STORY

Digital Extremes is crafting an entirely new world with Soulframe, and though those who have played its Preludes (which is what the developer has dubbed its playtests) have already gotten a decent taste of its fantasy setting, the developer has shared new details for everyone to dive into. Specifically, Soulframe will see players playing as an Envoy, a rogue Ode looking to heal the curse of your former group that has corrupted the world. Digital Extremes has stressed on a few occasions that Soulframe is going to be heavily fantasy themed, as opposed to Warframe’s sci-fi setting, and is going to focus on themes such as restoration and nature. The latter in particular is, of course, something that is abundantly visible even at a glance, courtesy of the game’s many, densely overgrown environments.

STARTING ISLAND

Digital Extremes has been pretty careful in not calling Soulframe an open world game, instead describing the free to play MMO as a game that will allow players to freely explore a large overworld. Exactly how large is that overworld going to be, however? In an interview (via MP1st), the developer recently revealed that Soulframe’s starting island is going to be twice as large as the Plains of Eidolon area in Warframe. For those who are unaware, is a pretty damn large area in and of itself- which means you can expect a sizeable overworld in Soulframe upon release.

CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION

Character customization is something that Digital Extremes has prided itself on with Warframe (one of several things, actually), and Soulframe being an MMORPG is, of course, going to attempt to follow in its footsteps. As part of its recent showing, we got a decent look at its customization mechanics, which, interestingly enough, will see players customization the look of their in-game mother, a Night Maiden. Players will be able to customize her eyes, hair, skin tone, and more, which in turn will determine your character’s physical attributes.

GEAR

Beyond cosmetic customization elements, you can, of course, expect a robust gear and equipment system as well. This is an RPG, after all. For instance, you can equip various different Pacts, each of which comes with unique idols, which in turn are special weapons of sorts that need to be charged up to be used. In addition to that, there are various armour pieces and armour sets, helms, and weapons, with different gear pieces bringing unique benefits and buffs. Digital Extremes says the game will encourage plenty of meaningful build variety, allowing players to tailor their character to their preferred play style, including ranged options.

MASTERY

Interestingly, it has also been confirmed that Soulframe will feature a Mastery system that won’t be too different in how it works from the one in Warframe. Speaking during the aforementioned roundtable interview, the developers explained how it will tie in with other systems, including your aforementioned Pacts, your levels, and more. “It actually does have a very similar mastery rank system,” they said. “You have your Envoy, which is your character, and then you have your Pact, which is your cursed armour. Your Pact is a class that you can level up. And then, for every Pact you level up, your Envoy gains a level. And then they have three RPG stats, that are what we call the Virtues. And that feeds back into the system as well.”

ANCESTORS

One of the key systems in Soulframe is going to be ancestory. Specifically, the action RPG will allow players to recruit and bring back various ancestors to the Nightfold, which is essentially a hub location tucked away in an alternate dimension. Every ancestor is essentially an expert, each boasting different skills that you can make use of in various ways.

VERMINIA, THE RAT WITCH

A new ancestor in Soulframe that we got a look at during the game’s recent gameplay presentation was Verminia, the Rat Witch, who is going to be particularly useful for players time and again. The so called Rat Witch will not only enhance the customization of your cosmetics, she will also enable you to concoct various potions and elixirs.

ENEMIES

Digital Extremes’ recent showing of Soulframe also offered us new glimpses at some of the enemies that we will be locking horns with in the game. One enemy that we saw quite a bit of in a combat encounter in the recent gameplay was dubbed Nimrod, who is apparently a recurring foe. Wielding a tesla coiled staff, this enemy is capable of manipulating thunder and electricity, so these encounters should prove interesting- in theory, at least. Another enemy that we got a brief glimpse of was Bromius, who is an armoured bear, though we don’t know much else about him.

EARLY ACCESS LAUNCH

The wait for Soulframe has stretched on a couple of years, but Digital Extreme says it won’t be much longer before we’re playing it. The developer says the game will have “some form” of an early access launch later this year. Exactly what that means remains to be seen, but though we do not have a date, or do not know exactly what the scale of the game’s release will be, Digital Extremes has said the game’s Preludes will be opened up for everyone in the fall. There are also going to be founders packs available for purchase, though apparently, they are going to be “way less” exclusives than the founders packs for Warframe were. Beyond that, this is, of course, an entirely free to play game.

POTENTIALLY ROUGH RELEASE

Digital Extremes is being quite honest as it sets expectations for Soulframe’s early access release later this year. As per creative director Geoff Crookes (via Wccftech), the game is going to launch in a potentially rough state, though as per Crookes, working on the game based on feedback from players is going to be central to how Digital Extremes handles things, just as it did with Warframe. “The closed testing we’ve been doing with our community has been so impactful,” Crookes said. “We’ve learned a ton, and we continue to listen and learn each day. We’re hoping to open this up to a lot more players this Fall. Everything is still rough around the edges, but that’s part of our style – the feedback is important to us, and we really do iterate on it regularly.”

