Soulframe preview
2025 was a year for expansive role-playing games, from Avowed to Where Winds Meet, not to mention games like Ghost of Yotei, The First Berserker: Khazan, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Outer Worlds 2. They arrived in varying states of completion, but I found something to like about each of them. However, what really hooked me the most was Digital Extremes' RPG, which is still in pre-alpha. Soulframe. As of November 25, Soulframe released the Prelude 12 update and opened the Founders Program for a limited time.
Digital Extremes is best known for the hugely popular game Warframe. Since its release in 2013, a constant stream of updates and free content has kept Warframe players enthusiastic. Warframe is a fast-paced sci-fi shooter with an emphasis on speed and mobility. While Soulframe shares some of Warframe's infrastructure, it is a completely different—and to me, much more compelling—experience.
Nature lovers
Soulframe's narrative is a battle between nature and technology. The rural island of Midrat is under siege by a technologically advanced alien race called the Oda. You play as the Messenger, a former member of Oda who is now working to free Midrat from Oda's corruption and exploitation. Mostly this means freeing the animals and supernatural beings of Midrath. Many Soulframe bosses are menacing, corrupted beasts such as deer, bears, and wolves. Tonally and aesthetically, Soulframe combines the angular, polished metal design of the alien Oda with Celtic fantasy motifs and intricate hand-hewn structures.
Many games and fantasy authors have explored the intersection of nature and technology. The theme of environmental destruction in Soulframe isn't all that subtle. However, there is a well-crafted story behind it, and the contrast between the natural world and the alien race is effectively drawn.
Conclude an agreement
During character creation, players choose one of three Pacts, the game's version of the starting classes. Tetren are tank-like warriors who use powerful weapons; Sirin are essentially fast-moving rogues, and Osselda are mages. Additional Pacts become available after reaching rank 5. Naturally, each Pact has bonuses to characteristics that help the character wield weapons or magic more effectively.
While the new names and somewhat cryptic mechanics may be confusing, the basics of Soulframe will be familiar to RPG fans. Light and heavy attacks, dodging and parrying, special magical abilities, and a variety of skill trees and upgrades mostly work as you'd expect. Soulframe does a good job of attracting new players, but not everything is clearly explained. The game has a helpful codex to fill in the gaps.
During quests and exploration, players discover various spirit guides who travel to the realm of development and improvements in the parallel dimension. Additionally, each Pact has an in-game home base that serves as a social hub.
Alone again, of course
The core of Soulframe is built around PvE co-op play and supports the usual types of events and activities such as raids, instanced dungeons and challenging boss battles. However, most of Soulframe's main quests and many side quests can be completed solo. It's great fun to explore, level up, farm materials, and do some simple quests without a group.
On paper, Soulframe feels a lot like a game you've probably played before. In practice, the game's excellent combat system, story framework, and beautiful environments give it a unique feel. The developers deliberately slowed down the pace compared to Warframe, making melee or magic combat more deliberate. I've played primarily as a mage, and even at this early stage of development the combat seems pretty well balanced.
Soulframe looks great, and Keith Power's music ranges from moody to uplifting Celtic folk. Music also plays an important role in the gameplay, with a note-matching mini-game being a recurring element of several quests.
New chapter
Currently, Soulframe is still in its pre-alpha stage, which the developers have called Preludes. As of November 25, Prelude 12 has been released with the usual set of bug fixes and new content. Notably, Prelude 12 introduces a new fast travel system. However, the most significant new addition to the game is the Founders program, which sells mostly cosmetic packs and additional in-game currency packs for each character class for $30. Like Warframe, Soulframe is a free-to-play game. While Founders content certainly helps speed up progress, it is not a pay-to-win system.
For a game so early in development, Soulframe is extremely polished and confident in its mechanics and direction. Although the game is only marginally similar to Souls, the exploration and combat in Soulframe gave me a strong Elden Ring vibe, although the enemy variety doesn't come close to FromSoft's masterpiece. However, this is a more than promising start. Soulframe is already a game that has a lot of strong and enjoyable content, and it looks like it has an amazing future ahead of it.
