Freedom Wars Out Tuesday, Characters & Panopticons Detailed

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Freedom Wars Out Tuesday, Characters & Panopticons Detailed

Hello again Freedom Wars fans! With less than a week to go until Freedom Wars finally hits North America, I wanted to deliver a few more details regarding our awesome cast of characters and Western Panopticons to our English-speaking “Sinners” out there.

As you’ve seen through our various trailers, even throughout the multitude of cooperative and competitive modes, the story of Freedom Wars takes center stage. While contributing to society and steadily decreasing that million-year sentence, you’ll encounter a myriad of interesting, (and might I add stylish) characters, starting with:

Freedom Wars, Aries
Aries
A mysterious girl who appears in front of our main character from time to time. Her prophetic-sounding words seem to be leading you down a certain path, but her true motives remain a mystery…
Freedom Wars, Natalia
Natalia “9” Woo
The tough-as-nails Commander of The Office of Peace and Stability, 35th division. Natalia is tasked with protecting the peace in her Panopticon and keeping the Sinners in line. She might seem cold at first glance, but Natalia’s rigid demeanor masks her deep-seated wish to protect her teammates.
Freedom Wars, Uwe
Uwe “Sakamoto” Cabrera
A veteran prisoner and brave warrior who’s earned the respect of society through his efforts on the battlefield. He’s taught countless prisoners that the only freedom they have left is “to choose how you fight and live with that decision.”
Freedom Wars, Matias
Mattias “Leo” Bruno
An inexperienced prisoner, Mattias considers himself to be your rival. Although he can be a bit competitive, he’s known to have an honest personality and won’t shy away from lending a hand.
Freedom Wars, Abel
Abel “Strafe” Balt
One of the strongest prisoners in the world, Abel is in control of one of the “Three Prototype” Abductors – “Red Rage.” He is by all means considered to be extremely dangerous.
Freedom Wars, Beatrice
Beatrice “Lilium” Anastasi
The heroine of our story, held deep within the main character’s Panopticon, under constant surveillance. Her positive attitude and warm personality make her an instant friend and ally, ready to fight by your side as she bravely confronts her destiny.
Freedom Wars, Percy Propa

And last but not least, your official Panopticon mascot: Percy Propa! Percy is the voice of the Panopticon – his job is to relay messages and issue orders to you, although in a very kind, gentle way. You’ll often see him appearing on the various screens throughout your home Panopticon, shouting his favorite phrase: “For the Greater Good!”

Suffice to say, the characters you’ll encounter in Freedom Wars will help make your experience a very memorable one – they’ll join you both on and off the battlefield throughout the story as you uncover the truth about the world and discover what “freedom” truly is.

I also wanted to take a moment and respond to one of the most frequent questions I’ve received from fans across the world: Which Panopticons are included in the Western release of the game? I’m happy to announce that the Panopticons populating the Western release represent a very international audience – we have over 50 locations from around the world that you’re free to swear allegiance to at the start of the game:

New York City, NY, USA
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Honolulu, HI, USA
Anchorage, AK, USA
Chicago, IL, USA
Houston, TX, USA
Mexico City, Mexico
Edmonton, Canada
Lima, Peru
Toronto, Canada
Helsinki, Finland
Reykjavik, Iceland
London, United Kingdom
Yekaterinburg, Russia
Moscow, Russia
Athens, Greece
Bucharest, Romania
Lisbon, Portugal
Berlin, Germany
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
Oslo, Norway
Stockholm, Sweden
Copenhagen, Denmark
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Madrid, Spain
Vienna, Austria
Manaus, Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Santiago, Chile
Galapagos, Ecuador
Caracas, Venezuela
Dakar, Senegal
Nairobi, Kenya
Cape Town, South Africa
Sydney, Australia
Perth, Australia
Wellington, New Zealand
Mumbai, India
Bangkok, Thailand
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jakarta, Indonesia
Manila, Philippines
Hanoi, Vietnam
Taipei, Taiwan
Hong Kong, China
Seoul, South Korea
Singapore, Singapore
Tokyo, Japan

Pretty great list, huh? I look forward to seeing all of you online next week, battling for the safety and glory of your home Panopticons. For the greater good!

