If Warframe is a game of motion, 'Soulframe' is a game of static. We spoke to Digital Extremes to learn more about their new MMO [gamescom]

Digital Extremes' new game "Soulframe" is an MMO action RPG set in a fantasy world. As announced at the conference event "TennoCon 2024" held on July 20, 2024, the company's masterpiece "Warframe" (PC / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S / PS4 / Xbox One / Nintendo Switch) Production is progressing as a sister work.

Soulframe Preludes: TennoCon 2024 Gameplay

　What are the features of this game, and how will it move toward release? We spoke to Digital Extremes CEO Steve Sinclair at the Level Infinite booth in the business area of ​​Gamescom 2024, which is being held in Cologne, Germany.

There are elements of character growth from a third-person perspective, and a story that invites the player into the world of the work. Although Warframe and Soulframe are often referred to as sister games due to their commonalities, game mechanics, and spirituality, the experience they provide players will be completely new.

Of course, Warframe is science fiction and Soulframe is fantasy, so the worldviews are completely different, but if Warframe is an action game that creates a sense of speed and frenzy in an apocalyptic world, Soulframe is a slow-paced action game with a calm atmosphere. It will be a game where you fight through development.

Compared to Warframe, which fights by moving around quickly without cover actions, Soulframe's battles include sneaking, which involves watching and thinking about the opponent's movements, and at first glance it looks like a ``memorize and fight'' type of battle, which is often referred to as a Soul-like or death game.

However, in reality (while explaining that ``we like those kinds of games too''), the game is not a hardcore action game, but rather aims to be difficult enough for a wide range of players to enjoy sword and magic battles. It was.

The story is also one of the main features of this work.

From the experience of evolving Warframe by adding quests with stories that did not exist at the beginning of the service, the company has learned that stories are extremely important to players, and Soulframe emphasizes story from the beginning of the game. It is said that he is making a game based on this.

Specific examples include character creation where you can select several aspects of the mother's hairstyle, color, skin, eyes, etc. during the story flow at the beginning, and a bird as the destination in the wind-like atmosphere of "Ghost of Tsushima". There are ways to tell the destination of the quest that will lead you to.

Additionally, along with the story, the feeling of immersion in the game world is considered to be important, such as crafting that can be done more by unleashing the power of the ancestors and changing the character's appearance.

Collect loot, gain experience, become stronger, and unleash the power of your ancestors. It seems that the basic way to enjoy the game is for players to role-play while following the story.

When asked about the setting of this work in more detail, the game world in which it takes place has been contaminated by a certain invader, and ancient animals have become evil beings. One of the reasons for the hero's adventure is to restore it to a healthy state.

The bosses that appear are ancient animals that have become evil beings, and are said to be inspired by the god Tatari from Studio Ghibli's animated film ``Princess Mononoke.''

In Warframe, as you can imagine from the title, a reinforced exoskeleton was customized, but the main character of this work fights enemies with his own cursed arm. In this work, changes in the appearance of the arms will express the player's abilities and class.

By the way, when it comes to the cursed arm, Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke comes to mind (it also feels like Link from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom), but there are many influences from Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki. It is said that they are receiving.

This work gives the impression of being a single-player RPG, with an emphasis on the worldview and narrative, but that doesn't mean it has to follow that. This game also allows you to enjoy sharing the world through MMO co-op play, such as simply signing in and exploring dungeons as you like, crafting, and gathering with friends to have fun without proceeding with a quest. This is what they are aiming for, and it seems that they are on the way to achieving it at a high level.

What is currently being shown in trailers is at the "Pre-Pre-Pre-α" stage, and the overture "Prelude" of this work, which will be an online test for PC, will be distributed in the fall of 2024. I plan to

A consumer version is also planned for winter 2024, and progress is being made in Japanese so that it can be enjoyed by winter 2024.

Inheriting the spirit of Warframe, Soulframe has created a unique worldview and gameplay while also being influenced by various works. Not only people who know Warframe, but also people who are looking for a new experience in gaming, should check out this work.

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