Whereas Warframe is developer Digital Extremes’ core focus, it’s additionally steadily working away on Soulframe within the background. Throughout TennoCon 2024, followers have been proven a model new slice of gameplay that includes some updates and new options coming to the sport’s early entry program, Soulframe Preludes, later this yr.

Soulframe is a superb title that places gamers within the function of an envoy in a world impressed by folks tales and tales of fae. It’s an ARPG with a few of the soulslike mechanics you might count on from the style, however Digital Extremes has put its personal unusual twist on not solely the style, however the recreation’s whole world to make it really feel contemporary, vibrant, and lively.

TennoCon 2024’s Soulframe demo explored a brand new portion Soulframe Preludes that showcases a model new NPC for gamers to gather and progress with, in addition to a chunk of the sport’s new opening sequence: Warsongs Prologue.

The demo started with a brand new introduction, one which’s heartfelt emotional drive is unattainable to keep away from by way of the swell of the music, the panorama turning from a moist first right into a medieval siege with metal-clad troopers and colossal laser cannons.

Contained in the fort being sieged, we meet the Envoy’s mom, and customise her look whereas the narrator recollects it with a poetic cadence. This preliminary part will probably be extra fleshed out additional down the road, nevertheless it demonstrates the way you’ll fully customise your character on the recreation’s begin.

The demo correct then kicked in, with the Envoy awakening to a equally drenched forest as they click on their fingers and comply with their summoned chook alongside a path to their subsequent goal. Nevertheless, regardless of the great thing about Soulframe‘s world, it’s removed from secure.

As lightning flashes overhead and thunder claps, Nimrod, a large armored determine with an imposing lightning rod, which appears to be like so much like a large steampunk fork, teleports by way of the lightning to seem and confront the Envoy. The battle is brutal and one-sided as a result of Nimrod can heal itself by calling down a lightning bolt and successfully recharge itself. It doesn’t assist that it has highly effective stabs and AOE electrical energy assaults in its arsenal as effectively.

We comply with the Envoy and see them battle Nimrod a few occasions earlier than succumbing to it. As those that have performed Soulframe Preludes know, you then want to make use of your chook to fly again to your empty body and refill it so you possibly can rise and struggle once more. However Nimrod disappears. For now.

The Envoy then hears a voice, and strikes in the direction of it. After taking part in a brief sequence on a musical instrument, harking back to Ocarina of Time‘s Ocarina mechanic, a rock strikes out of the best way to disclose a basin within the panorama full of water. Right here is the place we meet Verminia, The Rat Witch. After a short introduction, the Envoy reduces her and is given an Elixir of Drought simply as Nimrod cries out for battle as soon as once more.

When the Envoy encounters Nimrod this time, they launch the Elixir into the sky to burn off the clouds and alter the climate solely right into a scorching, sunny day. Nimrod hates this as a result of his energy to heal is now gone, and because of this he might be debuffed by all of the Envoy’s talents.

The struggle is frantic however a lot much less one-sided because the Envoy launches its protect to batter Nimrods head, swipes at his knees with a sword, and fires an arrow at its head to complete it off. As soon as conquered, we’re taken to the Nighthold the place the Envoy can retreat to vary their armor and weapons, an area beneath the world.

This house is the place the Ancestors that gamers accumulate come to reside, every with their very own workstation, be it a library, a tent, or a blacksmith’s forge. Verminia’s is a brewing station the place gamers can deliver assets to craft useful Elixirs.

We weren’t proven how this Elixir system will work, however we have been proven a obscure overview of Verminia’s different skill, the ability to vary your Envoy’s look. There have been fairly just a few totally different appearances, customizations of armor, on present, and Verminia reacts to all of them.

Lastly, Verminia’s little rat launches on the Envoy to tell them of one thing darkish lurking on the planet. What’s slowly revealed is a colossal bear-like creature with two heads the place ears or horns could be, and a mighty bell hanging off the top of a protrusion that appears very very like a cranium.

It is a new boss coming to Soulframe Preludes within the close to future. Digital Extremes has been engaged on a reasonably common month-to-month replace schedule and plans to maintain that up with new content material like this being added slowly over time.

The developer revealed proper earlier than this demo that Soulframe Preludes can be opening to everybody, so anybody who desires to can ask for entry, soar in, and play. Followers at TennoCon 2024 have been extremely excited by the demo and this information as a result of they’ve been ready patiently whereas the staff crafts a fantasy follow-up to Warframe.

In discussions round Soulframe, the staff defined how scary it was approaching constructing any new recreation whereas Warframe is so effectively acquired but additionally a lot work. These engaged on Soulframe have restarted your entire recreation improvement course of, however with hindsight, it appears to be like like they’re doing the precise factor and constructing the sport alongside the group.

In any case, that is how Warframe was largely improved, with followers explaining their emotions about sure techniques and Digital Extremes reacting with updates. Soulframe is a way more optimistic and brighter recreation than Warframe, with so many implausible components that may deliver out an emotional response by way of little greater than a visible cue and a few music. I can’t wait to see the place this recreation goes, and the Digital Extremes group may be very a lot right here for the journey alongside the developer.