Comments are closed.

207 Comments

119 Author Replies

  • Will there be a demo? Is the game compelling if I play it by myself, I have no friends with a Vita and frankly even if there is online (as nice as that is) I will likely be disinterested with playing with strangers.

    Good luck with the launch, sadly this looks like one of the very few “big” vita games trickling out in the near future. I do enjoy the indie crossbuy stuff and plus offerings, but I can’t help but feel jealous when I see games like Bravely Default, and the large current library and also games in development for the 3ds, Bravely Second for instance.

    I love my vita, but the games are drying up in some ways, and I really wish they had done the shoulder buttons like the psp go, as is they are as mediocre as when the original psp 1000 launched, I should know I have had all the Nintendo / Sony handhelds up till now.

    I wouldn’t sell my vita like some claim, but I wish there was more action adventure and fantasy rpgs for it. “sigh” yes this is a bit of both which is why I am interested to see what it is and how it does.

    • Hey Skeetlejuice,

      Sorry, no demo over here! (There was a demo-ish beta that was released for a very short period in Japan, but it’s since been taken down.)

      I think the game has a great single-player campaign – completely doable by yourself because you’ll always be able to fill the slots on your team with the other characters from the story. Just make sure to keep their equipment leveled up!

      Hope you check it out!

  • Woo! So excited for this! I’ve been looking forward to this game for a long time. I have it pre-ordered, but am getting it delivered by Amazon “super saver shipping” so I probably won’t get it right away. But that said, I’m still excited!

    Also, Nick, I love that you’re using Propaganda Bear as your avatar. *laughs*

    • I think you’ll love it, lovely-san!

      And I love Percy Propa – isn’t he cute?

      Thanks for all of your support – can’t wait to see you online!

  • @99 I Live Chatted with someone at Sony, they seem to think the promotion ends 10/27 @ 11:59 PM PST. This really makes the offer “TO October 28th” instead of “THROUGH October 28th” like the promotion says. Though I think you can add funds to your wallet and it will count it towards the $100.

  • @102 Too bad if true i won’t be buying this game.

  • Please add Vancouver. I’d even pay for it as DLC.

    • Hey Negimafan –

      I hear you, and I promise I’ll let you know if we add any more cities!

      (Considering that this would affect the multiplayer for all users, we can’t easily just add it as DLC.)

      Hope you understand, and thanks for your support!

  • @99

    If you can preorder it now, then it will be eligible as with the preorders on psn they take the full amount up front and there are no refunds (unless required by law)

    if you buy it by the time for the $15 promotion then you should be good as long as you have spent the 100+ within the time frame, you can check likely by viewing your transactions and selecting a time period in case you weren’t aware of the feature.

    Some years the promo is better than others this is one of the poorest one I have seen and I am not bothering as I only buy some stuff digitally.

    Also I don’t believe in preording full amount up front, that is not in the consumers best interest really ever. unless you get an incredible deal / extras and frankly they are not offering that on psn for preorders.

  • With Amazon.ca I have a bunch of games for 49.99 (instead of 69.99) on the e3 preorder promotion and I have no money tied up and can cancel anytime prior to shipment with free shipping. That just destroys anything psn ever offers.

    I have got, Diablo 3 for 45, Fifa 15UT Ed for 50, ACU for 50, LBP3 for 50, all for ps4 this year, and Batman Witcher 3 and UC4 all for 50 next year. And the best part is I can resell and lend them should I choose.

    I guess that is one of the rare things we do get better than a lot of places in Canada, but personally even the PSN’s get $10 back for spending $50 is far better than That Promo. Sorry for the off topic in the Freedom Wars.

    But yes on the preorder counting.

