Soulframe looks great, but the idea of it being a soulsborne game needs to be stamped out.
Soulframe is an upcoming RPG by Digital Extremes, the makers of Warframe. The game has a fantasy setting that emphasizes more heavy and methodical melee combat but also features magic with spells and abilities as part of the gameplay shown during the Soulframe devstream. The game has taken a lot of inspiration from Elden Ring, and we can expect a few elements of Elden Ring in Soulframe too, but of course, with its own twist.
While the word soul is centered around the game’s core mechanic and theme, it doesn’t mean it’s a soulsborne game. It is not an Elden Ring, Dark Souls, or Bloodborne styled game; instead looks different due to its uniqueness. But for those expecting it to be a soulsborne game due to its name, that’s something that really needs to be driven home, and adjust your expectations accordingly. This game might not be released for another two years, and based on the pre-alpha gameplay, we can safely assume that the game will be hard but not a soulsborne game.
During the stream, the Devs have quoted more than once that it’s an open-world, co-op RPG with procedural dungeons, while its sword and sorcery will be similar to Warframe’s weapons and void. Its male combat is slow compared to Warframe’s fast-paced gameplay and almost the opposite. And based on what we saw from the devstream on the combat, it didn’t look like a souls game.
If anything, it’s likely closer to The Witcher styled game in terms of combat and difficulty. However, this was just a pre-alpha and was just rigged up to show off the general idea behind Soulframe for the sake of their 10th anniversary. It’s something they admit isn’t ready to be shown off but wanted to only for the celebration.
So the gameplay of Soulframe isn’t as washed out. Visually we can’t really blame what was shown. We have only seen a very small snippet of the area with loads of trees, a water mill, some bridges, and some enemies they fought over those bridges. There were plenty of placeholder animations and Warframe assets. So much of it will change before the game is released or if we see more footage in the coming months.
But the lighting, shadows, audio, and sense of nature were definitely at the forefront. Using a small bird as an attack to stun was a really nice touch, and it’s probably one of the many abilities we get from the game. It’ll be interesting to see what other abilities will be like. Perhaps we’ll be able to use the wolf shown in the trailer and the deer as well. And also what other weapons like two-handed, ranged, and so on.
Now the combat of Soulframe looked agreeably very slow, and elements of it looked clunky with slow swinging, enemies guiding over small stone walls, and there were a few animation issues too. A parry system is in place that, when correctly timed, seems to stun enemies and open them up to either a finisher or increased damage.
Some movements look like they are taken directly from Warframes assets which can’t be denied. The blocking with the sword, the dash instead of a dodge roll, and the running. But there is a good foundation in place, and it’s undeniable. And if they don’t plan on releasing this for another year or more, then of course, many changes will take place in that time.
Something that we’ve noticed is that the enemies weren’t aggressive enough. They kind of just stood back and waited to get killed one at a time. While attempting to parry or swing wildly, there wasn’t enough of a threat or sense of danger. Then again, all these can change as the development progresses.
Enemies have a slight flash effect when taking damage, some attacks stagger them, but then they can power through your attacks and ignore the stagger after a few hits, so you need to be ready to dodge. You can also cancel an attack that looks very forgiving and dodge out of the way during mid-attack or mid-swing, but that can also be tightened up before release.
Also, PVE combat is going to be a focus of Soulframe, much like Warframe. It will have procedurally general environments and tile sets, which can be done well and as well as Digital Extremes did in Warframe. It’s important to note that it’s a newly revealed gameplay, so we’ll find out more as more about the game is revealed. One thing to be sure of is that Soulframe isn’t Warframe.
And if you love the fast-paced nature of Warframe, this might not be the game for you. Then again, it’s very early to judge since we haven’t seen much of the game. And at the same time, Soulframe isn’t set for release for a very long time. But the idea that it’s a soulsborne game needs to be stamped out. The game looks good, and the developers know what they are up to since its foundation looks good.
