Warframe review

The Tenno have been asleep for a long time. Too long, it seems, because when the ninja-like elite fighters wake up from their cryosleep, the solar system is at war. In the shooter Warframe from Digital Extremes, you are supposed to fight for supremacy on the PC, also on PS4.

I sprint along the corridor of the spaceship, skillfully dodging the crew's fire. At the press of a button, I drop to my knees in a full sprint and slide between the stunned enemies, drawing my katana between them and making short work of them. With body parts and lifeblood still flying through the air, I reach for my fully automatic pistols and empty the magazines into the next three enemies. Whew. The corridor is cleared. First, take a breath!

Warframe is fast as hell. In frenetic firefights, up to four players cooperatively take on the crews of spaceships and stations, free prisoners from the hands of aliens, capture enemy leaders, or clear areas of mutated monsters. All this happens in the context of the war between the ninja-like Tenno and the totalitarian-ruled Grineer. The players belong to the Tenno faction and wear so-called warframes. The design of these exoskeletons is vaguely reminiscent of miniature Evangelions from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The battle suits not only provide protection but have unique abilities and status values that support different play styles, such as melee or ranged combat.

The weapons can also be modified and improved.  Namely, each wang or blade levels up, much like the player and his armor, gaining more slots for modifications that increase firing accuracy, damage, or ammunition amount. However, these also have to be found or bought, so there's a lot of work ahead before I have my dream equipment together.

The games are bursting with missions. The battles take place in the distant future of our solar system and can be selected via an overview map. In the orbit of each planet are countless missions that are worked through in closed maps.

The maps are pleasantly different and can shine especially because of the good scenery. The art design is convincing and the particle effects of the in-house Evolution engine turn the battles into real fireworks. Especially the spectacular special attacks of the warframes leave a powerful impression. The controls are also very smooth and allow for cool and very fluid movements. This allows for stylish close combat maneuvers and always gives me a feeling of control in the fast-paced shootouts.

Conclusion

Warframe makes a decent impression: the battles are effect-laden, action-packed, and frenetically fast shootouts that remind me of Vanquish in their best moments. There are many different missions and the level and improvement system also make a good impression.