  • @Nick Accordino

    Im hearing this game uses a system called Ruby Talk. Is that the reason you cant dub the game in english? Do all the characters use this program?

  • 101@Lovely San

    Just select the $1.99 shipping option, I have been getting it on release day at lunch time when I choose that, I live in a major city to be fair but it’s worth it if you don’t want to wait. enjoy the game when you get it.

  • @ 105 the thing is that the game is not available for preorder Through psn and the release date is oct 28
    the question is if the promotion end on oct 27 11:59am or oct 28 11:59am.

  • @99, 103, 105 etc…

    Reading comments in the Promotion page it looks like past Promotions have let anything count to the end of the promotion day (10/28 @ 11:59 pm) and just adding funds to the wallet doesn’t seem to work. Probably just going to get Persona 3 P and buy Freedom Wars Day 1 and hope that counts (already bought Shadow of Mordor)

  • Awesome to finally know Aries name! I love her design so much.
    Quick question though, do we get an English dub with the western release or is it English sub? It’s not a deal breaker at all but it’s a nice plus. With all the Japanese games getting localized a good amount of them stay in their native language and to be honest, i’m kind of getting weary of reading subtitles. Again, it’s not a problem since I’ve been interested in Freedom Wars since it’s first teaser!

    • Hi RodBow!

      Thanks for the great question!

      We’re sticking with the fantastic Japanese audio with subtitles – I think you’ll love it!

      Let me know what you think when you get your hands on it! Thanks for all the support!

  • @112
    Its english sub only. Its a deal breaker for me and it does get me a bit worried that its becoming more common place. I can kinda swallow it when its a tiny company but thats it.

  • Oh dear Lord yes.

    Can’t wait.

  • Nick:

    Thanks again. I’ll have to see what, if anything, Bamco have in mind, then.

    One final thought for now: has there been any thought put into offering Freedom Wars as part of a bunduru with the PS Vita itself, and/or with the PSTV? (Since the game works on both devices and allows for miltiplayer battles between them, it would be an equally handy way to highlight both systems at once.)

    • Hey Nerroth,

      You’re very welcome!

      And I’m honestly not sure – but I think Freedom Wars is a great title for anyone with a VITA or PlayStation TV!

      (Still can’t get over how good it looks on a bigger screen!)

      Thanks for all of your support!

  • @113

    Thanks for the heads up on English Sub only, I was absolutely expecting an English dub similar to Persona 4 Golden, would have been extremely disappointed if I bought it without knowing this.

  • Can’t wait!!! already pre-ordered

  • Nick:

    Thanks for your time and patience.

    Best of luck with next week’s launch!

  • October 28th everybody! remember that date. Hope you’re all ready #ForTheGreaterGood.

    (Btw, Nice to see you staying in character for Percy Propa, Nick A.)

    • Ha ha, nothing to that – just want everyone to get used to the phrase!

      Hope you love the game, and thanks for all of your support!

      For the Greater Good!

  • Personally, I feel it might have been better to have the Panopticons be based on countries, not on specific cities. That way, you could have covered a few more countries; And in my case, there’s a city from my country available, but I don’t really feel any, well, personal “connection” to that city, so I would have been more comfortable if it would just refer to the whole country. No clue how others feel about this, or how well it would work with the FW lore – it’s just my first impression on that topic.

    Also, it’s a bummer there won’t be a demo. I’ve seen this game compared to Toukiden, Soul Sacrifice and the likes, and that doesn’t really help me at all. I loved Toukiden, but I hated Soul Sacrifice and most other Monster Hunter like games I’ve tried. So there’s no way for me to know if this game is for me without actually playing the first few hours of the game. :-\

  • I just realized my comment sounds a lot more negative than I meant it to be. ^^ Sorry about that. I’m not sure if the game will be my cup of tea – but I wouldn’t comment here if I didn’t think that FW looks like it’s going to be a great game. ;)

    • Thanks Toa-Nuva – I really appreciate your comment and where you’re coming from.

