Freedom Finger

As this generation of gaming crawls to a slow death, Freedom Finger gives it a big shot of adrenaline and a kick in the nuts. Freedom Finger is the hero we don't deserve.

It’s hard to find the words to give justice to the radness that is Freedom Finger. In order to understand it you really need to crank it up to full volume and just go bananas on your own.

Overall, Freedom Finger is an edgy side-scroller that has heart. It is led by raw rock music and visual design while toting a typical side-scrolling shooter underneath. It’s a good game that will definitely keep you challenged and amused.

Freedom Finger is best enjoyed when stripped of the jokes that beat themselves over the player’s heads. An annoying cast of characters that just can’t seem to shut up and bad political jokes that are tired before they fall flat get in the way of what makes this particular shmup really cook. The soundtrack is fantastic on its own but the way the levels and enemies engage with the different songs is really unique and offers its own special challenges that more than pick up the slack left behind what amounts to be a less pointed version of MAD Magazine’s style of humor.

Freedom Finger is an amusing side-scrolling shooter with a challenge available for those who want it, and gameplay accessibility for those who’d rather not get frustrated with some of the later levels’ difficulty. The story is ridiculous, but that’s part of the appeal. The stellar voice cast helps to elevate the jokes to another level, and while the timing given certain world events mean having the enemy as the Chinese might upset some, the whole thing is ultimately a ribbing at the military-industrial complex that the United States finds itself in control of. Enough of that though.