Ninjas in Space
I recently noticed a new game on the the banner for steam called Warframe. I wasn’t quite sure what it was so I gave it a download and checked it out. I was expecting yet another multiplayer kill fest, and that’s what I got. Although not in the way I expected.
Co-operative space assassination
So instead of being like most games I see in the free to play section on Steam, Warframe is 100% co-op. Players take the role of a Tenno, and select a Warframe, or robotic suit with crazy space ninja powers. I personally picked the Excalibur frame, as it was balanced, and a good suit for a beginner.
Upon going through what seemed like some kind of holographic, virtual reality tutorial, I was tossed into my first mission and was running around some kind of space station. Amidst chopping up weird looking power armored marines that had goofy bunny ears on for Easter, and sliding on the ground and shooting bad guys in the face. All in all, a fun experience.
Down to the crunch
So how does the game work? Basically, as characters perform missions and make kills, they gain affinity experience with their weapons and frame. Gaining levels makes them slightly better, and more importantly allows you to equip mods and special abilities. The specials I’ve gotten so far are a ranged dashing slice and some kind of bright blinding attack, and they are freaking awesome. More importantly, they are useful as heck in the team format.
That’s right. Players work together with one another to complete their objectives together. Ranging from search and rescue, to full on extermination, the missions are varied and enjoyable. And the maps have quite a bit of variety too, and make use of the wonderful platforming the game incorporates. Sliding, climbing, and wall running all make an appearance and are quite useful for navigating the terrain.
Free to play, or Pay to Win?
So one of the big problems I tend to have with Free to Play games is that they like to lean towards giving a major advantage to those who spend money. Well, it doesn’t seem too bad so far in Warframe. Just about everything is available for purchase with both money and the in game currency of Credits. Players can also use materials they’ve gathered to craft new weapons, items, and frames to play with. And since the goal is co-operation, having a new weapon or a different frame doesn’t really give you an advantage as all rewards are shared.
So, worth it?
Definitely. I don’t like to throw out 9s and 10s, but I had a lot of fun with Warframe. It had little to no bugs that I came across, looked great, and even managed to have a mildly compelling story. I highly advise grabbing it on Steam and going nuts!
