Freedom Fall is the inaugural title of "newcomer" Stirfire Studios - a short platformer game which follows Marsh, the game's imprisoned protagonist, as he attempts to escape from a trap-laden tower and earn his freedom.

The game itself is very brief, with an average completion time of about an hour; further replayability is given via a branching story, which lets players decide whether Marsh is wrongfully imprisoned or not. It's worth noting that the game ties both story branches very elegantly into gameplay mechanics, which is sadly uncommon in today's market.

Freedom Fall also boasts some impressive hand-drawn character sprites and environments (courtesy of artist Lisa Rye) , although the Moai engine it's built on has some minor clipping issues (mainly regarding sloped surfaces); other than that, it's a pretty standard "avoid the traps" platform game with a likeable cast and functional controls.

Achievement-wise, the game is mostly easy to complete; both of the "hard" achievements - "Immortal" and "Freerunner" - can be done by utilizing the restart level function and respawn mechanic, respectively.

Apologies are also due in advance, as, in regards to the three "par" achievements, there are no in-game or online indicators on their exact thresholds; therefore, their achievement descriptions might be found a bit lacking in depth.

It's important to note that certain achievements (mostly those that are tied to the two story outcomes, as well as the ending ones) are mutually exclusive, meaning you'll need to start a game on a fresh save file in order to unlock them. Where appropriate, these achievements are marked on their respective entries.

You can earn the following achievements by progressing through the game's storyline; most of these are mutually exclusive, meaning you'll need to start a new save file and choose different paths in order to unlock them.


Jumped the Shark
Escape the shark boss.


Level 7 - Sharkie
Awarded for completing Level 9 - Sharkie without killing Madam Sharkie (the mechanical shark chasing you through the level). Not a particularly challenging achievement, as you'll need to actively turn around and throw a bomb at her to kill her (while she takes damage from colliding with traps, she cannot die from trap damage).

This achievement is not mutually exclusive with the "Bigger Boat" one.


Bigger Boat
Kill the shark boss.


Level 7 - Sharkie
Awarded for completing Level 9 - Sharkie after having killed Madam Sharkie. If you're having trouble killing her, remember that you can lure her into traps to deal damage to her, as well as find extra bombs to throw at her in the platforming interludes between each chase sequence.

This achievement is not mutually exclusive with the "Jumped the Shark" one.


Objection!
Complete the non-guilty path in level 14.


Level 14 - Foundation
Unlocked for picking the non-guilty path in Level 14 - Foundation. At the very end of the level, you'll be given the choice between grabbing the Elixir of Life (proving your thieving skills) or skipping it (proving your innocence) - simply exit via the left path to trigger this achievement.

This achievement is mutually exclusive with "Saved By the Princess" and "Prince of Thieves".


Prince of Thieves
Complete the guilty path in level 14.


Level 11 - Foundation
The polar opposite of "Objection!", this achievement requires that you've acquired the Elixir of Life in Level 14 - Foundation - when you have the option, head to the right path and navigate the trap-filled room to grab the Elixir, then use the right-hand exit to get this achievement.

This achievement is mutually exclusive with "Objection!" and "Dragonrider".


Freedom!
Complete the game.


Level 15 - Empheria
Self-explanatory, this achievement should unlock once your selected ending plays out and the credits finish rolling. Note that this achievement does not require you to complete the bonus level Undersea in order to be awarded.


Saved By the Princess
Get the princess ending.


Level 15 - Empheria
In order to get this achievement, you'll need to have chosen the guilty path in Level 14 - Foundation; following the final boss fight you'll get an interactive credits scene, where both Marsh and the Princess are free-falling off the tower. Simply move Marsh towards the Princess until he makes a grab for her, thus awarding you the Princess Ending.

This achievement is mutually exclusive with "Objection", "Dragonrider" and "Going Solo".


Going Solo
Get the solo ending.


Level 15 - Empheria
This achievement can be unlocked on either of the story paths (guilty or non-guilty); during the credits scene following the final boss fight, avoid contact with either the Princess or the Dragon (depending on your chosen path); after a few seconds of free-falling, Marsh should either deploy his Glider (if acquired) or drop into the ocean - granting you the Solo Ending and achievement.

This achievement is mutually exclusive with "Saved By the Princess" and "Dragonrider".


Dragonrider
Get the dragon ending.


Level 15 - Empheria
In order to get this achievement, you'll need to have chosen the non-guilty path in Level 14 - Foundation; after the final boss fight, move Marsh towards the falling dragon - if successful, he should mount it and award the Dragon Ending and achievement.

This achievement is mutually exclusive with "Saved By the Princess", "Prince of Thieves" and "Going Solo".


Bombard
Complete Bombard.


One of two levels added with the latest patch, Level 6 - Bombard mainly revolves around dodging huge spiked bombs, completing this level will award the achievement


Unchained
Complete Chainmoor.


The second of two levels added post-release, Level 12 - Chainmoor requires precision platforming in order to avoid the new spiked platform traps. The achievement should unlock when exiting the level.


Fearless
Complete the game on Hard mode.


Must be selected during a new game creation; Hard mode's main difference is the addition of extra traps (spikes, fire pits and so on) in all of the game's levels. This doesn't really force a change of playstyles on the player's part, however - if you've invested the time into collecting cogs, it might be worth grabbing the Double Jump upgrade before the Glider one, so as to navigate Level 5 -Bombard and Level 6 - Firepits more easily.

The achievement itself does not appear to be affected by the ending chosen, and should unlock as soon as the credits' sequence concludes.

You can earn most of these achievements simply by progressing through the game; while most of them can be done by using the level select feature, a few will require starting a new save file.

