Izzy Rivera

Staff Writer

irivera1@umassd.edu

Warframe is a free-to-play action role-playing multiplayer online video game that was developed and published by Digital Extremes. It is available on almost any gaming console you can think of including PC, however Xbox One players cannot play with PC players, it is not yet cross platform in that aspect.

There is a single player and multiplayer mode, letting players choose if they want to take the journey alone or online with friends. The game opens by describing the Tenno, warriors of blade and guns, masters of their Warframe armor. They fought the old war and then disappeared, but in the beginning of the game they are called upon once more to help with uprising of sinister groups of enemies. This game has been described across the internet as “Space Ninjas”, since the player has so many options on what kind of style they want to pursue the game. You can have a stealthy approach or go in guns ablazing, all while also having abilities that your specific Warframe has. A huge portion of this game also refers to a gaming term called “grinding”, where players have to play missions over and over to get certain materials they need to build new things for their Warframes to use.

While this certainly is not everyone’s cup of tea, the missions that are repeated always have a different edge to them, whether that be a different species of enemy or the game map is different, including that the chance of loot drop is always fluctuating. If you aren’t into that type of gameplay no harm done, the story provides enough basic loot to create what you need for the main parts of the game, letting beginners and intermediates enjoy the game at their own pace.

Although this game is free there are in-game purchases, such as buying Warframes with premium currency and buying cosmetic skins and accessories for them. Although this is not necessary and you can grind for the materials to get new characters to play, the offer is still there for someone to spend $10-$20 to get someone new to play. Every character has its own abilities, even though you can use the same weapons across all, creating a unique experience for each Warframe a player tries.

People who have played 30+ hours of this game have said there is still so much more that can be done and the playability is quite expansive. There are over 20 Warframes for players to craft and try, and plenty of weapons for them to level up, all while having an immersive storyline. The visuals are breathtaking, from swampy maps with lots of over growth to flying around in space watching the galaxies pass by. This game is definitely worth a try if you have the space, it’s free until you decide it isn’t, and offers a major amount of game play for you and maybe your friends to enjoy. Will you join the Tenno to save the planets across the galaxy?