GalaxyTrail announced on Twitter that Freedom Planet 2 will have a free sample version made available for the general public at the end of January in 2017. The new sample version will give long time followers and fans of sprite-based side-scrollers a small taste of what the independent studio has planned for one of the most highly anticipated sequels to an indie game this generation.

The news was made available through a tweet on the official Galaxy Trail Twitter account, where they informed fans about the major milestone in development for the colorful platformer.

Freedom Planet 2: Sample Version will be available at the end of January as a free download, and include all playable characters. pic.twitter.com/nOps8QcGFt

— GalaxyTrail (@galaxytrail) December 25, 2016

But they weren’t done with the good news for Freedom Planet 2. The developers also unveiled the first of a multi-series of videos spotlighting the various playable characters in the upcoming title. They start with the main protagonist, the half-dragon named Lilac. You can check out the two minute video below showcasing the crisp graphics, improved game engine and fast-paced gameplay.

The gameplay looks fantastic.

I love how smooth they’ve made it for players to transition from attacks into forward momentum to keep Lilac’s progression in motion and create a real sense of fluidity no matter what action she’s taking. They gave Lilac a new “Boost Breaker” where she can jump out of her boost and create a trail of explosive destruction. She also has a new Guard mechanic to block and parry enemy attacks when timed correctly, and she can now spend an extra life in the spot where she died in order to instantly revive. The trailer also showcases the new Wing Glider special ability as well.

The new abilities, combos and environments also seem to be improvements on the core of what they introduced in the first game. This is how you do a sequel. EA and DICE should have taken some notes for GalaxyTrail before putting out that abortion that was Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst.

That’s not to mention that the awesome synthesized soundtrack makes a return, which was one of the really strong points of the first game.

So far there’s no complaints from me about what GalaxyTrail is doing. They seem to have taken everything they accomplished and did well in the first title and expanded on it and improved it for the sequel. It feels like back in the 1990s when Sega actually made new Sonic games and actually made them better than the last.

You can look for the free sample version of Freedom Planet 2 to be made available on PC at the end of January of 2017. For more information about the game be sure to pay a kind visit to the official website.