Overdrive
Collect 50 large gears.


Large gears are the big, golden gears that can be found throughout the levels, which are worth 10 bolts each. You should earn this naturally as you navigate the levels, since a lot of them are placed directly in Marsh's path - if you're interested in actively seeking them, they're usually found in secret areas (helpfully tagged with a "No Boys or Prisoners" graffiti), along the hard / harder paths throughout the levels, as well as in hard-to-reach crevices, usually near trap-heavy areas.


Space Invader
Enter a no-boys-allowed zone.


Earliest at: Tutorial Level - Jailbreak
Secret zones are always tagged with a red "No Boys or Prisoners" graffiti and are usually easy to spot - the earliest one is at about the halfway point of the tutorial level and is easily reached by jumping and wall-grabbing the ledge below its' entrance.


I Meant to do That
Kill yourself with a bomb.


Earliest at: Level 2 - Garden
You'll first encounter the bomb item at the start of Level 2 - Garden, under a bomb dispenser. Simply face a wall and throw a bomb so it lands near Marsh.


Blacksmith
Buy all equippable items in the shop.


To earn this achievement, you'll need to buy the Glider, Double Jump and Hoverboard upgrades from any shop (earliest one is in Level 3 - Fire Pits) ; this will cost an overall total of 1350 bolts (200, 400 and 750, respectively) and should be doable by the time you reach Level 9 - Electrified if you've collected as many bolts/gears as possible (and haven't been buying bombs). Note that this achievement does not count bombs as "equippable".

This achievement is mutually exclusive with "Freerunner".


Tag, you're it!
Beat the princess in a race section.


Best Done in: Level 8 - Lightning
Earliest Available in: Level 3 - Fire Pits
There are two race sections in the game, in Level 3 - Fire Pits and Level 8 - Lightning (denoted by a "princess" icon in the level select screen); while the achievement is doable on both occasions, it's easiest to do in Level 8 - Lightning, as the race section is a bit longer and allows better usage of shortcuts. If you fail beating the Princess, you can die to restart the entire sequence.


Invincible
Pass a level without dying.


Best Done in: Tutorial Level - Jailbreak
This achievement is easier than it seems, as you can do a no-deaths run of the tutorial level simply by memorizing the level layout; if you die at some point, you can always restart the level to reset your death counter and try the achievement again.

Note that you can also wait until you've gained some of the equipment upgrades from further into the game before replaying the tutorial level, so you'll have an easier time.


Hoarder
Get over cog par for every level.


In order to earn this achievement, you'll need to have completed each level within the cog par - collecting at least 70% of the level's bolts and earning a yellow cog award for that level in the results screen. If you have trouble hitting cog par for each level, remember that harder paths often award more bolts/cogs, secret areas usually contain one or more cogs (worth 10 bolts each) and that you can die and take different paths in order to gather more.


Clockwork
Get under time par for every level.


Awarded for getting the blue cog award at the results screen of each level, by completing each level under a certain time limit. While the time limits are not visible in-game, they are often very forgiving; if you find yourself short of a few, remember that you can save some time by taking easier paths, by free-falling instead of gliding or wall-grabbing and by using the Double Jump upgrade in order to clear bigger gaps or aim for shortcuts.


Undead
Get under the death par for every level.


Awarded for getting the red cog award at the results screen of each level, by completing levels while keeping your death count under that level's death par. The death par per level is not visible in-game, but (as with "Clockwork" and "Hoarder") you can use the level select feature to revisit any level you missed the par for.

For best results, you can wait and do all three "par" achievements in tandem with the "Immortal" achievement.


Par-Core
Get cog, time and death par for all levels.


Awarded for getting all three cog awards - blue, red and yellow - on each of the game's "main" levels (bonus level Undersea is not required); it should unlock alongside your last par achievement, depending on the order you did them in. Note that you can use the level select feature to revisit any levels you're missing awards on.

See "Hoarder", "Clockwork" and "Undead" achievement entries for further info.


Freerunner
Complete game without buying any equipment.


Probably the most difficult achievement in the game, as it requires the player to complete all "main" levels (again, Undersea does not count) without ever buying any of the equipment upgrades from a shop; the Glider, Double Jump and Hoverboard upgrades, but not replenishing grenades via the shop menu.

A few key considerations:

• Deaths are not a factor here, unless you are going for the "Immortal" achievement simultaneously - it is recommended to do these achievements on seperate save files, as a no-death run becomes much harder when the Glider and Double Jump abilities are not available.
  
• If given the option, avoid routes that involve fire pit traps, as these are usually designed with the Glider upgrade in mind.
  
• Cogs are still important, as you can use them to buy extra bombs from shops - these can be used to blow up any inconveniently-placed traps; this is particularly useful in the latter half of the game (which is more dependent on equipment to progress).

Immortal
Pass the game without dying.


This achievement is actually easier than it first appears, as it only requires that you complete each level with a death count of zero the first time you complete it; you can restart the level if you die (before exiting the level) to reset the death counter.

It's worth noting that this achievement becomes increasingly easier if you get the Glider and Double Jump upgrades as soon as possible, as it allows Marsh to skip a few of the more common traps.

Steam user ray.harry notes that you'll need to save at least four bombs / 200 bolts prior to entering the final level, as you'll need them to initiate the final boss fight without dying.

Lisa Rye[risachantag.deviantart.com] - For her great work in creating the vibrant world of Freedom Fall and its characters.
Stirfire Studios[stirfire.net] - The production studio behind Freedom Fall.
Steam user ray.harry - For a correction regarding the Immortal achievement.