      PTs based off of countries would have been interesting, but given the post-apocalyptic setting, a few remaining city-state like Panopticons is also valid I think.

      And apologies about a lack of demo – we tried to bring it to as many events as we could this year, and there’s plenty of video out there for you to get an impression of what the game is like.

      I hope the $29.99 price point is low enough for you to give it a shot – I know I’ve gotten at least a hundred hours of game-play out of it already, so I think it was well worth it!

      Thanks for your support!

  • This is considered to be the big Vita game for this holiday season (besides Minecraft). Once this releases, do you guys have other big name games on the horizon for 2015? I would also love to see more brand name games (Pac Man, Sonic, etc.). I loved the recent HD games (Ratchet, God of War, Sly). Any more of HD games coming to Vita in 2015?

    • Hey dkarlowicz10 – can only really talk about Freedom Wars here, but you know we always have big things cookin!

      Thanks for your support, and I hope you enjoy Freedom Wars!

  • If it hasn’t already been explained, could you maybe explain how the Panopticons are actually different? Are we sorted into them based on how close we are, or do we choose them? And either way, how are the different? Is it just in the name, or do they have different appearances?

    • Hi oversevethousand!

      You choose which Panopticon you want to be a part of at the beginning of the game – but you get locked into it, so choose wisely!

      There’s no huge differences here – they all look similar and no PT has an advantage over any other.

      Fight to bring glory to your Panopticon, and reduce that million year sentence!

      For the Greater Good!

  • My dear Souledge94.
    If it wasn’t for amazing Japanese audio in my favorite shows and games growing up, I’d have never learned the amazing language in the first place.
    So no excuses here – I absolutely adore the wonderful voice overs that went into Freedom Wars, and extremely proud that the game is coming out in the exact shape that it’s in.
    I’m sure you’ll love the game if you give it a try, so I really hope you do.
    Thanks for all of your support!

    this is the most pathetic thing i have ever read, you say that japanese is an “amazing language,” what makes it so amazing over english? spanish? italian? chinese? french? the answer is NOTHING! its the language they speak, nothing is amazing about it

    why would you be proud of releasing a game to a country where 95% of the population doesnt speak the language? you will generate more sales if you release the game with english voices, FACT. One reason is because most americans will not buy anything if its in another language. Another reason for that is because most people in the us/eu already imported the game and now have no reason to buy it once its already localized because there is nothing to differentiate them.

  • one more thing, its not about what you want like you make it sound like, its about your consumers

  • I swear this game is going to be the death of me. =) Already have it pre ordered and I seriously cannot wait! Freedom Wars is my most anticipated Vita game! So hyped, only 6 more days.

    • You’re the reason I do what I do, bergster30!

      Thanks for being a great fan, and I hope you love the game!

  • Just pre ordered this, next week cannot come soon enough! Now I need to find a way to decide in which panopticon I want to be in :/

    • Alright!

      I love hearing that – thank you very very much!

      Let me know what you think once you get your hands on it next week, and thanks for all of the support!

  • just preordered after hearing the interview on the newest Beyond!. Cant wait !

    • I love it – thank you asilentnoise!

      I think you’re really going to dig it – let me know what you think when it’s in your hands!

      For the Greater Good!

  • @126
    And if not dubbing the game (a significant cost) means being able to get the game to consumers at all, that should be the priority.

    Also, come on, all preferences of voice talent aside, English is a pretty stupid language as far as how it actually works. Look at these three words: throw through though. The way they sound… doesn’t really make sense if you think about it. How about tough dough and cough? Seriously, English ain’t that great.

  • @130
    Then I rather not have the game at all personally. It lacks a feature and feels like a lazy localization attempt on sonys part. Again they are not some tiny company its SONY game division. I was happy when it was announced that it was coming over but then Sony just put a big ol middle finger and said no dub just sub cause lazy.

