18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham inspired an anime action RPG about sci-fi super-prisons. That’s already a lot to digest. The game, Freedom Wars Remastered, just released on PS4, PS5, Switch, and Steam. It’s dystopian setting? A planet ravaged by pollution and the depletion of natural resources. Its characters? They’re “Sinners,” born into sprawling prisons known as panopticons. For a Sinner, the only choice is whether to risk your life in deadly combat or die in shackles. Here’s how the bizarre world of Freedom Wars came to be (and why it looks a surprising amount like our own).
Freedom Wars Remastered Hits Console and Steam
Freedom Wars Remastered feels like a patchwork of Earth Defense Force 6, Deadman Wonderland, 1000xRESIST, and its own secret sauce. It’s far from the first anime game to depict a sci-fi dystopia. Few games, however, recreate a dead philosopher’s fantasy prison like FWR does. Bentham dreamed of a glass prison that forced its prisoners to police themselves (due to their fear of always being watched). Far from living only in some philosopher’s sketchbook, however, the panopticon exists in the real world. Multiple countries, including the United States, Cuba, and the Netherlands, have built prisons directly inspired by Bentham. In many ways, FWR‘s fantasy is all too real.
In Freedom Wars Remastered, the panopticon is a prop. It’s an excuse for the player and their cyborg friends to shoot miniguns at giant robots. That’s an entertainment bull’s-eye, as far as I’m concerned. Bentham’s philosophy adds interesting themes as daunting as any psychological anime. Unfortunately, Freedom Wars is more focused on cute husbandos and explosions. It’s a shame, given the panopticon’s ties to the real prison-industrial system, that the game doesn’t dive deeper. Even so, FWR offers the unusual chance to experience a bit of history while you game. 1,000,000 years might not be long enough.
