the galaxy engaging in combat and trading. Primarily a sandbox themed space title Freelancer is a game that lets players control where they explore, progress and the activities they engage with which includes trading planet commodities, mining resources, protecting other ships and hunting pirates.
The events of Freelancer are set 800 years after the events in Starlancer (a similar space game made by the same developer approximately three years earlier) although is not a direct sequel. The game world features a post civil war society where the losing side fled their original star system and headed for the Sirius sector instead when the war was lost. In total there were five colony ships sent with four ships arriving at their destination and creating their own factions upon arrival.
These factions are broadly tied to the real world countries of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan with each having cultural influences and objectives reflective of these countries. As the final ship did not reach its intended destination they instead turned to a life of pirating as a result to survive in the harsh space world.
Your role in this setting is that of Edison Trent who is an expert mercenary that is capable of surviving as a solo pilot and is called upon to investigate and hopefully stop a growing alien force that threatens the Sirius sector. At the core of this adventure is the 48 known star systems where you bounce between with your ship and the jump gates at these locations. Within these star systems you’ll find all manner of planets, asteroid fields for mining or thriving space stations that encourage trade. Alongside these locations are a number of set NPCs such as Professor Roland Quintaine that provide framework to the story and support Edison Trent along the alien path.
To complete your goal players will aim to complete a number of missions as Edison Trent with clear objectives at particular locations. Outside of this core story though players are free to approach the gameplay as they wish with opportunities for piracy, trader protection, bounty hunting and trading commodities (sometimes illegally) within the various systems. As you would expect players are severely limited in terms of combat power at the start of the game though with players having to start small and build up their Freelancer wealth.
As new systems open up in the Freelancer universe the chance for wealth and in turn your ship power will slowly increase. Ships come in all shapes and sizes so players have plenty of depth to choose a ship that suits their needs with further customisation available through weapon and defensive equipment options. This includes guns, missiles, cruise disruptors, torpedoes, turrets, mines, countermeasures, thrusters and shields that each have an increasingly cost based on their class level.
Facilitating this travel Freelancer is primarily a point and click space game with a mixture of mouse and keyboard commands used to manipulate your ship for the task at hand. Freelancer also boasts a multiplayer mode with support for large player groups which adds even more gameplay hours for people who wish to get together with friends.
Summary:
- A space trading and combat game that gives you a diverse galaxy of star systems to explore.
- Spiritual successor to Starlancer that is set in the same general universe and builds on the developer’s previous title.
- Solve the core storyline of an alien threat as the mercenary Edison Trent.
- Choose a ship that meets your needs as you customise it with a diverse roster of basic and advanced weapons.
- Undertake activities as you see fit with piracy, mining, trading and bounty hunting just some of your core activities.
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Review Platform: PC
