Games Happy

I’ve all the time had extra of a proclivity in direction of worlds of excessive fantasy (magic, swords, dragons, and so forth) over tales in house with futuristic tech and alien races. There’s one thing about casting spells and wielding glowing swords that draw me in, so when developer Digital Extremes – most recognized for his or her long-running house ninja recreation, Warframe – revealed the upcoming Soulframe again in 2022, I rapidly took discover. That’s why I used to be thrilled after I acquired to take a look at some new pre-alpha footage of the sport at this yr’s TennoCon, and I can simply say that my curiosity has solely grown the extra I see.

Warframe was one of many early non-MMO GaaS titles, first launched again in March of 2013, that put gamers into the function of a Tenno – a glossy sci-fi house ninja (this description is only for simplicity’s sake, however there may be much more depth behind the Tenno) – as they flipped, jumped, and killed their manner by way of the galaxy. Alongside the best way, grinding crafting supplies to broaden their arsenal of weaponry, frames (what the Tenno put on to make them seem like ninjas), and extra, all whereas uncovering the secrets and techniques and previous of this world. And now, Digital Extremes is seeking to take the teachings they’ve realized from the greater than ten years price of Warframe and begin recent with the upcoming Soulframe.

Throughout our hands-off preview, although the sport was in a pre-alpha state, I used to be extremely impressed with Digital Extremes’s visible high quality with Soulframe. From the dense and luscious forests, with god rays coming by way of the branches, to the mysterious Nightfold that acts as your character hub, issues are off to a fairly robust begin. Proven off for the primary time at TennoCon this yr, we checked out how character creation will work, having you recall your mom’s look, accompanied by heartfelt narration from somebody offscreen. It was poignant, and I used to be impressed with how emotional it felt. Weaving it right into a narrative second made it really feel extra significant than utilizing the frequent pop-up menu to create your avatar. All of this performs into what seems to be one of many major themes of Soulframe – ancestry.

Ancestors are spectral beings that may be found and can function your technique of crafting, altering your character’s look, and extra. Warframe gamers can consider these as Soulframe’s model of ship mods. They take up residence within the Nightfold, a wierd in-between realm that you may journey to any time you’re exterior of fight, all of which we nonetheless know little or no about however which I’m certain will ultimately play a bigger function within the story of Soulframe. The demo that Digital Extremes confirmed off surrounded monitoring down Vermenia, the ancestor answerable for customizing your character’s look and dying your gear. What adopted was an intense chase involving the imposing, lightning-imbued Nimrod foe, stuffed with shut dodges, bolts of lighting raining down, and extra. 

Together with the demo highlighting the brand new ancestor and showcasing a portion of the character creator, the workforce revealed a bit extra info that ought to get gamers excited. For Warframe gamers, you may count on the beginning space you may be exploring in Soulframe to be roughly twice the dimensions of the Airplane of Eidolons, and if which means nothing to you, then simply know that you’ve lots of space to run round in – be it on foot or on the again of your wolf mount (that sure, you may your furbaby). 

Watching the demo, the slower nature of the sport, together with the aesthetics and enemy designs, it was arduous for me to not be reminded of different extremely fashionable excessive fantasy video games that see you driving round massive open areas on furry mounts. The slower and extra methodical fight and strategy to issues additionally lend themselves to this sense, however the comparisons cease there. Soulframe is NOT a souls-like recreation, and I feel it is going to be essential for Digital Extremes to make clear and set expectations for folk who might not be as conscious of the title’s lineage and could see “Soul” within the title.

If you’re intimidated by the thought of tackling the 11 years’ price of content material for Warframe or discover that swords and sorcery are extra your fashion, like myself, Soulframe is a recreation that you must maintain your eyes on. Digital Extremes goals to have the pre-alpha Preludes obtainable and open to the general public later this yr. However, if you wish to try to get in sooner, you may join on the sport’s web site for an opportunity to be let in. Soulframe’s nonetheless in growth, so don’t count on the ultimate launch anytime quickly, however I hope it may be profitable like Warframe.