I proceed to have a mushy spot for Soulframe, the brand new, sort-of-early entry fantasy RPG from Warframe builders Digital Extremes, although the lore writing is commonly wyrd to the purpose of giving me a concussion. Particularly when it creeps into studio press bulletins. For instance, here’s a snippet from the developer’s abstract of Soulframey doings within the yr 2025: “Collectively, we stepped into sap-dreams and freed Bromius from rotting roots. We Bestitched with a sure witch and crept into the crypts of The Circade.” …Proper then! I count on you shall be tending to your ravens subsequent.
Nonetheless, don’t let that flip you off. There’s quite a lot of light craft beneath the plus-plus-ultra world-building. Soulframe is a recreation that usually comes alive within the quieter moments. Take, for instance, the login display, which I’ve simply realised could possibly be a hidden creature assortment recreation.
Whenever you login into Soulframe, you’re proven your character sleeping within the undergrowth like some questing knight fallen below the spell of a forest witch. Delicacies of daylight and shadow play about your slumped shoulders and beautiful armour – a extremely pretty commercial for the sport’s costume design, which is as posh as you’d count on from the individuals who spent a decade making neat fits for Warframe. Beside you doze numerous woodland animals. Press a button to renew play, and your character will awaken and disturb the creatures, who disappear gracefully off-screen.
It’s a candy contact as a result of it’s mildly perverse. Begin taking part in the sport, and also you’ll wreck Bambi’s slumber time! It’s additionally harking back to what occurs once you idle firstly menu when taking part in Shadow of the Colossus. The view cuts to Wander asleep along with his again to the final shrine you saved at, then follows his horse Agro out on a tour of the panorama. There’s a easy level being made right here about passivity and nonhuman animal company, maybe.
The twist with Soulframe is that, in line with a lot fan hypothesis, at the least, the dozing animals are literally a login bonus. You’ll see extra of them in the event you log in day-after-day. I can supply restricted corroboration of the increasing menagerie, primarily based on rare time with the Prelude builds, however I haven’t had affirmation from Digital Extremes that it is really a function. In any case, I believe it’s the sort of factor they’d fairly depart mysterious.
Generally, I dislike something in a videogame that appears designed to kindle compulsive play. I discover generic, Polly-wanna-cracker login bonuses each predatory and self-sabotaging. You resolve to fireside up a recreation, and the sport instantly reminds you that it desires to monopolise your time – immersive! Enjoyable! I a lot choose stuff just like the above, which at the least doesn’t brazenly current itself as an engagement-farming machine. Even when that makes it a simpler engagement-farming machine.
