A new free-to-play MMORPG titled Soulframe has been revealed by Warframe studio Digital Extremes with a cinematic reveal trailer.
soulframe
According to Kotaku, Soulframe is not at all sequel to Warframe despite the similar naming scheme. Warframe is a sci-fi shooter with an emphasis on gunplay and fast-paced movement, while Soulframe is Digital Extremes' take on an open-world fantasy MMO with a focus on melee combat. These are two very different games in terms of design and lore.
Here is the aforementioned cinematic reveal trailer for the game:
The almost 6-minute-long trailer is already a far cry from Warframe's sci-fi universe. In truth, it looks a lot like a cinematic trailer for a game like Elder Scrolls or Dragon Age, which means that Digital Extremes did its job of fully differentiating their new MMORPG from its sort-of namesake.
In an interview with The Washington Post about the game, director Steve Sinclair details what kind of action players can expect from it:
"Where 'Warframe' is ofucsed on shooting, this one's focused on melee. Where 'Warframe' super fast and crazy high-speed, this one's going to be a lot more slow and heavy. But it still has a lot of similarities to the genre that we have experience in."
But while the trailer itself may remind you of other high-fantasy IPs like Elder Scrolls or even Dark Souls, Sinclair says that the bulk of inspiration for the game actually comes from unexpected sources. Specifically, they cite the classic 80s film The NeverEnding Story and Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke, among other things, as main sources of inspiration for the game's lore.
As such, PCGamer actually does call Soulframe a version of "Warframe crossed with Princess Mononoke." Digital Extremes calls the game an "action hybrid MMORPG," meaning its overall gameplay loop, while different, could still resemble that of Warframe's. The game's lore will focus on the conflict between humans and nature.
No release date for the game has been revealed.
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More Details About Soulframe
The aforementioned Washington Post interview with Sinclair revealed even more details about the new MMORPG, which is said to be Digital Extremes' first opportunity to try out something new - yet familiar.
For one, the game's world is billed as its "most interesting character." According to Sinclair, they're designing the world to focus on themes like nature, restoration, and adventure - specifically the battle between industry and mother nature as a whole. As a result, Soulframe's world will actually "show its displeasure" to all players who occupy and explore it.
soulframe 2
Creative Director Geoff Crookes makes it clear: Soulframe's world "is a little angry about what's been done to it," which will lead to in-game challenges for players to overcome. But while the game's title seems to indicate it was also inspired by FromSoftware's Souls franchise, Digital Extremes clarified it never went into making the project with the Souls games in mind.
Let's now hope that as a free-to-play MMORPG, Soulframe doesn't fall into the same microtransaction-laden trap that Diablo Immortal did.
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This article is posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