The gameplay footage showcased shed new light on everything from the customization mechanics to crafting potions and elixirs (both of which will be done by Verminia, the Rat Witch), while a fair bit of combat was also shown off, as you would expect.

A new enemy type called Nimrod was showcased. A recurring foe, it is equipped with a tesla-coiled melee staff while also being capable of summoning thunder. Additionally, a boss fight with gigantic armoured bear Bromius was also teased, while new details on the game’s setting, story, and lore were alsor evealed. You can check out the full presentation below. 

Soulframe is in development for PC. A release date has yet to be announced. 

Along with gameplay, the trailer also gives us hints of the game’s story through what seems to be an in-universe poem recited over footage of some of the different play styles that will be available in the game, from sneaking around to engaging in all-out attacks.

Having been in development for quite some time, Soulframe got an early test back in December. The test featured a section of the game’s main island, complete with dungeons to fight through. Players were also allowed some experimentation with customization options and progression systems.

The game got a more in-depth gameplay demo showcase back in August 2023, which gave us a good look at some of its environments, boss fights, and most importantly, the combat.

Soulframe currently doesn’t have a release date.

It consists of a section of the main island with dungeons to play through and enemies to fight. Players can also experiment with some customization and progression. Sinclair also revealed that players could pet the giant wolf in-game (check it out in the tweet below), but whether this will be available in the test is currently unknown.

As for participants, it’s first-come, first-served, starting from those who received an Envoy title from registering on the official website. Soulframe doesn’t have a release date but will follow a development cycle much like Warframe, with Digital Extremes taking community feedback into account.

Head here for more extensive gameplay of Soulframe, from exploration to combat, and stay tuned for more details.

As fierce as fang is soft as pelt, ‘pon Silvern Seas a bond is felt. pic.twitter.com/8gMUzkTL9o

— Soulframe (@PlaySoulframe) November 24, 2023

While the art direction may remind you of some of Warframe’s more fantastical settings, the combat is much slower-paced. You can light your sword ablaze, block, dodge-roll away from enemies and more. Exploration is possible on horseback, with the player venturing through Midrath’s northern isle, running into bosses like Lady Deora and the twisted Torment Stag.

Soulframe doesn’t have a release date or platforms, but the objective seemingly focuses on finding the Silvern Seas and awakening one’s Ancestors. If none of that makes sense, rest assured – you’re not the only one. On the bright side, development will focus heavily on community feedback, like Warframe. Stay tuned for more details, hopefully soon.

Going by the gameplay showcase, Soulframe‘s combat seems to be quite a bit slower and more deliberate than Warframe. The combat even bears some resemblance to FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games with its overall slow pacing and deliberate attacks.

It also gives us a brief glimpse at some of the Soulframe‘s environments and exploration aspects, showing off a lush forest with seemingly multiple branching paths that the player can go down.

When it was first unveiled, Soulframe was described by Digital Extremes as a free-to-play action MMORPG. In stark contrast to Warframe, Soulframe will be focusing on a classic medieval fantasy setting, and its setting and story will revolve around the idea of nature and humanity colliding.

Soulframe doesn’t currently have any release date.

Recently at TennoCon, for instance, the developer unveiled Soulframe, a name you might be familiar with from the game’s recent trademark filings. Digital Extremes describes Soulframe as a “free-to-play action hybrid-MMORPG” and has confirmed that the game is in early development. Soulframe was announced with a CG cinematic trailer offering a glimpse of its unique fantasy world and what could possibly be an early representation of the game’s time manipulation-focused combat mechanics. Check it out below.

“With Soulframe’s worldbuilding and thematic elements, we are really looking to go back to our childhood favorites and pull inspiration from the elaborate fantasy worlds that we fell in love with growing up,” said Soulframe creative director Geoff Crookes. “Our team is really interested in this idea of nature and humanity colliding and we’ll be exploring a lot of those themes through our own lens while playing with ideas of restoration and exploration.”

Digital Extremes says the path to the launch of Soulframe will be a “familiar one” and one that emphasizes engagement and interaction with the community, similar to how the developer has handled Warframe over the years.

When exactly the game is expected to launch, however, or what platforms it will release for- those are questions that remain to be answered.

Digital Extremes has also announced a third person character-focused fantasy action game in partnership with Airship Syndicate, and it’ll be another free-to-play project. Read more on that through here.

Digital Extremes recently registered a trademark for “Soulframe” in Europe. At the risk of stating the obvious, that sounds like it’s going to be related to Warframe, but what its exact nature will be remains to be seen. The easy guess to make here is that it’s a new Warframe expansion, but we wouldn’t be entirely surprised if it ended up being an entirely separate game- perhaps a sequel or a spinoff.

Of course, with TennoCon 2022 set for July 16, it’s possible that we end up hearing more about Soulframe, whatever it is, at the event. Either way, we’ll keep an eye out for more updates, so stay tuned.