Warframe

[TLG NoStresS]

                                                                       

    We never reviewed Warframe when it first launched in 2013. But given how much it has changed and how popular it has become, we figured we'd fix that during our re-review week. Warframe is the most Frankenstein-esque game I have ever played. In 2013, it was little more than a procedurally generated loot shooter, but Digital Extremes has grafted dozens of features onto that root system since then. Space and underwater combat, an open world zone, PVP battles, customizable clan housing, public space stations, tameable pets… the list goes on. Warframe's growth doesn't resemble a well-tended plant—it's more like a mutant science experiment. Game systems are haphazardly stitched onto one other in ways that are sometimes incoherent, but oddly charming all the same.

 

  Comparisons between Warframe and Destiny aren't unfair. Like Bungie's pseudo-MMO, Warframe is a co-operative RPG shooter set in a grim far-future version of our solar system. That's about where the similarities end. Unlike most RPGs, Warframe doesn't focus on vertical progression where I keep leveling up to become more powerful. Instead, it's almost akin to a sandbox game where I set my own objectives. Do I want to collect every warframe and weapon, or do I want to focus on making one or two obscenely powerful? Do I want to tackle the hardest missions or invest my time finding the best cosmetic gear? Each is a uniquely rewarding pursuit with its own appeal. As a Tenno, I belong to an ancient order of space ninjas that have been reawakened from cryosleep to bring balance and peace back to the solar system. Tenno like me are in short supply, especially considering the Grineer, Corpus, and Infested factions I battle against have a seemingly endless reserve of troops. To balance the odds, Tenno use suits of indomitable armor called warframes, each with their own abilities and playstyle. But all warframes share two things in common: impossible agility and a staggering amount of customization. When fighting through missions on each planet, how well I move is often just as important as how well I shoot. Momentum is everything, and staying still is a quick trip to the grave. Thankfully there's no shortage of movement options. Warframe's parkour system makes The Matrix look like a high school theatre production. warframes can slide, roll, and leap through the air with impossible agility. 

 

    It's brilliant how these moves chain together. Similar to a skateboarding game, ground slides can be comboed into forward bullet jumps into dodge rolls into more ground slides. In the right hands, even Warframe's lengthiest maps can be traversed in seconds. All of that takes some getting used to and it's frustrating when I get stuck in the environment. For example, ledges frequently have just enough of a lip that if I'm below a platform and I try to jump up past it, I'll end up just getting stuck just beneath the lip. Generally speaking, though, Warframe's rapid movement is to its benefit. It's thrilling to clear large chasms in a single bound or rip past enemies while racing against some timed objective. While flying through the air, I can aim and trigger a localized bullet-time effect for more accurate shots, or I can eviscerate enemies with my melee weapons up close.

 

     Warframe's enemies aren't intelligent, but that doesn't really matter when they frequently outnumber me 20 to one. That isn't to say Warframe is easy—quite the opposite, actually. Enemies are individually dumb, but in groups they have layered abilities that can really spell trouble, like shield supplying Corpus drones or Ancient Disruptors that siphon your valuable energy. Warframe lacks a linear central campaign, but most of my time has been spent unlocking new planets on the star chart. Each planet has a web of missions that need to be completed in succession—along with some secondary objectives—to unlock new planets, tougher missions, and more valuable crafting resources. It's a good thing that I'm moving so fast, or I'd be bored by Warframe's levels. It's not that they aren't pretty (some of the otherworldly vistas are suitably stunning), but they're just so repetitive. Missions are randomly generated corridors with aesthetics that match the planet I'm on, but they all look the same after awhile. It's a bit of a shame that a solar system spanning adventure is largely confined to claustrophobic corridors.

 

Sursa: pcgamer

Edited July 13, 2019 by oC NoStresS

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