Flames of Freedom

Did You Know?

• The Amiga version was re-released by Kixx XL in 1993.
• The Atari ST version received a 96% / CVG Hit from C+VG and a 95% / ACE TrailBlazer from ACE.
• A 1994 Computer Gaming World survey of strategic space games set in the year 2000 and later gave the game two-plus stars out of five.

Gameplay

The world has moved beyond the impact winter that followed the first Midwinter. Though Midwinter Isle itself has sunk beneath the waves, its people and their fierce commitment to liberty endured by forming a union with the island of Verde. This new nation was renamed Agora, and it is sometimes called the Atlantic Federation. A chain of islands conquered by the Saharan Empire, known as the Slave Isles, lies between Agora and the African mainland. Agoran intelligence uncovers two things: the Saharan Empire’s plan for a massive invasion called Operation Scorpio, and the existence of scattered, disorganised resistance movements across the Slave Isles. In response, Agora launches Operation Wildfire, a series of secret missions meant to spark rebellions on those islands, slowing down and weakening the Saharan armada before it can reach Agora.

Players take on the role of the secret agent leading this operation. They can choose to play a single mission in Raid mode or a linked series of missions in campaign mode. In campaign mode, the armada will eventually set sail, triggering an endgame where the player must destroy it as it moves through the Slave Isles. Success means saving Agora and, as a side effect, inspiring a general uprising across the islands. Each mission is open-ended, letting players decide how to approach it. Objectives vary by island and include sabotage and assassinations, and players can choose the order in which to tackle them. The game builds a detailed open world filled with different characters and vehicles, including land, air, and sea vessels. Any enemy-operated vehicle can be hijacked, though all vehicles handle in a very similar way. The graphics are basic 3D, standard for the era. In campaign mode, players can visit islands in any order, though time is limited. The aim is not to free every island, but to create a difficult path for the Saharan armada.