  • @130
    Fun fact: most english voice actors are cheaper than japanese voice actors, and the priority is the please the consumer
    Throw, through, and though are completely different words

  • This reminds me, how well do the Accessories pronounce our names here? I’ve tried the JP demo and they did it was done well, but it was because with katakana/hiragana, Japanese have the same pronunciation for the letters. While with English, exact combination of letters can be read differently.

  • I’ve got a question about PVP.

    Is it possible to choose which team you play against? I ask because I want to know how possible tournaments can be.

    Thanks!

    Cant wait for release day!

    • You’ll see when it gets here, but because of the ranked nature of the Panopticons (and you’ll get items each week depending on how high-ranking your Panopticon is!), we can’t let people pick the exact nature of their combatants.

      You can freely set parameters about which people you’d like to face, but that’s about it. For now… :)

      Hope that answers your question – hope you’re looking forward to the game!

  • @131
    Comments like that just come off as ungrateful to me. The Vita is not doing great. Admittedly, Sony could do better, but in this case, they’re doing a lot. The fact it’s coming over at all is something we should be very thankful for, doubly so when it’s getting a physical release considering even that is becoming more and more difficult. What’s lazy about significantly changing the game (the Panopticons), releasing a physical Vita game in this climate, and giving the game this promotion? Absolutely nothing. If reading is too much of a problem for you, then you probably wouldn’t like the game anyway.

    @132
    If the consumer can’t be pleased they’re getting the game at all considering how many games don’t get localized, the consumer needs a reality check. As for the words, look at how they’re written and how they sound and think about it. It doesn’t actually make sense, like most of our language, because it’s full of more exceptions than rules – rather, exceptions ARE its rules.

  • I’ve been really looking forward to this game, the Vita doesn’t get nearly enough quality releases. Unfortunately, my Vita broke the other day. I’ve been a little hesitant to grab a new one because I’m nervous that some awesome new bundle will be announced for the holiday season right after I get mine replaced. Any word on maybe a Freedom Wars bundle coming to US?

    • Sorry EJStrat – no news on a bundle! I wouldn’t hold off though – you’ll want to be teaming up with the blossoming community from Day 1!

      Thanks for all of your support!

  • Now this looks very promising I will check this out as soon as possible great games on the way for ps vita!!!!!

  • Pretty excited to get this game next week!

  • @135
    No I know I would like the game alot since the people behind god eater have something to do with it and I love that game. Also guess what that game was dubbed. Again it feels lazy on their part because its not some small company with not much funds its freaking sony. Im not just going to bow my head and be thankful for that. Im also sure its pretty easy to give a SONY game promotion on a SONY blog.I also dont count giving us a physical copy= to doing alot.Its not the reading I have a problem with.I just dont like japan voice acting.

  • While the lack of a dub is disappointing (It seems to stick out more to me in this case than say, Gravity Rush), that by no means makes this a lazy translation. If you want to see one of those, just look at Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment.

    Just the simple knowledge that a team sat down and had a dedicated discussion about how to best translate the game (Panopticons, changing “Let’s Contribute!” to “For the Greater Good!” etc.) eases my complaints about the lack of a dub (But don’t completely dull them, for the record).

    It’s by no means a deal-breaker, but it IS the biggest disappointment I have with the game from what I’ve seen.

  • As it happens, one other thing of note regarding the Japanese voice track is that this marks the second North American Vita game this month to feature Hara Yumi (the voice of Aries) in a prominent role: she also voices Yumi, leader of the Gessen ninja team, in Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus.

    Yumi – by which I mean the voice actress – is perhaps most well-known for voicing Takane Shijou in the Idolm@ster franchise (to include the puchidol Takanya in the chibi Puchim@s! spinoff), and is currently voicing Asami Lilith in Trinity Seven, one of this anime season’s shows being carried on Crunchyroll (and viewable on the CR Vita/PSTV app).

    As it happens, I got a chance to meet her at Toronto’s Anime North this summer. (I also met Asakawa Yuu and Nakamura Eriko at Anime North, though each visited in separate years.)

    I wonder if AN might roll out the red carpet for any Freedom Wars alumni in 2015?

