Available for a long time already, October 2012 to be precise, Warframe is a game which has known, and which still knows today, a great success, with an ever growing community, and an ever increasing quality. The game was previewed a few years ago, and I most recently mentioned it in a selection of free FPS (although we're talking about a TPS here, we agree) available. sure Steam. Water has flowed under the bridges since then, and the game has evolved to better make us dream. I will therefore linger a little more on this title a little apart, which allows us to embody "space ninjas" in a bewitching science-fiction world ... all without spending a single penny!
These space ninjas are actually Tennos who use technologically very advanced suits, the Warframe. There are several types of Warframe (at the time of writing, ~ 25 different armor) that grant different abilities depending on the outfit equipped. A bit like an MMO, different roles are recommended depending on the Warframe equipped. Some specialize in support, with healing powers, others in stealth elimination or wielding the elements, and some armor allows for some welcome versatility when you're just starting out.
Speaking of getting started, you will be led, from the start of the adventure, to choose a combination among 3 "basic" Warframes: Excalibur - versatile and specialist in the sword, Volt, who masters electricity and finally Mag, who has power that plays on magnetivity. Of course, you can unlock the other warframes later in the story, after completing a few missions and collecting enough credits (main game currency), or by paying a few turntables, the secondary game currency, which is obtained with real money (and in some missions). Important note, getting your hands on the wallet is quite dispensable, it just allows you to unlock the different combinations more quickly, but the credit farm remains completely honest and not off-putting.
Part of the Warframe currently available
After choosing your first ninja, you will be thrown straight into the heat of the moment. You will have to follow the instructions of Lotus, a strange character with a monotonous voice, who will tell you how to play at the very beginning, and who will be your guide throughout the game, informing you about the dangers of the mission, etc ... and by revealing some information on the game world. Between each mission, you will return to your ship, which allows you to do a whole lot of things, consult the codex (which gives information on all the elements of the game), the news, the shop, gives access to the map of the universe and by extension of the missions, and to an airlock allowing you to improve your Warframe, by modifying the power of the armor, as well as its appearance. You will also spend many hours in this airlock, which is rich in terms of possibilities, theorycrafting enthusiasts will appreciate, and players who like to pamper their avatar by adding unnecessary accessories (therefore essential) will have fun between each mission. To customize each of the armor possessed, from the blue / white / red MAG armor to the Valentine's Day Nyx armor to the immaculate white Chroma outfit, there's plenty to pass the time!
Between each mission, you will return to your ship, with a very nice view!
Apart from the rich possibilities of modifying the avatar, we will now focus on the heart of the game, the missions. Each mission will be to choose from in the ship, you select a mission for your warframe, and you choose if you want to play solo, co-op with friends, or with strangers. The game will (at least I haven't encountered any issues on my end) quickly find a party and send you out onto the field. Overall, the missions are very classic, like "Go get that", "Go free something", "Go kill this Chief Grineer", in short, already seen a thousand times, but it's effective, and the average time needed to a mission rarely exceeds 15-20 minutes, which allows you to play it in short sessions!
If the title is also effective and allows not to feel the repetitiveness of the missions, it is in large part thanks to its universe, really intriguing and which is revealed only in small quantities, in order to keep a part of permanent mystery. around game species and technologies. Artistically and technically, the title holds up well and displays pretty things, even if we will feel (especially at the beginning) the all-white corridor aspect of the vessels ... which may disturb some of them. But although his universe is really bewitching, it is mainly thanks to its gameplay that Warframe is doing so well. It's hard to judge as it is, since I only touched 3 different outfits, but each combination offers a really different way of playing. I play quite nag with Excalibur, rushing through the pile and cutting with my sword, which is not the case with Volt for example, which is more fragile, and which I therefore play from a distance, with my bow. The stealth approach also works well, but I avoid it due to an AI that is a bit inactive in my opinion, which only spots me on rare occasions, even if I look closely at the area where I am. Speaking of enemies, you will meet different species to eliminate, mainly Grineers at the start of the game, then infested or even Corpus when moving forward a little, you will have to be careful and play with the elements, since each enemy is resistant to certain elements. and fragile with others. Robots, for example, are sensitive to electrical damage, but are very resistant to poisons.
Do not be afraid of these white corridors, the following environments are more colorful and varied
In addition to PvE, it's also worth noting that Warframe has a PvP mode which I must admit, is very nice despite my initial skepticism. The recent Sanctuary update has also added a very nice Cephalon Capture mode, which works like a Flag Capture mode. It is again relatively classic, but the 3 available environments are well done and allow you to have a good time.
To summarize, Warframe is a really great Free-to-Play TPS that I highly recommend trying. Don't let the first few hours of the game get you down, the title is quite slow to reveal its full potential due to a bit of a long tutorial, but once you get into the game, you will find that it is very difficult to play. '' to get out of it, thanks to short and nice missions, a varied gameplay with small onions, and a content which continues to enrich itself and to provide elements of meager but present answers, on a universe which still has a lot to reveal .
Warframe is available for free on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
