Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
“The world’s becoming so bleak”: How Soulframe hopes to escape Warframe’s shadow, with a little insight from Elden Ring
Digital Extremes hopes Soulframe will establish its own identity beyond the long-running success of Warframe by offering a more hopeful fantasy world and slower, more deliberate combat. The studio believes its new game matters because it provides a contrast to increasingly bleak real-world conditions and to the bombastic design associated with both Warframe and many live-service games.
Set on a medieval planet invaded by the spacefaring Ode, Soulframe casts players as an Envoy allied with ancient Fey spirits who rescues creatures affected by the invaders. Design director Scott McGregor said the game will favour timing-based melee duels over Warframe’s rapid parkour and overwhelming combat, while still offering a power fantasy at a cosier, less explosive scale. Its combat is intended to reward player skill even with weaker equipment, drawing some inspiration from Elden Ring.
In short
- Soulframe aims for hopeful fantasy rather than Warframe-style excess.
- Combat will be slower, melee-focused and skill-based.
- Digital Extremes wants to attract players beyond Warframe’s audience.
Explained simply
Digital Extremes is the studio behind Warframe, a long-running online action game known for fast movement, science-fiction settings and large battles. Its new game, Soulframe, is set in a medieval fantasy world where the spacefaring Ode have invaded.
Players take the role of an Envoy, who works with ancient Fey spirits and helps creatures harmed by the invaders. The design is intended to centre on slower, timing-based fights, giving players’ skill a greater role alongside their equipment.
The studio is trying to give Soulframe a distinct feel from Warframe, while drawing some inspiration from Elden Ring’s demanding combat. Its gentler pace and more hopeful fantasy setting offer a different kind of power fantasy from the explosive action associated with many online games.