  • There might have been one too many “as it happens”-es in that last post. Ahem.

  • @139
    Why don’t you just come out and say that you don’t want this game? If you REALLY wanted it, not having a dub version wouldn’t be such a problem. When I bought Persona 4: Golden for the PS Vita I had thought it used the Japanese dub. Boy was I wrong. It used an English dub… and besides Yuri Lowenthal, the voices were horrible (to me). It was like trying to watch the Green Green anime (which I still don’t know which version I saw, since it got a little… heated in some episodes lol). But I powered through, simply because I had really wanted to play Persona after having a blast with Persona 3, which my version contained Japanese dubs with English subs, and wanting to get trophies for playing it. Besides the voices, the game was amazing! It was what I wanted from a Persona game, and it was hard… insanely hard… but enjoyable.

  • @125
    Yes, insulting somebody is the BEST way to get what you want. Next time you think of insulting somebody while also wanting something in return, know that crap doesn’t work in the real world. Okay champ? Oh, and one more thing, “your just another stupid weeaboo otaku whos obsessed with a country that laughs at people like you” you wanna tell me Americans don’t do the same thing? I’ve heard more Asian jokes than I’ve heard someone say they’re donating to charity.

  • Whoops, I meant @138. lol

  • @142
    if I didint want this game why would I be so annoyed for the lack of a dub.I would have just went on my marry way. Also why would I mentioned I loved the teams past work God eater again which was again dubbed. I really wanted freedom wars. when It was shown in japan it was one of the games I constally would ask for to be brought over. When it was finally announced I was overjoyed but then sony gave me the biggest middle and said sub only. I was really mad and since cooled down but still am dissapointed at the lack from a dub. Again sony its not some tiny company. Some people have their make or break things for games and having a japanese voice track only is break for me. I enjoyed god eater’s story and cast and want to do the same with this game but if I have to sit down and listen to japanese voice overs ill pass.

  • All these people complaining about their country not being chosen…seriously get over yourselves, no one cares. Or have you forgotten this is the *US* PSBlog.

    Stoked for the game, not sure which city I will call home. Doesn’t seem to matter either. So happy this works for PSTV, now all that thing needs is Netflix, lol.

    • Thanks for the kind words about Freedom Wars, ArchAngelMai!

      I hope you love the game! (It looks fantastic on PlayStation TV!)

      For the Greater Good!

  • @146:

    On any other day, I might point out that this is the North American blog, to include Canada alongside the US. (And that people with North American PSN accounts are welcome to post under the equivalent Freedom Wars post over on the EU PlayStation blog.)

    But then, given today’s tragic events over in Ottawa, I’m minded that there are ways in which I would rather this country not be newsworthy…

  • @147
    I really don’t follow your point outside of an excuse to lament about the events in Ottawa today.
    Most of the people are complaining just to complain. It’s a waste of the devs times to have to sift through those obnoxious comments when they’re genuinely trying to answer real questions that need answers. 88 replies is awesome, that’s more than half of the post being addressed, even repeat questions. The PR Rep for them is amazing and I applaud their efforts.

  • Hey Nick I am so excited for this game and only 6 more days to go! Can’t wait!! Freedom wars is easily shaping out to be one of the best if not the best vita exclusive and I want to thank you and your team for the effort to create this game.

    Btw since my city isn’t represented (never expected it to be so :p) I was thinking among Los Angeles, London or Tokyo. What do you think?

    • Hi there alv_101argand!

      Thank you very much for the kind words – it would be a pleasure to have you within my home Panopticon of Los Angeles! (But I also adore London and Tokyo – two cities I’ve actually been to!)

      Either way I think you’ll have a great time!

      For the Greater Good!

  • I have waited for this game ever since it was announced for Japan, which was just about a year ago…at last my patience is nearing its end. -tears-

    • Finally~

      Thank you for your patience, XDbluedragon! Can’t wait for you to get your hands on it!

      For the Greater Good!

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