Lauren spends most of her time lifeless in League of Legends, or equally as lifeless in Valorant. Do not ask her about Vampire: The Masquerade.
Printed: July 24, 2026
My first reminiscence of Soulframe is being insulted by what I can solely describe as a magical string bean. Technically he is a Sproutfolk, however to my thoughts, he is a magical string bean with a very nasty chilly. I might awoken in Alca with not a lot context and nought however a single quest to maintain me busy: find the so-called “secrety glade,” and the important thing required to open it. It was a comparatively primary introduction; fetch x, do y, battle boss. It was attention-grabbing sufficient to maintain me intrigued initially, however as time went on, I discovered my thoughts wandering.
That was a few years in the past now – how time flies. I might anticipated the Soulframe launch date to have rolled round by now; even information on early entry, or 1.0. However Digital Extremes’ upcoming fantasy RPG has merely continued to trundle alongside in pre-alpha, slowly inviting new gamers to the sport, whereas the developer listens to group suggestions. To some, that will not sound nice: why is the sport not able to launch but? Will Soulframe ever be launched? I might be a liar if the identical ideas hadn’t crossed my thoughts. However, within the wake of TennoCon 2026 and the completely stellar Warsongs demo, I packed up my luggage and headed again to Alca, excited to be berated by a sneezing string bean over again.
Once I first performed Soulframe, my major problem was its fight. Whereas the sport’s courses – or ‘Pacts’ – had been break up into the standard mage (Oscelda), warrior (Tethren), and rogue (Sirin) archetypes, all of them performed comparatively equally, particularly the latter two. Taking part in as a rogue shortly turned irritating – I did not really feel like a stealthy murderer; as a substitute, I used to be simply hacking and slashing away, hoping for the perfect. That was amplified by the virtually soulslike-esque fight – the preliminary Torment Stag encounter wiped the ground with me, and whereas I will actively admit that I am not a soulslike grasp, it felt notably vicious for an early-level boss.
Returning to that very same questline in 2026, every little thing feels utterly completely different. My rogue is crouched and her actions are fluid and fast, whereas my mage feels extra dynamic than simply ‘wave workers, forged spell.’ The Torment Stag, whereas nonetheless difficult in its personal methods, performs like an entry-level boss, and the gradual, methodical soulslike really feel from my first playthrough has been changed with faster-paced, extra action-game-esque motion. Pacts lastly really feel like they’ve their very own distinctive identities, and I have not tried out any of the brand new particular subclasses but.
It is helped alongside by a extra cohesive narrative. Initially, Preludes – and even some TennoCon demos – felt like disparate elements put collectively purely for the sake of giving the participant issues to do. Whereas I immediately fell in love with Verminia, the gameplay itself felt like extra of a verify field to unlock her elixir expertise than a totally rounded story expertise. Whereas DE’s holding the narrative beats near its chest – CEO Steve Sinclair confirmed that even TennoCon’s Warsongs demo is a spliced-together model of a for much longer quest – the improved introduction and enhanced storytelling make Alca really feel like a videogame versus an ongoing tech demo.Â
That is equally enhanced by Soulfame’s distinctive storybook-esque narrative fashion, which has blossomed over time into one thing actually distinctive. All the things reads poetically – “relieve a chest of its contents,” one quest bids me. I do know precisely what it means, however the writing nearly beckons and dares me to take action –Â I am a baby stealing a sweet; a trickster within the evening on the lookout for their subsequent sufferer. The trendy iteration of Soulframe has a well-realized id and elegance; it is clear to me that, by way of worldbuilding, DE has realized the suitable classes from Warframe.
Maybe a very powerful factor, nonetheless, is that Alca now feels alive. Soulframe has some MMO-like qualities, very similar to Warframe. You load into an occasion, and generally you see different gamers wandering round. The Drippin’ Flagon – a forgotten alehouse nestled beneath the bottom – is house to a merry bunch of revellers, and is stuffed to the brim with Envoys finishing quests and hanging out, akin to considered one of Warframe’s relays. Maybe that feeling of liveliness exists just because there are extra gamers than after I first began out, however the place Soulframe initially felt like a solo expertise – not all the time helped by how grindy fight felt and the sport’s considerably muted shade palette – now it looks like a thriving, residing world.
Whereas I initially felt like holding Soulframe in pre-alpha state was a curse, I now see the logic. DE did the identical with Warframe again within the day, however I used to be uncertain if a gradual, community-driven improvement mannequin may work in a world the place videogames come and go at such a speedy tempo. If genre-defining heavy-hitters like Hole Knight Silksong had been solely ‘stylish’ for a few weeks, how can a comparatively area of interest sport exist in pre-alpha for literal years? How does that earn cash in a world the place money is king, but concurrently non-existent?
I am glad the Preludes mannequin is working. Via the developer’s personal good decision-making and group suggestions, Soulframe is slowly turning into the fantasy RPG I imagine it may be. I am glad that we’re nonetheless making video games with the group at their core; video games for folks, and never video games for video games’ sake.
Digital Extremes is aware of what it is doing – it is cultivated a bespoke shooter in Warframe; one which’s distinct visually and by way of gameplay. Soulframe is similar; its storytelling, shade palette, and common aesthetics are in contrast to the rest available on the market. The cinematic really feel of its boss fights, coupled with a stellar soundtrack and intelligent implementation of tune as a storytelling system is completely magnificent; it is music I need to hearken to; a narrative I need to hear.
I’ve lengthy defended Soulframe, even after I wasn’t greatly surprised with my first expertise. With Warsongs on the horizon, I am genuinely excited to see what comes subsequent. I have been on the lookout for a brand new fantasy journey that absorbs me the identical method that Baldur’s Gate 3 did; I needed Soulframe to be that sport. Now, I lastly imagine it may be.
