by theygamesWhen is the Soulframe release date? The upcoming fantasy MMORPG from the creators behind Warframe has been on our minds since it was first announced in 2022. There is still little known about the project, other than that it is a beautiful open-world game set in a natural environment, and revolving around themes of climate change and environmental destruction, so of course we had to find out more.
During our time at Tennocon 2023, we caught a glimpse into the world of Soulframe, which certainly looks and feels very different to its sister, Warframe. Here’s everything we know about the MMORPG at the moment, and boy does it look like it’ll be a good one.
Soulframe release date speculation
The Soulframe release date is slated for late 2024, once this year’s Warframe expansion is out of the way.
Project lead Steve Sinclair tweeted in August 2022 that he hoped the team “can do some closed alpha stuff next year”. This could mean that a handful of players will be able to get their hands on the game in the next few months, though there is no news on this yet.
There will also be regular development streams to keep players excited, as confirmed in an interview. Creative Director Geoff Crookes told us, “While we don’t have a launch date or window to share at this time, we do plan to keep players engaged by periodically hosting development streams that will offer information and insight into our teams’ progress.”
Soulframe trailers
The Soulframe reveal trailer was the main highlight of Tennocon 2022, showing off Digital Extremes’ next major project. As a purely cinematic trailer, no actual gameplay footage was shown. However, it does give some insight into how the game will differentiate itself from the developer’s previous games, including Warframe.
While the official cinematic trailer is still the only trailer available, if you’re interested in knowing more about the development of the game, the developer kick-off video below might scratch the itch left by such minimal information.
Soulframe Gameplay
Soulframe’s is a stark contrast to the action we’ve come to know and love in Warframe. Instead of going for fast-paced lightning-style action, the team wanted to really slow things down and really let you think about every action. There’s a lot of dodging and parrying, but also a whole slew of different combat mechanics, too.
In the Tennocon 2023 demo, we see our character throw their sword at an enemy, only for it to come zooming back like a boomerang. There are also three different skill trees (Courage, Grace, Spirit) that allow you to become more tanky, more agile or, alternatively, used nature-based magic. There are spells that appear to turn enemies to stone, as well as the usual fireballs and ground-shattering earthquakes.
You can also use the environment to your advantage, with the ability to kick enemies off of high structures and into chasms. And, if that doesn’t do it for you, you can also summon a huge wolf that tears your enemies asunder. Oh, and you can also ride the wolf, by the way, so there’s that.
Creative director Geoff Crookes has also given The Post some insight into where you might be travelling outside of the hub area. According to Crookes, “the world itself is a little angry about what’s been done to it, and the grounds underneath tend to shift throughout the day”. In terms of gameplay, this means that dungeons are, indeed, procedural.
As you venture through these instances you’ll encounter Wandering Souls, which are spirits whose virtues you can equip as effectively a fourth spell slot. These can help you navigate through dungeons by opening new doors and pathways, or provide combat benefits like burning weapons.
One of my favorite features, though, is that you interact with the world by playing music on what appears to be a panpipe. Playing certain notes will provide you with the opportunity to view echoes of times gone by, giving you insight into how the world
Soulframe setting and story
Soulframe follows a rogue Ode, or sky people. We’re unsure why our character has decided to abandon the Ode, but they group appears to be corrupting the world around it. We meet the mysterious Lady Deora, a figure who appears to have been corrupted by the Ode and turned against nature. How we know her is unclear, and what happens to her once she has been ‘purified’ also remains a mystery.
What we do know is that our character appears to have been sent by a mysterious ‘Empress,’ who the once-corrupted stag, Garren bows to. You are described as an ‘envoy,’ but your purpose in the world remains unclear.
Either way, it’s clear that the game is, to borrow DE’s words, “heavily influenced by themes of nature, restoration, and exploration.” Unlike Warframe’s futuristic locations and characters, the world of Soulframe trends more towards fantasy and magic, but isn’t particularly grimdark in nature. There are still hints that Soulframe won’t completely stray from sci-fi though, with character designs still retaining some futuristic elements, like the player’s bionic arm and a huge spaceship-style structure that’s seen in the latter half of the Tennocon 2023 demo.
That theme of nature is evident from the trailer, too, as the player both helps animals and teams up with them in battle, as we see during the loading screens, and the small bird familiars that can guide you through the dungeons. In an interview with the Washington Post, the Soulframe team names Princess Mononoke and The NeverEnding Story as inspirations for the game. With a heavy focus on environmentalism in the former, then, perhaps the story could tackle the subject of environmental destruction, among other themes.
On the official Soulframe Twitter feed, more of this theme of nature and wildlife can be seen in a series of more recent images, featuring the likes of adorable deer and magnificent elk, Garren, that we see make an appearance after the boss fight.
As for its links to Warframe, in a “Warframe / Soulframe Transition Stream”, the team states that, while both titles are not in the same universe, they are working on easter eggs and other connections to tie both games together. While Soulframe is neither a prequel or sequel to Warframe, the developer hopes that these connections at least give fans of the free PC game something to look out for, with Crookes telling us, “Warframe players will notice some similarities to certain looks or choices.”
Soulframe platforms and crossplay
No release platforms for Soulframe have been revealed currently. Based on the release history for Warframe though, a PC release is almost guaranteed. Console versions are harder to nail down, though current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X|S releases seem like a given.
With no release platforms, it’s also unknown whether Soulframe will support crossplay. For the longest time, Warframe had no sort of crossplay implemented at all. This changed with the game’s release on PS5, allowing cross-gen play between current and last gen PlayStation consoles. It was also revealed during TennoCon 2022 that full crossplay between all systems would finally be arriving, though this is still in development.
And that’s everything we know so far about Soulframe. With development still in its early stages, it might be some time before more gameplay is shown, but we’ll update you once we know more. If you can’t wait, why not take a look at our best Warframe builds and fill your time with DE’s other epic MMO, or try one of the best PC games available right now.