Warframe devs reveal first Soulframe gameplay, and it sure looks like a Soulslike MMO

Soulframe, the upcoming free-to-play MMO from Warframe developer and publisher Digital Extremes, has debuted early prototype gameplay with big Dark Souls vibes.

Before we go any further, it's worth emphasizing just how early this footage is, as the developers themselves did before the footage rolled in a recent Warframe devstream. "This is an internal combat prototype. It has lots of stolen assets from Warframe, lots of janky stuff. This is not intended to be a traditional publisher saying 'worldwide reveal'. This is just us making bad decisions, showing you our process ... showing you behind the curtains."

With that out of the way, the first ever Soulframe gameplay looks promising, particularly if you're a Soulslike fan. The combat looks weighty and methodical; the player character approaches each opponent with deliberation and enemies respond with an equally calculated guard, resulting in standoff situations where each side is waiting for the other to flub an attack and become vulnerable. Some successful attacks appear to stagger enemies, giving the player the perfect chance to finish the job.

It'll be interesting to see how this stark departure from traditional MMO combat gels with there being potentially dozens of other players in one area, especially in dungeons where things can get pretty cramped. Again, this is very early and it's highly likely that this is something the developers are considering and planning for, but I'm curious to see how they'll incorporate the combat into the level design and how it might freshen up the MMO space.

If you're interested to see more, you can expect to see more gameplay at this year's TennoCon, which takes place on August 26, 2023.

In the meantime, here are the best MMORPGs you can play right now.