Digital Extremes invited Wccftech to a recent media preview of TennoCon 2024, where we got to watch today’s Soulframe presentation in advance.
The presentation started with a first look at the character customization process, where players will be able to choose the physical traits of their mother (complexion, hair, eyes, etc.) to determine their own. The player character’s mother is a Night Maiden, a role that was described as a ward of different counties in the part of the world where the game is set.
The developers then moved to discuss the Warsongs Prologue, a Fable introducing the world, its characters, and beasts. It’s a sneak peek at an experimental approach to choices and character design. As an Envoy, players must heal the Ode curse to restore the forgotten culture and memories to the beings of Alca.
Ancestry is a big theme in Soulframe. Players will gather various Ancestors in the Nightfold (a sort of parallel dimension) to make use of their skills. In the presentation, Digital Extremes introduced Verminia, the Rat Witch, who can enhance the customization of cosmetics while also assisting in crafting potions, elixirs, and other tinctures. Interestingly, we got confirmation that you can go back to the Nightfold from anywhere in the world as long as there is no enemy in the vicinity, which will allow you to craft things easily or just change gear as needed.
Digital Extremes is calling Soulframe’s structure Overworld, a ‘very large’ overworld. Later, during the Q&A, I asked for a comparison with Warframe’s open zones and was told that just the starting island is twice as big as the Plains of Eidolon. Still, the studio is spending much time on adding content density rather than just focusing on map size.
The developers also provided a first look at a new enemy called Nimrod, who manipulates thunder and lighting while wielding a devastating tesla-coiled melee staff.
We then learned that the next game from Warframe’s developers will launch in some form of early access later this year. Preludes (the current Pre-Alpha build) is going to be opened to everyone at some point this Fall, though the developers warned it might be rough at first, just like Warframe when it launched in 2013. Soulframe Creative Director Geoff Crookes said in a statement:
The closed testing we’ve been doing with our community has been so impactful; we’ve learned a ton, and we continue to listen and learn each day. We’re hoping to open this up to a lot more players this Fall. Everything is still rough around the edges, but that’s part of our style – the feedback is important to us, and we really do iterate on it regularly.
There will be some Founder’s Packs things, but Digital Extremes will try to make it ‘less exclusive’ than Warframe’s.
