Though it is nonetheless early in improvement, Soulframe, the upcoming MMO from Warframe developer Digital Extremes, appears like an extremely compelling Elden Ring-like fantasy RPG with some heavy Princess Mononoke-inspired themes.
Digital Extremes not too long ago unveiled a full half-hour of gameplay for Soulframe, the primary we have seen of the sport since its unique, a lot much less beneficiant reveal again in March. I bear in mind feeling intrigued however not completely bought on what I deemed the “Soulslike MMO” then, however now I’m all the best way in. There are a selection of promising MMOs on my radar, like Amazon Video games’ Throne and Liberty and the JRPG-inflected Blue Protocol, however Soulframe simply turned my most anticipated sport on this area after this beautiful in-depth showcase, and it isn’t even all that shut.
Much more so than the final time we noticed it, Soulframe’s fight appears downright elegant even in comparison with a few of the finest MMOs out proper now. An early encounter exhibits the participant character seize maintain of their sword with each palms and hurl it towards an enemy for a one-hit kill earlier than recalling it to parry and down one other combatant. The participant then sends the blade off to a different approaching foe however this time solely staggers a closely armored enemy because the sword falls pointed into the dust. After recalling the sword, the participant makes use of a spell that encases their opponent in dust, then shatters them with an enormous two-handed swing. I would hardly guess that is an MMO; it simply appears like a full-on motion RPG.
Later within the trailer is the boss combat that made me go, ‘OK, this sport appears completely rad.’ The 2-part battle invokes Elden Ring in an enormous means, starting with a face-off in opposition to the polearm-wielding Woman Deora – which features a Zelda: Ocarina of Time-style music minigame – and ending with an epic confrontation in opposition to the Torment Stag. This headlining scene from the trailer exhibits off deliberate and unforgiving fight, an extremely atmospheric set piece, and a fascinating rating that I am hoping will make for an immersive MMO.
The next cutscene is gorgeous, exhibiting each enemies and the encircling forest restored to their peaceable former selves, echoing the heady themes of the Studio Ghibli basic animated film Princess Mononoke, which Digital Extremes has singled out as an inspiration earlier than. Talking of which, let’s not overlook the large wolf mount on this video.
There’s nonetheless no launch date, or perhaps a launch window, for Soulframe, and it’s miles too early to inform whether or not it might probably pack its ambitions right into a cohesive package deal, to not point out the all-too-common technical woes of an enormous new MMO. However taking a look at this gameplay showcase and Warframe’s long-running success, I am not discovering many causes to doubt it.
Within the meantime, listed below are some new video games of 2023 which might be slightly nearer on the horizon.
